tools for EMT's and First responder's

Leatherman skeletool RX might fit the bill. Knife, wire cutters, carbide glass breaker and a carabiner so it might be less likely to lose. I tend to like the hex bit multi-tools so I can customize the bits I carry for the application and it I round off the bits I can usually find something pretty easy at the hardware store.

Scissors would be the big thing missing from the skeletool I think.
 
I have a multitool in my turn out gear I've used it a few times any good one will do the Raptor shears are good but a lot of guys on my department just carry normal medical shears as there is enough room in the pockets for them. As has been stated above there isn't much need because you always have what you need on the truck or in the trauma bag.
 
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this is good information. please share more guys.

does anyone make a prybar with an O2 key on it?
 
The CRKT Viva is the closest but doesn't state that it has an O2 key but does have the pry bar. The K.E.R.T. has an O2 key but not considered a pry bar. For $9 each on CRKT's website you could probably just get both and slap them on a key ring.
 
Never carried this when I was on the job but there is an O2 key in the handle. Don't know how practical the small blade would be in an emergency situation.

 
I used to be an EMT, and carried a Victorinox Swisschamp.

If I had to do it again today, I'd carry a decent mutli-tool.

As for shears, they are already handy on any rig I worked on, and glass breakers, I never worked an accident where we needed to pop a car window, that there wasn't a police officer that wasn't more than happy to do it with his ASP baton.
 
The leatherman raptor gets rotated through my edc stuff in the field, but I have a hard time loving it. It's heavy and clunky. If I'm working in scrubs it's way too heavy. More often than not, I carry a Ripshear. It's light and cuts through everything faster than just plain shears. For anything else, the taxpayers give us much cooler tools to do my job. For a blade at work, I always use a Spyderco endura. I go through them like crazy, they are reliable and don't hurt when I break or lose one. In the hospital, it's just a Ripshear...light, fast, and reliable.
 
Depends what he'll be doing. I'm a volunteer EMT in an area with a lot of retirement homes and a college town. Most of my calls are either elderly people or drunk kids, neither really require a knife. Personally I think a medium size multi-tool like a leatherman wave would be the most useful for the most scenarios. Most oxygen tanks I've encountered have a key tied to it, but if it didn't you can open it with the pliers on the leatherman, (there are also a few other tricks to open them without a key).

I've always thought it'd be cool for hinderer to introduce a modular back spacer with an oxygen key built in but unfortunately they don't.
 
I carry a Leatherman Wave and usually use the regular pliers as an O2 opener if I don't have a student ride along. I did get a gift of an O2 opener from a company called "wantynu" it beats all of the cheap openers (the plastic ones break and I even had a "metal" one that snapped)

As far as shears go, the raptors work really well but I personally don't like the folding aspect with all of the crevices- they are harder to clean. I used to use the Clauss titanium bonded shears- a step up from regular disposables, but now I use the Xshear which is like a non folding Raptor. I think the Raptors have their place- its compact and has a bunch of useful tools- but if you deal with a lot of traumas and need good shears the Xshears win. They are on Facebook- if you want pictures.

Beyond that a bunch of disposable pens- they disappear quickly, a good flashlight and a Littmann stethoscope round off my personal equipment.
 
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Timberline O2 Wrench:
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My background, 26 years on the job FF/emt in a rust belt city, 11 years LT, all on a Truck, so,thankfully my ems district is small ! Like,others have said the rigs have all the tools one needs, although the problem is one gets seperated from them.

I was in a mass casualty / active shooter drill, with 100's of LEO's , fire, ems, helocopters , humvees and on and on.
What I took away from it was, if something like this happened for real, it's going to be what's on me . We went in ( college) after cops cleared it so our rigs were some distance away, bags get set down you get called over to another spot, or they think there is another shooter and yo run and take cover or exit , things change fast.

We all been to,mass casualty accidents a couple pair of shears in the bag, is not enough if your 4 or 5 man company pulls up and finds 4 or more PTs. We've been called twice recently to a block long building being rehabbed for injured workers. Nobody meets us and we got a multi floor block,long building , so you split up but only one trauma kit, it's good to carry your own gear.

I also think more thought should go into off duty carry, not that all would chose to get involved in most of the minor stuff you're apt to run across .

A good tac folder and light are always on me even at the gym. That Benchmade showed earlier would be a good choice,I typically carry my Hinderer XM 18. At work I carry that or some sort of Spyderco in my pocket and a Strider DB fixed blade on my belt . Most tools on a Truck cut or pry, that DB does both as well, not my go to tool but calls where you don't bring tools, such as ems and find you need to,pop a door or window it works well.

Someone working on an ambulance I think would be served well with that Raptor ,a quality folder and light , I like Fenix PD35 for a duty light .
 
I am a knife guy so I place a strong personal emphasis on a folder but for profession I am an EMT on an 911 ambulance and the LM raptor shear is more useful then a tactical folder in this specific line of work. Even when I worked doing wildfires in the summer thinking I might get a chance to use my fancy knives more the sheers were King, especially since I needed cut mole skin for firefighters feet and give instruction on foot care, the only time the knife was most important was for swift water rescue, but these were not high performance knives that we like here on the forums they were low wear resistant, high corrosion dive knives with serrated edges for cutting rope in water which is very important for swift water (river) operations, they worked great for the given job but nothing us knife guys would obsess or rave about, the raptors are the same for me lol so I don't care to talk about them I just use them

past few days its been snowmaggdon on the ambulance. Guess what the most important carry was? Benchmade osborne 940 in s90v? wrong! hahaha it was the raptor shears of course, the cutting hook cuts zip ties like a beast, perfect for tire chain repairs, even used the tip on the scissors to rotate the cam on the chains to tighten them. The scissors are beast, there is no going back to cheapo shears, can't share the frustration of trying to use dull shears in a time sensitive situation haha jeez I remember when I did't have them and we had to find a cheapo pair that could cut this bikers leather jacket. Also, its nice having a o2 key handy versus digging around for one, never needed to use the glass breaker since we have a wreaking bar on the ambulance that would work better but its cool to have. Lots of carry options on the Raptors too which might even be one of the best features, I see my peers carrying them in a huge variety of ways with or without the holster since they fold up and have a pocket clip but the holster has options too.

Im sure I could think of and share endless times I've used my raptors for work but its just not as sexy as a cool "overbuilt" folder and I'm not interested in sharing because of course work is work and that's where I leave it when I clock out :D


its just a tool of the job, I love knives so Id rather have a cool "hinderer style" knife but its straight up not as useful for work over the shears.

No one in the four counties in this region that works on the ambulance owns a strider or rick hinderer or any overbuilt expensive knife not even a ZT, I wish they did because Id offer to sharpen it lol.

Maybe Fire or Police but not us, its just not what we do or need.

I see the law enforcement guys with more knives, they have all the cool knife stuff like autos and daggers and its more pertinent to their jobs then ours and they keep us safe so I am always thankful to have them around and for what they do.
 
ERRN said:
The leatherman raptor gets rotated through my edc stuff in the field, but I have a hard time loving it. It's heavy and clunky. If I'm working in scrubs it's way too heavy. More often than not, I carry a Ripshear. It's light and cuts through everything faster than just plain shears. For anything else, the taxpayers give us much cooler tools to do my job. For a blade at work, I always use a Spyderco endura. I go through them like crazy, they are reliable and don't hurt when I break or lose one. In the hospital, it's just a Ripshear...light, fast, and reliable.
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This. Wife is a medic. I'm always trying to get her a cool new tool. Generally doesn't go very well. Rescue knives like the Benchmade are nice, but typically not what a first responder needs. They're not going to pull out their folding knife to break a window. They have better tools for that. Same with a window saw some tools have - just silly in their situation. Raptor is nice and cuts well. She also thinks it's too clunky.

She has a very light metal O2 wrench on her lanyard. Makes her job a lot better. Much too tedious to pull out a muti-tool when you need an O2 wrench and she hates the nylon ones. The good ones cost $10. Everybody she works with wants one.

She has a good knife and uses it often - no idea how (Benchmade). She has good shears. So far hasn't lost them in 2+ years. A penlight and a very bright flashlight. She works graveyard and flashlight is critical. No BS "tactical" features - just small, bright, and is reliable. Fire, Medics, and LE all ask about it and seem to want one (Olight M18). That stuff and a bunch of gloves in her pocket are it. Anything else is on the rig or is superfluous junk that gets in her way.

Actually came her to post about a new knife for her. Will get that going shortly.
 
My paramedic work carry: Benchmade Auto Presidio knife, Leatherman Raptor shears, Fenix UC35 flashlight, plastic O2 wrench.


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