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iomatic said:
True. I can’t see myself carrying epinephrine, paracetamol, the rest of a well-stocked pharmacy, GPS, handgun, shuriken, nunchucks, 4 liters of water, a guide dog, Israeli trauma bandages, a satellite phone, Level-4 fleece, gas-masks, compound bow, parachute, all-day, everyday, “just in case”. I mean, come on; there’s got to be a limit depending on the situation?If you’re in the woods, I’d hope you brought communications gear– that’s the first set of things you should have. You better have brought a light-duty radio, cell phone, signaling mirror, knife, and some water/purification. Get help; figure out a way you can survive if not. Get help, first.
If I’m in the city, all I need is a wallet.
When I take the dog(s) out, this is what I carry:http://edcforums.com/index.php?topic=29890.0
And it’s not in the city.
I agree with the original poster. I’ve often thought the same thing when I see people pull so much FAK stuff out of a Jumbo, or elsewhere in videos, pics, etc. I personally don’t carry stuff that I don’t use, and I honestly don’t remember the last time in my 33 years that I had a situation where I would have needed a FAK. If you’re trekking to the wilderness, obviously a totally different situation.
Scariest thing is that I”m sure a good chunk of the people carrying the comprehensive FAK’s have no training at all in how to properly provide medical attention…nor do I.
Regardless, in the end I’m a fan of carrying what you want as long as it works for you. Personally I prefer carrying stuff that gets used, and not stuff that has little or no chance of being used.
LOL, my serious medical bag weighs about 45 lbs – including drugs, but not including O2 admin equipment or anything other than basic splints…
And it’s still not hardly near all I could use. The great thing about skills and knowledge is that with them, you can make up for lack of stuff. In my little rescue last night, the only other option I would have had (had I not had the epi) and had the patient gotten worse before we got to the hospital would have been to do a field-expedient tracheotomy using whatever sharps and tubing was around, and I was glad to have the right stuff at the time. I could do it, but I’m glad I didn’t have to worry about it.
Flight-ER-Doc said:
When I take the dog(s) out, this is what I carry:http://edcforums.com/index.php?topic=29890.0
And it’s not in the city.
That’s because you’re trained, and have more chances of actually needing and using your training and gear. It’s pretty cool, actually. I think the OP (and I, to some extent) think people over-carry what they don’t need nor ever will need. Ever. I also mentioned that this forum is probably a dangerous place to state that opinion, much like going to a handgun board and screaming ‘murder’. Dangerous!I can respect those trained to do so, but the rest are just poseurs (including me) — a term used in my skateboarding days to describe people who would dress like skateboarders, but couldn’t even stand on a skateboard.
In my big first aid kit, I plan for three different classes of problems:
Minor problems: I can treat myself
Major problems: I’m providing stabilization until the ambulance arrives
Major problems: the ambulance isn’t availableThe consequence is that there’s a bunch of stuff in there that I know how to use, but I hope I never have to.
+1 for what’s been said about carrying stuff you know how to use, and appropriate to your environment. I’m an RN, and specialized in emergency care. I have worked in the pre-hospital environment too. I used to have a full ALS kitted bag in my own car: I never ended up using it. It was taking up lots of space. Things went out of date. I looked at what I had actually used at RTC’s, talked with local paramedics and found out what they carried in their personal vehicles, and stripped my first aid kit right down. I have oral airways, a c-collar, gloves, EMT shears and some trauma dressings, gauze etc. plus some plasters for minor cuts. Ambulance response times aren’t too bad here. I have assisted crews before and used their equipment if required. I often have my work ID on me, so I can prove my status.
Incidently, regarding the Epi-pen situation in the UK, there is an exemption in the Medicines Act 1968:
This quote comes directly from the Resuscitation Council UK:
There is no legal problem in any person administering adrenaline that is either prescribed for a specific person or administering adrenaline to an unknown person in such a life saving situation (through specific exemptions in the medicines act). However the first aider involved must be competent in being able to recognise the anaphylactic reaction and administer adrenaline using an auto-injector. First aiders must ensure that they work within the guidelines of the first aid training organisation that issued their qualification and their employer.
The Health & Safety Executive also provides guidance on its website http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/faqs.htm
As at 25 January 2008 this stated:
“Medicines legislation restricts the administration of injectable medicines. Unless self administered, they may only be administered by or in accordance with the instructions of a doctor (e.g., by a nurse). However, in the case of adrenaline there is an exemption to this restriction which means in an emergency, a suitably trained lay person is permitted to administer it by injection for the purpose of saving life. The use of an Epipen to treat anaphylactic shock falls into this category. Therefore, first aiders may administer an Epipen if they are dealing with a life threatening emergency in a casualty who has been prescribed and is in possession of an Epipen and where the first aider is trained to use it.”which hopefully makes it clear for the UK at least!
jag-engr said:
I pretty much used everything I carried, but the bandages got the most use. I had trouble keeping enough in there. Granted, I was doing physical work and cuts and scratches were frequent occurences, but, even in an office setting, I find a box of bandages and maybe a tube of Neosporin to be indespensible.
I’m not qualified myself, but I’ve heard others say the same so I was surprised when the original poster said that it was rare to use bandages. Cuts and burns are quite common, and cleaning and covering can be a realistic treatment. I don’t carry big bandages, but I do carry bandannas with the idea of using them for first aid, and I also try to have a sterile pad to go over the wound itself. I’m also a believer in burn gel as a general purpose sterile covering.In the UK we aren’t really allowed antibiotics like Neosporin, and from what I’ve read antiseptics do as much harm as good, so I don’t have much in the way of cream. Some of my kits have a syringe which I hope to use for irrigation, if I can find some water. Some of my kits have Steripods for irrigation.
I’m not a big believer in small plasters – usually they are little more than placebos for children and girls. Real men just shrug “it’s only a flesh wound”. I’ll make an exception if it’s in an awkward place, rubs etc. There’s a fairly thin line between the stuff that’s so minor it doesn’t need treatment, and the stuff that’s beyond my ability to treat.
Well, I’m a paramedic and also an ER tech at our trauma hospital, just to give you some background on me. I’d say that 99% of the time, if you happen upon a car accident that warrants stopping (if everyone is walking and nobody is bleeding, I usually don’t stop), it’s either going to be something you can handle with basic stuff (gauze and 4×4’s) or something requiring immediate life-saving intervention. In the case of the latter, the good news is that you don’t need to carry IV supplies or intubation kits! Just do compressions and ventilate. I can see why people would be a little worried about others carrying a suture kit or meds in their jump bag. I carry some of that stuff too, but it’s is only for use on myself, and only if I cannot get to a hospital within a reasonable amount of time. Honestly, I foresee myself using the sutures to repair a hole in my tent or jacket more than anything…
My former Stepfather was a paramedic. On my boy scout trips when I was 15-17, he had me take along a birthing kit. It was in a small cardboard box with some clamps, shears of sorts, several disposable blankets and gloves. At least that what I remembered from the packing list. His logic was that I was trained in First Aid and felt I was mature enough to handle something of that nature should I come across it. I never got a chance to open the kit. During the divorce process, he took back the kit.
Never in my wildest stretch of imagination would I ever think of a pregnant lady due within a month be out camping somewhere where you had to hike in. If the troop did ever come across a situation where a baby needed to be delivered, I would have handed the kit to one of the leaders.
Txparamedic said:
I do have one suggestion though… I have yet to see a glucometer in any EDC kits. If you do not know, this is a device that mesaures your blood glucose level. If your a diabetic and had to leave quickly from wherever you were at a spare glucometer could really be beneficial. (They cost about $18 and comes with about 10 test strips which shud be sufficient for a few days at a minium.)If anyone has anything to add – good, bad, or indiffent I’d like to hear it. Email me at Thclay@yahoo.com or reply!
Tx, I believe it’s OneTouch that now sells a bottle of 25 BG strips with a meter built into the top of the bottle, 20$ or 25$, as I recall.I’m not too worried about a needle decompression ;), but I do carry a TQ, hemostatic dressing, some bandaging supplies and personal meds.
Brangdon said:
In the UK we aren’t really allowed antibiotics like Neosporin
Wait, what? What’s the rationale behind this, normal people can’t be trusted to use a topical antibiotic safely?shrap said:
Wait, what? What’s the rationale behind this, normal people can’t be trusted to use a topical antibiotic safely?
or helping to prevent neosporin resistant organisms. Plus the neosporin might “kill” enough of the weaker organisms, leaving the stronger ones to play.Personally, I think advertising makes neosporin to be the equivalent of bottled water. Useful, not necessary.
Doc
The only time I use Neosporin is when I can’t get to a sink with soap and water (out camping, on the road, etc.).
I just have some painkillers and pasters on my person at all times. My pack has a larger kit from lifesystems. That said, two members of my family needed plasters after someone smashed a few plates, had I had the kevlar gloves that normally live in my EDC bag, I wouldn’t have needed to patch them up. As they say, prevention is better than cure.
The basic premise of EDC boils down to what you’re comfortable and willing to carry.
In every First Aid kit I carry, I always have a pair of disposable gloves and a pad of compressed, sterile gauze.
1. In college chemistry class, my hands were soaked in a kid’s blood because he managed to jab a broken glass stirring rod into the webbing between two fingers.
2. While stopping at a local pub for a quick bite after work, I helped corner a disoriented customer and sit him down on the curb after he fell and smacked his forehead against the curb. Lots of blood.
3. In AIT, a bicyclist without a helmet went over his handle bars and smacked his head – same situation. Disorientation, trying to stand up.
4. While making a drunk run to the corner strip club, a drunk and bloody patron was trying to pick a fight with the bouncers – really wished I had some gloves.Not everyone has had the same experiences I have – some people have had much worse, others much better. And we prepare accordingly. I do not, for example, prepare to be humanity’s first point of contact with an alien race. Thus, if I frag it up, so be it. :slap: ;D
-Trevor
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