First aid kit

[WyomingEMT]

I've been an Intermediate EMT for 22 years and have a fancy dancy jump bag with everything including IV supplies and O2. Out of all the neat stuff that I have in my medical bag, a common band aid is the most used, with antibiotic. If I had to chose between my 72 hour kit and my jump bag, the heavy medical bag will stay home. Don't forget the band aids.

[applepansy]

I agree. Simple first aid is essential, espeically in a 72 hour kit. I used to have a first aid kit supplied to the point I could do minor surgery. I am no longer working. Restocking got too expensive and I doubt I'll ever be called on to do surgery in an emergency situation. But I know for certain I'll need a bandaid and antibiotic ointment. It seems those two things are something we use around my house daily. :)

[Raven21633]

EMT - I live in Tornado Alley, and every year between March 1 and May 31 we have at least one good tornado outbreak. This year we had a very narrow miss.

I've been thinking about assembling a first aid kit that is a bit more comprehensive than standard "home version" kit that I have. More of a "Disaster Relief" kit. I was thinking about picking up an M3 ALICE pack and, besides the usual items that come in a home first aid kit, I was thinking about SAM splints, ACE bandages, a couple of compression bandages, some rolls of gauze, CPR micro-shield and 4" Shears.

Too much? or have I forgotten something? :)

The crazy thing is, I'm not thinking so much of myself or my family, but my neighbors as well. We live in an apartment complex, and if anything comes through here it will effect about 400 people.

Thanks :)

Edited June 7, 2010 by Raven21633

[marshac]

Primatene mist is an epinephrine inhaler which will work for asthmatics, and could possibly deliver enough epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis, although there is contradictory information out there for that. Either way, I keep one in my car since the possibility of it working is better than nothing IMO.

[WyomingEMT]

Thats a great idea on the primatine mist, I'll carry some. As far as to much in a first aid kit. I would put a few simple first aid items in your bug out 72 hour kit. They already weigh alot and I'd rather have more food than splints. The boy scouts teach (use what you have around you method). I would however put together a nice 1st aid kit, independent of you 72 hr kit. If you have room or can pack it, you've got it. Remember you might be climbing a mango tree to get away from the flood.

[pam]

What's some of the things you would consider to be a must have for a 72 hour first aid kit? Or any first aid kit for that matter?

[zippy_do46]

Our First Aid kit has always been a tackle box full of the basic first aid stuff. After Rita we made a change. We put our supplies in a back pack with rollers. Our 72-hour kits are also in back packs with rollers. All can be bungy corded to a metal wheel cart if one person needs to handle it. My hubby's 89 year old mother lives with us so one of us will have to be with her.

We bag everything in heavy duty freezer bags. The largest bag contains bandaids of every size. :0) I would add a basic first aid manual. Get the lastest because a few things have changed. If you have never taken a first aid course, I would take one.

After reading these post though I think I will add a small bag to our 72- hour kits of bandaids and antibiotic ointment and a couple of ace bandages. I have a extra bag that I can slip meds into. We keep a week of meds in containers. These can be slipped into these bags. All other meds are kept in small canvas bags along with info about meds( doses, what they are precribed for, and etc. ), doctors, and surgeries.

[MarginOfError]

I just took a wilderness first aid course as part of my high adventure leader training for boy scouts. This course (taught by Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities) consisted of a lot of discussion about the principles of providing care in situations where you are beyond the golden hour.

When an emergency arises, people who need medical care are far more likely to survive and have better outcomes when they make it to a treatment facility in less than an hour. In boy scout high adventure courses, it isn't uncommon to be outside this time frame. In fact, if you're even only four miles down a trail and someone needs to be transported to a hospital, it could be 8 - 10 hours before they get to the hospital

If some kind of natural disaster were to strike, it's very likely that you'll be outside of that golden hour, even if you live in an urban area. These disasters result in a massive strain on care providers, and that's to say nothing of damaged infrastructure, transportation routes, or communication towers. It's these situations for which people say then would want a beefed up first aid kit. But in all honesty, it won't do you a lot of good. If a person is hurt so badly that they need a hospital and you can't get them there, having a small surgical bag isn't going to do much for them. At best, you'll get them through a minor procedure and not be able to manage the post operative care.

In an emergency when you can't get people to medical care, all you can do is focus on the ABC's (ABCDE, actually): Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Deformity/Disability, and Environment. After a primary assessment to address immediate threats, do a more thorough assessment, including vitals, bruises, broken bones, etc. Develop a plan and send for help. If bones are broken and twisted in a way that cuts off circulation to the extremities, straighten the bone (DO NOT DO THIS IF MEDICAL HELP IS WITHIN AN HOUR).

To illustrate the reality of emergencies, suppose a person is in cardiac arrest and help cannot arrive for more than an hour. Don't bother doing CPR. The person's chances of making it that long aren't good, and you'll just wear yourself out and become another liability in the emergency. There is very little good you can do in an emergency with anything more than your standard first aid kit.

Now: Here's what I carry in my first aid kit (it weighs about 11 ounces; I bought the scissors, face shield, and decorating gel separately)

ACE Wrap (for strains and sprains)

gauze bandages

band aids of assorted sizes

cotton swabs

tweezers (for splinters)

irrigation syringe (for irrigating scrapes, abrasions, etc)

antibiotic ointment

med tape

ibuprofen

advil (if someone starts to show signs of a heart attack, give them this immediately)

benadryl

moleskin (for blisters)

plastic gloves

scissors (for cutting clothes)

face shield (for rescue breathing)

latex gloves (3 - 4 pair)

pen

SOAP note

CakeMate Decorating gel (for a diabetic who is not conscious enough to consume food)

[Raven21633]

Awesome, thanks guys. I do tend to get caught up in what I'm doing at times and go a bit overboard. I'm glad to know now that I was on the right track but already arriving at the station ha ha. (I was headed to Albuquerque ha ha)

I have an "over-the-counter" kit that contains about 90% of what you listed Margin, except the face-shield, ACE bandage and scissors.

I never thought about something for diabetics, great call there.

I also didn't know about the Soap Notes. I love those and will print out a few. :)

EMT you are so right about preps vs. weight. The one time I really did have to grab my BOB and run, I couldn't lift it. I had packed 4 liters of water in the bottom of it. Once that was removed I could carry it with ease.

I ended up buying a pair of mil-surp 2 quart canteens and covers and keep them filled and next to my BOB. It's still heavy, but the weight is easier to redistribute and easier to carry.

One more thing I learned that night when we had to run, when assembling your 72 hour "RUN!" kit, keep in mind that the stress of the situation can sap your strength considerably. A kit that you can carry easily on a bright sunny day may actually be too heavy for you on a dark and stormy night.

[MarginOfError]

I never thought about something for diabetics, great call there.

Don't get too excited about this. I carry it because there's nothing else you can do, but consider this the total sugar content of a tube of decorating gel is about as much as two shots that a hospital might inject directly into the person's blood stream. If you come across a diabetic who is lost consciousness and you need to give him sugar, all you can do is rub the decorating gel into his gums (make sure you wear gloves). He'll absorb he sugar very slowly. You might--repeat might--be able to get him to regain consciousness enough to feed him other foods, but this doesn't exactly have a history of success. It's just literally the only thing you can do.