I'm with Shiloh. I'm sure "young Nick Hunter" won't have a problem with government restriction of people's freedom of movement, but those of us who don't live in Oceania will.
I got one of these after 9/11 (I worked in a skyscraper in downtown Manhattan at the time). I never go anywhere without it - I got mine for $68, though, so shop around. If you actually have to use it in a fire, you send it back to the manufacturer and they send you a new one.
And those "airline magazines" pay pretty well if you're a writer, so read on.