First Aid Kits - Home and Auto

[imschur]

Im horribly prepared for any sort of emergency. Im trying to be better prepared and to assemble a first aid/emergency kit for each vehicle. My logic is that we are always with one of the vehicles whether home or out. We also travel some back country snow covered roads in upstate NY an Vermont so Im including signal devices, space blankets and fire starters etc. Im acquiring stuff that "I think I need"

Im wondering what you folks keep around and welcome suggestions.

First Aid:

Emergency Preparedness:

Automotive:

[Madhouse]

This has (coincidentally) been a topic of discussion within the instructor ranks at my self-defense school lately.

Some of the real basic things are 4x4 gauze pads, tape, gloves, etc.  These can be found in the basic kits available anywhere, Wal-Mart, Target, etc..

Some extra things I carry in my truck kit are an isreali bandage (like an ace wrap with built-in gauze pads for a through-and-through gunshot, etc), either a SWAT or a CAT tourniquet, a good pair of scissors, quick-clot, etc.  Quick-clot has become way more available recently, and it is good stuff to have handy.

[DNP]

I run around a lot of off road racing...both bikes and cars.  The one thing we have used the most from our kits over the last several years have been sam splints.  They fold up nice and take very little room and they flat out work awesome.  Worth a couple extra bucks for any kit...just my $.02

[imschur]

A friend had I minor incident last year with a fishook. It was a bit of a wake up call. I also have a full blown woodshop in the basement. So Ive decided I need to do something. I did get the bandages with quick clot in them while at Cabelas.

At the end of this thread I would like to work on a list and maybe sources.

[Madhouse]

Botach Defense has a variety of kits here, ranging from under $10 to $300.

Adventure Medical Kits has many variations online here, and sell items (such as quik-clot) individually as well.

Zee Medical is one of the biggest first-aid companies (our company uses them) and they have kits here that fit about any need.

As for info, see this site for some very comprehensive information on kits.

[Dusty44]

CheaperThanDirt.com  and SportsmansGuide have military first aid kits.  The CTD catalogue I got this week has at least three kits or specialty sets for under $10,  then kits that run $15 to $50;  two serious kits for $100 & $170 and a "STOMP portable hospital" for $450.  Most of these come in a military or military style bag.

I feel the need for a kit for the car and to have when camping with my grandchildren or hunting.  I really need opinions about what is worth buying. 

It would seem that a decent medical kit could be made up with a shaving kit size bag and a trip through a drug store.  A box of bandaids,  box of 4x4 gauze pads,  tape,  tube of general purpose cream topical antibiotic,  maybe a couple small bottles of other topical antibiotics and a bottle of rubbing alcohol.  Depending on the intended use a container of sunscreen and one of bug repellent might be appropriate.  Most of this would need to be replaced at least once a year.  This list is off the top of my head.  A lot might depend on what I saw during the trip through the drug store aisles and on budget.  Suggestions from others would be helpful here,  too.

Something most of us forget,  including me,  is to have a fire extinguisher in each vehicle adequate to put out an engine fire before it gets out of hand.  In some states commercial vehicles are required to carry an axe sufficient to clear fallen timber or at least big branches from a road,  a shovel,  and in Florida,  tire chains year-round to get out of sand.  I just keep some rope (3/8" is easier on the hands than 1/4") and a tow cable;  jumper cables,  small tool kit and a "space blanket" in summer,  add a sleeping bag encased in a plastic trash bag in winter.  If I know I am going very far outside the city or on a serious trip  I add food like Pop Tarts that will serve as emergency rations and keep well for a very long time and a 12 pak of those bottles of iced tea.  Tastes better than water.  I used to carry emergency flares but they got old and useless and were disposed of.  Need to get more.

[imschur]

Im glad you bumped this. I have also began including some basic survival items. Rain pancho's, space blankets, signal mirrors, whistles, fire starters. I just ordered a  small camo bag from SG to put it in. Maybe I can go back and keep revising the the first post of what we feel is essential and begin a master list.

[98Z5V]

I did a long stint as a volunteer ski medic, and had my backpack tailored to the needs.  Had a little weight to it, but it was still very manageable on the slopes.  I had it organized into three main compartments:  Personal, Blood management, Airway management,  Personal stuff on top (gloves, mask, flashlight, camera for accident-scene pics, etc.), Blood management items were Quik-clot, bandages of all sizes, Ace cling wraps, tourniquet straps.  Airway management items were oral airways of all sizes, pocket masks for CPR, Epinephrin auto injectors (never used one of those once on any broken skiiers).  The Blood bag was marked in red on the sides and top, and the Airway bag was marked in blue on the sides and top - no confusion when digging in the bag, no matter which compartment you dug into.

Things like SAM splints went in along the sides, and specialty items were stored in a pocket on the outside center - small tubing cutter (cut off ski poles if someone managed to impale themselves), leatherman, tubular nylon ties of various lengths, and a boot strap to put on their boot to apply axial traction of a fracture.

The sled had the big items; backboard, large quick splints, traction rod for the quick splints, blankets.

On four-wheeling trips in the Jeep, I'd always have a decent sized bag.  Inside was the largest kit made by Adventure Medical, and two Army M3 Medic bags, one Blood bag marked red, and the other (yep) Airway bag marked blue.

I'd also urge anyone concerned with personal medical training to enroll in an EMT-Basic course at a local community college or through a local fire department.  It takes awhile to complete and it's not cheap, but the training is excellent and very well worth the time.  That will give you a trememdous headstart on looking at various gear that you might need for whatever you do, and it'll definitely give you a huge skillset.  Being calm and moving fast when someone is injured is the best tool you can have in the bag.  <thumbsup>

[Madhouse]

Another thing I just remembered that I had been told before, is a dry set of clothes.  You can take a t-shirt, socks and underwear and shrink them up with a food vacuum packer/shrink wrapper and keep it in your vehicle.  This is especially important in colder climates - wet clothes can be your enemy in the elements.

[Dusty44]

This is an old thread but it is winter again.  There have been many reports of people trapped on highways by snow--  again.  I would like to add food and drink to the list of emergency gear,  primarily for vehicles. 

Something I have been made aware of since the earlier posts is high protein foods of minimal size.  "Insure*"  is liquid in small bottles with at least 9 grams of protein in each bottle.  That is a survival meal.  "Kellogg's Special K*" includes similar bottles of liquid and food bars that look like candy bars but contain 10 grams of protein;  Kroger* grocery stores sell a store brand called "Fortify*" of the little bottles of liquid with 9 to 13 grams of protein.  The little bottles come in packs of 4 or 6 or more and each bottle is about 8 fl oz.  The food bars are in boxes of about 6 and weigh about 1.6 oz each.  This stuff is not candy or "trail mix"  which seems to be mostly sugar.  For winter traveling it would just be too easy to keep a box or two of the bars in (each?) vehicle and/or a pack of the liquid version as emergency food against being trapped in snow or ice.  It could also be easy to include a few bars or a couple of bottles in a trail or hunting pack as a snack or as  part of other regular food?

A pack of bottled water is a no-brainer of course,  but I prefer green tea for the flavor.  "Diet" is my choice so the sugars in sweetened liquids do not add unnecessarily to thirst.

*  = copyrighted brand names. 

[Madhouse]

Great additions Dusty, and thanks for bringing this excellent topic back to the top.

Always check the expiration on sundries, keep your rotation fresh.

<thumbsup>