Like many people, I carry first aid kits in my cars. Adhesive strips, tape, gauze pads, splint, irrigation syringe, betadyne solution, gauze roll, splinter forceps, safety pins, ibuprofen, antacids, antihistamines, scissors… Basic stuff. It’s fairly good for cuts and abrasions, and even a broken arm.
But suppose you or I were driving down the road and came to the scene of a nasty car wreck. Several people are injured. I don’t know how much good my little kit would be. Unlikely as it is that any particular person will be in such a situation, what if I wanted to be prepared for it? What components to a kit should be carried?
I had an EMT card back in the '90s, but no training since then. I can apply a cervical collar, but obviously I have not been trained to administer an IV. Carrying a cervical collar seems a bit much when a couple of rolled-up towels can adequately stabilise a head/neck until professionals arrive, and very few people have any business carrying IV fluids and gear. So ‘professional-level’ equipment shouldn’t be listed unless you have (or the average person has or can get) the training to use it.
But what about hypoglycemia? If you come upon a collision site, or even just happen upon a person who says s/he is hypoglycemic (there are symptoms, but I’d hate to make a situation worse when I’m not sure), should the kit contain glucose gel?
How would you outfit your ‘serious’ first aid kit?
EMT checking in.
I carry a first aid kit with me also, but have some different things than your kit contains. I have several rolls of various types of tape, plus some CoFlex, which is incredibly useful.
I have splints, gauze pads, gauze rolls, 4x4s, 2x2s, and cravats (large triangular wraps good for binding up a sling or splint).
I also have a stethoscope, a BP cuff, a couple of facemasks, some instant-read thermometers, trauma shears, band-aids of various sizes, Cold Packs, a penlight, anti-bacterial gel, alcohol wipes, gloves, hand cleaner and disinfectant wipes.
Glucose gel expires after a certain period of time (12 months, I think), so it might not be the best thing to carry. Even though it’s basically sugar, if I gave some to a patient and it turned out to be expired, I’d get in trouble.
I’m not sure if the average person can get it, at any rate. I think in some places, you might need a prescription to get it.
I could carry some, but I’d have to steal it from work, which would be a bad thing, obviously. I am allowed to give it, along with a few other drugs, so if a diabetic patient presented with obvious symptoms, they would more than likely have their own, which could be administered.
I’ve been meaning to put together a light kit for hiking, but the “pre-made” kits seem a little heavy on the bandaids and not good enough for actual injuries I might encounter in the backcountry. Not too far in. We’re talking 2-3 hour hikes or snowshoe adventures.
It’s been a long time since my WFR - any suggestions for lightweight basics? I’d forgotten about cravats, and Co-Flex.
First, re-certify your WFA. It’s amazing what you forget.
For hiking, especially winter hiking, the biggies aren’t necessarily in the F/A kit. An ensolite pad to get someone off the snow or cold ground is absolutely critical. Extra layers/sleeping bag, thermos of hot liquids, etc.
An ace bandage, SAM splint, non-latex gloves, tape, gauze pads (tampons work too), straps, cravats, tweezers, alcohol pads, plus bandaids, tape, simple medicines.
All you’re going to do is clean up cuts and burns, splint breaks or sprains, treat shock, heat, or cold injuries, and keep people from getting worse. In urban settings help is usually only 10-15 minutes away. If you don’t have serious training there’s not much you can do in that time that extra gear is going to help. For that period of time, Airway, Breathing, and Circulation is all that’s critical.
For sugar (for diabetics) I carry a tube of cake frosting.
I still have my SAM splint, and I’m ordering a few basics (gloves, wipes, coflex) off Amazon now. We don’t get classes offered frequently in my area, unfortunately.
I’d probably be more like 2-3 hours from (volunteer SAR) assistance, especially since there’s no cell reception in my favorite areas, so I’d better start carrying more gear, I guess. It’s usually me and my lumbar pack, but for example, I’m taking two novices out snowshoeing tomorrow for a bit. I should at least be prepared for a broken ankle or wrist in these types of circs.
OB/GYN RN—I carry a pretty good first aid kit I made myself—tape and Kerlix and maxi pads and a latex tourniquet and such. My friend B. drove up on a horrific car crash 'way out in the country and was lucky she had her work bag. Big bandage scissors will cut through seat belts was the invaluable tip of the day. I carry those and a cord clamp and gloves. I also carry CakeMate frosting, the kind in the little sealed tubes for decorating cupcakes. Easily absorbed sublingually and any EMT will know from the red or blue or green color that the CakeMate was administered and what for.
Telemark: Shayna and Spiny Norman went through CERT. I may see if there’s anything like that up here. At least I’ll check out the local Fire Department, which may offer first aid classes. I don’t know if I need to go through EMT training again. Might be worth it if I need to find a minimum-wage job, but I think that a first aid refresher might be enough for now. If I get round to re-joining the Civil Air Patrol I’d have more of a reason.
Cyn: I have your sig on a bumper sticker on my Jeep.
I don’t know what my brother carries in his truck (ex-Ranger, current SF), but his disaster bin in the garage is epic- stuff like Bibliocat mentioned, plus MREs, IVs, slings and straps, climbing rig, sledgehammer, etc. He tries to be prepared for the human as well as suburban damage he might have to deal with.
My Red Cross backpack is in my garage rather than in my car- maybe I should move it. Mine is similar to this one, except mine has multiple masks, rope, a water-filtering water bottle, pencils/paper, matches & batteries and some other cool stuff. Plus a pair of sneakers & socks stuffed into the top.
:eek: I am so getting my diabetic goddaughter a tube of frosting! That’s brilliant! (Is it a well known nursing trick? Never would have thought of it.)
The only thing I’d add is a tube of Superglue, but I might get yelled at by the medical professionals for that. I used it once to glue my toddler’s forehead laceration back together when I couldn’t afford an ED visit. Worked like a charm with no scarring.
Telemark: Re my last. It occurred to me that my remark about minimum wage may be construed as being offensive. It was not meant to be, and I apologise if it was. When I went through EMT training, I thought it would be good if I was a beneficiary of the ‘Peace Dividend’. (I worked in Defense at the time.) After I got my card I saw that EMTs were making minimum wage at the time.
I know hairdressers who would use Superglue from the nail tech’s station if they cut themselves- immediate stoppage of bleeding and they seemed none the worse for it.
We should probably mention that it’s not for really deep wounds or big gashes or dirty wounds. The last thing you want to do is seal up the surface of a puncture wound before the inside is healed or clean - that’s asking for nasty infections or abscesses. But yeah, a little clean sharp scissor cut, or, like my daughter’s 1/2 inch clean slice from a sharp corner, after it’s well cleaned out, and glue can be just the ticket. The same chemical glue is used in emergency rooms instead of stitches for many small injuries these days, although it probably costs 200X more and is nominally more sterile.
I’m posting on the fly, so forgive me if I repeat. ER nurse, so I carry a few things I can use that aren’t in everybodies kit, I’m also conflating my car kit and outdoor kit.
Samsplints make a decent c-collar
diabetic mnemonic: cold and clammy, give hard candy, hot and dry glucose is high.
when in doubt, it’s better to give sugar and be wrong, than to give insulin and be wrong
every dayhike is 24 hours until proven otherwise
OTC zantac will take the edge off a beesting allergy without making you drowsy like benadryl can, although benadryl is more effective.
Latex exam gloves will degrade sitting in your trunk and they’re fragile even when new, they’re made cheaply for rapid use and disposal. Carry dishwashing gloves from the drugstore instead, they’ll be clean enough for what you need them for.
a cheap hands free light should be near the top
a wad of 4x4 and an ace wrap can control almost any survivable bleeder
I was taught in class that the gel cake frosting is basically the same stuff as in the tubes of glucose that we carry at work, although with slightly less sugar and with the addition of pretty neon colors. You’d want to get the stuff for writing on cakes, in the skinny little tubes, not a can of frosting.
The Superglue I’d worry about. If the cut is bad enough to need to be closed up, it’d be best to see a medical professional, just to be sure. You’d also want to make sure your tetanus shots were up-to-date.
