Help with supplies for a basic First Aid/Trauma kit.

ElConquistador

ElConquistador

Gold Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
605
I know there's gotta be somebody here that's an EMS, EMT, Paramedic, etc., maybe you can help me. I live in a rural area, I drive a lot, I've been on scene at several accidents where a first aid kit would come in handy. The most recent accident was a man who had been ejected and had a laceration on his head, when you're in this position you realize how little is available even just for a compression bandage to control bleeding. Fortunately someone else on seen had a rag or something to use and controlled the bleeding.

Anyway, I live in a rural area but still in most places First Responders can be there in 15-20 minutes during the day or maybe double that during the night when they're only on call. I'm basically looking to control bleeding and do CPR and basic first aid until the first responders arrive. I'm CPR and First Aid certified but have little practical experience. I suppose it's possible that I could run into something way out in the boonies and be several hours from medical assistance but I'm preparing for the more likely 15-20 minute wait.

Anyway, I've ordered a Maxpedition Lunada, a small backpack type bag with about 390 cubic inches. It's fairly small but I figure whatever size I get it will end up being full and I've only got so much space to dedicate to this project.

Here's what I want to put in it at this point... ...or my ideas at least. Please offer any suggestions you may have.

This stuff I have:

Gloves, latex free
CPR mask
Benchmade Triage :)



This stuff is Ideas, I could also use tips on where to buy this type of stuff.

Kerlix 4 1/2"x4.1yd gauze rolls Probably several of these, any need to pay more for sterile?
Kerlix 4"x4" sponges I figure with some tape these could be good for small lacerations... ...again, sterile or no?
Tape for taping gauze and sponges. 1"? What kind is good?
Maybe a couple Israeli Bandages or other battle wound dressing... ...I would prefer to keep the kit more basic though these are really expensive
Tourniquet Probably won't get one, I can't see ever using it but I suppose if you needed one you'd be glad to have it.
Cold Packs
Sheet Not really enough room for a blanket but a thin sheet may be handy.
Bandages maybe just a few Band-aids, alcohol wipes, etc. Asprin may not be a bad thing to have.
Splint Maybe one of those orange/blue splints which I guess would need an ace bandage or something to go with it.


That's about it. I'm not interested in a household type first aid kit with Band-aids and Advil, this is more of a trauma kit. I found one Quality Medical Supply place online that seems to have a lot of stuff but please PM me if you know of any good places. I've wished I had something like this more than once but I'd still like to not spend a fortune on it maybe around $50 to fully load the pack.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions! I promise to gauze and tape you if you crash in front of me. :)
 
Great question. Along the same lines I would appreciate any suggestions for a ready-made kit for a family of seven with five small kids.
 
You'll never have everything you need. The will always be something that you think of after the fact. I recommend the typical duffel bag sized kit though instead of those rinky-dink wallet sized versions. You should read some of the stuff on Doug Ritter's website. He offers a lot of information that would come in handy.

Also, be careful as good intentions can often be rewarded with a lawsuit. It happened to a friend of mine some years back.
 
I've found the listings in the Wilderness Medicine by Dr Forgey seem to cover quite a bit of my needs (until better aid gets there or is gotten to).

He uses a "modular" approach, and lists many cross-functional items so as to minimize duplication.
 
RevDevil said:
Also, be careful as good intentions can often be rewarded with a lawsuit. It happened to a friend of mine some years back.
Click to expand...

This is definitely true, check and see if your state has some form of Good Samaritan law on the books, if not you are opening yourself too a very real possibility of a law suit and no insurance to cover the expense. I would recommend getting a higher level of training, sometimes a car wreck with minor injuries can develop into a full blown crisis situation in less than your 20 minute time frame. All that being said a few things you might want to consider a few of these items:

ABD Pads 5x9(at least) (I think these are all sterile) between these and your Kerlix you can make a pressure bandage plus I like ABDs much better than gauze pads they are much more absorbent and don't impede clotting like gauze

EMT Shears, People who are stressed out may freak out when you whip a knife out to cut clothing out of the way plus they are easier for you to use in a high stress situation.

Instead of a sheet consider a space blanket or an all weather blanket, much warmer and take up much less space in your pack

Flashlight or even better a headlamp in case it's dark the headlamp is a Godsend when you need both hands in the dark

Keep a couple of large bottles of water in case you need to flush a wound.

Hand Sanitizer

I am sure i will think of other odds and ends, when I do I'll post them in this thread.
 
No need to buy a tourniquet all u need is trauma sheers to use as winless and either triangle bandages or strips of cloth to use as the bandage. As far as sterile or no there is really no need I would buy a good ready made kit then add to it.
 
check out YouTube vids by USNERDOC... he puts together a pretty good kit.. as Hunter Thompson commented a way to irrigate wounds... syringe or simply a small hole in a top of the kind of water bottles you have (I have a couple varieties in my range kit)....Israeli bandages or other compression bandages that are self contained, have a fold over compression lever...Kerlix gauze and pads as mentioned....abdominal pads as mentioned... the self adherent stretch tape like Coban and non adherent telfa pads would be a good idea for minor lacerations (I'm tending to think Coban type tape is the best single FAK supply as it does not require adhesion to skin) ...good nitrile gloves at 3 pair per responder....I carry a SF tourniquet and petroleum gauze (chest puncture) in my range kit... my car kit has a liter bottle of sterile saline for irrigation.... bottle of betadine (but cautionary instructions about excess antibiotic in the wound itself, for surrounding area prep)... good flashlight...I carry a couple of chem lights.... pen/paper to record observations....leather gloves to access victim....way to clean yourself after and possible exposure to blood borne pathogens
 
Item One: Fire Extinguisher.

Several years ago, I was first-on-scene at a very bad accident. Fortunately, the pros arrived in just a few minutes. Two victims went to the hospital via helicopter. But, in those first few minutes, the most important thing I did, what I was told doubtlessly saved a life, was to extinguish a fire in a car where a man was trapped. There was no way we could have gotten him out of that car. It took "The Jaws of Life" and a big saw to do that. So putting out the fire was important. Good thing I had an extinguisher in my car... and it worked really fast and really well too.

There were seven injured people at that accident, four with very serious injuries, three with what I would consider serious bleeding. Two had very serious internal injuries. I can not imagine trying to take care of that situation for a half-hour without professional help; several of those people would have died. Remember, this was in the Portland, Oregon metro area, maybe ten or twelve miles from a hospital, and yet they called for two helicopters because those two people were so seriously injured that the few minutes a helicopter can buy in such a situation were deemed necessary.

Let me here add a HUGE shout out to the professionals of Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. It was absolutely amazing to see the speed and professionalism with which they handled the situation. I'm sure that while TVFR is a nationally-top-rated outfit which we are very fortunate to have protecting us, professional fire and rescue people all over are similarly-skilled and deserving of our thanks, praise, and support for the work they do.

Anyway, another lesson-learned for me in all of that was just the size of the response that may be required. When I see those little automobile first aid kits that fit in your glove box and have three band aides and a 3x3 gauze pad in them, I just laugh... useless. You must plan to have multiple victims and lots of bleeding.

I have advanced Red Crosss first aid training, so I know my ABCs: Airway, Bleeding, Circulation, Shock. We, thank God, had no airway problems. But we had bleeding and we had two victims clearly on their way into shock. Controlling bleeding just takes a lot of bulky stuff. So, a physically-small kit just isn't possible.
 
One slight problem with any pre made kits is they usually only come with 1 pair of gloves. In dealing with major traumas you will really go through gloves if you don't want to contaminate everything in your kit with blood/ body fluid. Nitrile is really the only option, with latex allergies being as common as they are.
 
hunter s thompson said:
One slight problem with any pre made kits is they usually only come with 1 pair of gloves. In dealing with major traumas you will really go through gloves if you don't want to contaminate everything in your kit with blood/ body fluid. Nitrile is really the only option, with latex allergies being as common as they are.
Click to expand...

You can easily get a box of gloves at Walmart for under $10.
 
First, I want to applaud the OP on his very noble and real endeavor. He (and you) can really make a difference. This is a great thread.

And Thanks to Gollnick too for the fire extinguisher story. I've heard you mention that one before, but it's always a great reminder for us. I have an extinguisher under my seat because of that story. In fact, this is a great reminder for me to run out and check to see if it's still 'charged.'


Anyhow, I carry a jump kit in my vehicle as well, here are a list of some of the things I carry:

gauze/bandages of various sizes
stethoscope
sphygmomanometer
latex gloves
eye drops (individually packed)
vaseline gauze
tourniquet
550 cord
glucose tablets
aspirin
aleve
epinephrine auto-injector
SAM splint
trauma shears x2
nasopharygeal airway
alcohol swabs
bacitracin
small bandages
superglue
maxi-pads
CPR mask
moleskin
bandage tape
roller guaze
several bottles of water
cyalume light sticks (for marking/signalling)
sharpie marker(s)
roll of paper towels
space blanket
garbage bags

i can't think of anything else specifically off the top of my head. these would be some good items to start with though. I am interested to hear what other things people come up with.

I am an EMT. I think this is worthwhile training for anyone, regardless of your profession or chosen interest.

Be aware when building your jump kit that it's not always about trauma. Maybe you'll run across someone in basic need of other forms of life support. Aspirin could make a big difference. Glucose tablets or gel. Sometimes it's just a simple cut or scrape. Sometimes you just have a headache. It could be that a simple eyedrop is the difference in whether you drive home safely or end up in a ditch. You never know. Small stuff matters too. Don't get too bogged down in trauma-only. Also trauma is gross.


Good on you though for taking this small first step in personal and societal responsibility. We need more people like you (all of you) on the roads.





PS if you're serious about this and willing to invest, i've been toying with the idea about carrying a small O2 tank in my car. I'm curious to hear thoughts on the potential hazards and tradeoffs vs. the benefits of investing in something like this. things i'm concerned about the most are 1) cost 2) hazard of carrying a pressurized tank 3) the fact that i drive a small 2-seater sports car.
 
Last edited:
RevDevil said:
Also, be careful as good intentions can often be rewarded with a lawsuit. It happened to a friend of mine some years back.
Click to expand...
The last time I took a FA/CPR class (about a year ago) they told us *every* state had some version of the Good Samaritan law and this was not an issue anymore.
 
mdauben said:
The last time I took a FA/CPR class (about a year ago) they told us *every* state had some version of the Good Samaritan law and this was not an issue anymore.
Click to expand...

I am a working paramedic and have been sued and know several people that have been sued. Never underestimate the power of nuisance law suite. Even with a law on the books if someone was to sue you can run into a lot of expense even if the case is thrown out!
 
Thanks for the help, these are some great suggestions. It will be kind of a work in progress for a while getting everything gathered together but I've got a good start on it thanks to your tips.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top