First Aid Kit?
- Thread starter Shabz
- Start date
Do you guys have anything like an FSA in the UK (Flex Spending Account)? Here in the US it's a pre-tax deduction that is used for medical deductibles and such, that has to be expended each year (use or lose it). I ask because here in the US. Med Kits are allowed to be purchased with those dollars (which many people do, to use any remaining funds). Like I said, not sure if you guys have anything similar, but if you do, you may want to check if a first aid kit qualifies....I have several well kitted trauma kits, that I keep in the vehicles and range pack.
Same - just redone my EFAW+F, checked expiry dates and added a few extras to my kit, all from SP Services with great service.
Best place for a CAT tourniquet and Israeli bandage is a proper Army Surplus shop ('Walk This Way' in Coldstream is fabulous).
These items are marked with an expiry date because they are packed to be sterile but for all intents and purposes it is pointless.
Anyone who has had proper training and goes anywhere dangerous will have their tourniquet out of the plastic wrap and 'pre-staged'.
As for the Israeli bandages, a boy who was in the IDF told me he would never be without one.
But an oft forgotten point is you should be primarily carrying first aid items for your own use. If you are in a group and the only person carrying any first aid items, there needs to be a re-think. Far too many people are laissez-faire about this.
These items are marked with an expiry date because they are packed to be sterile but for all intents and purposes it is pointless.
Anyone who has had proper training and goes anywhere dangerous will have their tourniquet out of the plastic wrap and 'pre-staged'.
As for the Israeli bandages, a boy who was in the IDF told me he would never be without one.
But an oft forgotten point is you should be primarily carrying first aid items for your own use. If you are in a group and the only person carrying any first aid items, there needs to be a re-think. Far too many people are laissez-faire about this.
Loler UK
Well-Known Member
Get good enough training that you know what you want and build your own.
We work with Fox medics and have helped clients put together kits tailored to their needs.
Like mentioned a personal first aid kit of items that you can self apply in a hurry is a priority.
For workers in rural locations a vehicle / group pack might include:
2+ chest seals with one way valve
2+ Tourniquets (sof-t or cat)
1+ Hemostatic gauze (not powder or syringe, impregnated gauze is easier to apply)
1+ roll plain gauze
1 blast / abdominal (XXL) dressing
2 large trauma dressings (Israeli or similar design for personal kit, truck kit, less so)
1+ swat-T (not intended to be used as tourniquet but as pressure bandage for hands free extrication/transport)
Shears (essential you learn the pro's / cons of clothing removal)
1 blizard blanket
Paraffin gauze (for limiting adhesion when dressing large grazes)
5+ adhesive dressings
additional compressed dressings of various sizes as desired
finger size tube gauze
burns dressing
eye wash
OTOM tick twisters
plasters
good quality tape
backup coms / locator
Transfer sheet / lightweight stretcher
BVM if working near water
OPA & NPA of relevant sizes (if trained)
emergency strobe
Ultimately every environment is different, some clients want compact to treat critical issues only, others want to be able to dress fingers neatly for a lengthy extraction to RVP/hospital. Others want to be able to apply splints traction, collars, package casualties in skeds, administer oxygen therapy etc all of which requires additional knowledge & training and takes up space.
There are 2 ways our first aid will directly save a life, "keep 'em breathing, stop 'em bleeding"
If you want +F training and can gather a group of 6+ I cant recommend fox medics enough
And training doesn't stop on the day, Moulage, moulage, moulage, practice, practice, practice
Arguably the most experienced major trauma 1st responder in the UK (former MOD now hems) said to us:
"The memories of people with horrific injuries do not keep me awake at night, I lie awake thinking if tomorrow is that day, will I perform? Because if I don't, that will keep me awake. We will always make mistakes and we can always do better but we need to make sure we are the best we can be"
In our long lives it will likely only be 30mins that we call on our skills and equipment
Prevention, FA Training, practice then kit
We work with Fox medics and have helped clients put together kits tailored to their needs.
Like mentioned a personal first aid kit of items that you can self apply in a hurry is a priority.
For workers in rural locations a vehicle / group pack might include:
2+ chest seals with one way valve
2+ Tourniquets (sof-t or cat)
1+ Hemostatic gauze (not powder or syringe, impregnated gauze is easier to apply)
1+ roll plain gauze
1 blast / abdominal (XXL) dressing
2 large trauma dressings (Israeli or similar design for personal kit, truck kit, less so)
1+ swat-T (not intended to be used as tourniquet but as pressure bandage for hands free extrication/transport)
Shears (essential you learn the pro's / cons of clothing removal)
1 blizard blanket
Paraffin gauze (for limiting adhesion when dressing large grazes)
5+ adhesive dressings
additional compressed dressings of various sizes as desired
finger size tube gauze
burns dressing
eye wash
OTOM tick twisters
plasters
good quality tape
backup coms / locator
Transfer sheet / lightweight stretcher
BVM if working near water
OPA & NPA of relevant sizes (if trained)
emergency strobe
Ultimately every environment is different, some clients want compact to treat critical issues only, others want to be able to dress fingers neatly for a lengthy extraction to RVP/hospital. Others want to be able to apply splints traction, collars, package casualties in skeds, administer oxygen therapy etc all of which requires additional knowledge & training and takes up space.
There are 2 ways our first aid will directly save a life, "keep 'em breathing, stop 'em bleeding"
If you want +F training and can gather a group of 6+ I cant recommend fox medics enough
And training doesn't stop on the day, Moulage, moulage, moulage, practice, practice, practice
Arguably the most experienced major trauma 1st responder in the UK (former MOD now hems) said to us:
"The memories of people with horrific injuries do not keep me awake at night, I lie awake thinking if tomorrow is that day, will I perform? Because if I don't, that will keep me awake. We will always make mistakes and we can always do better but we need to make sure we are the best we can be"
In our long lives it will likely only be 30mins that we call on our skills and equipment
Prevention, FA Training, practice then kit
Gunshot wounds ??
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
Many thanks for that heads up.
Just stuck in a little order. I think it worked out at about 50% of the price of "specialist" suppliers.
I also bagged a pair of knee protectors - it's an age thing...
Attachments
If it's for stalking the most likely injuries you are going to come across are sprains and broken bones ,cuts and heart
attacks and don't forget hypothermia which can be a real killer.
Thankfully you are unlikely to come across gunshot wounds and the chances of surviving a wound from expanding
ammunition is extremely slim.
attacks and don't forget hypothermia which can be a real killer.
Thankfully you are unlikely to come across gunshot wounds and the chances of surviving a wound from expanding
ammunition is extremely slim.
Yes, like in case I shoot myself eh?
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
In my case it will be for stalking and on the chainsaw.
I will have one CAT and one Israeli bandage on my belt when sawing.
I will have one CAT and one Israeli bandage in the truck when I am out and about - stalking and RTCs (unintended).
I take your point about the survivability of any gunshot wound.
However, for me, I would rather have it and try, than not have it, and be scratching around for an empty crisp packet and some gaffer tape.
In commercial forestry, it’s quite possible to come across catastrophic crush or cut injuries. Having stuff for these types of injury might help me save someone else’s life.
I have a first aid kit that will see most minor injuries sorted out, I was looking for trauma kit.
I have seen that a defibrillator can be had for around £1000. It’s not far off being doable in my vehicle.
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
I once had to go to the Police convalescent home, (where they send Old Bill who have suffered paper cuts and the like).
One of the young lads there (not my Force) had managed to shoot himself in the leg.
Doing drills on the range with the "threat" changing, he tried to re-holster his sidearm and the thing went off. Entry wound at holster level (obviously) on his right thigh, exit wound just above his right knee.
Two holes in his "overalls" and a small hole in the ground from which emanated a small wisp of smoke.
His post-op scar was impressive.
Jon P
Well-Known Member
In the Mid 60’s my fathers got shot in the ankle by a friend crossing a fence with a hammer 12 bore. Blew his ankle bone to pieces, medics had to cut some of his shin bone away to reconstruct the joint. He spend a few years in hospital. He never obtained movement in the joint or any feeling in the foot. I can remember as a kid pulling a 1 inch nail out of the bottom of his shoe with a claw hammer as he could not get his shoe off one day.
I once had to go to the Police convalescent home, (where they send Old Bill who have suffered paper cuts and the like).
One of the young lads there (not my Force) had managed to shoot himself in the leg.
Doing drills on the range with the "threat" changing, he tried to re-holster his sidearm and the thing went off. Entry wound at holster level (obviously) on his right thigh, exit wound just above his right knee.
Two holes in his "overalls" and a small hole in the ground from which emanated a small wisp of smoke.
His post-op scar was impressive.
Yes I get that but it would have been a whole different senario if he had been hit in the leg by an expanding bullet even an injury in a limb is unlikely to be survivable the trauma is too great.
We had a case a few years back when an estate stalker was shot at short range by a client they were crawling in to a shooting position "when the rifle went off" the bullet entering the stalkers buttock and exiting at his shoulder on the opposite side against all the odds he did survive a one in several million chance his survival was put down to the fact that the bullet didn't expand whether that was a freak or the fact tnat the shot was at point blank range.
There is a vast difference between being shot by a solid bullet and an expanding one the intention of expanding
Ammunition is that it will be fatal..
Of course I agree if youare in that situation you will do what ever you can to help and hope for the best.
But you can only carry so much stuff with you I know this from my experisnce in Mountain rescue on a rescue all team
members had their own personal first aid equipment pretty basic a few bandages a bit of Kramer wire to make a splint
a couple of slings etc. some would have more than others , we also had a dedicated first aid rucksack that went on
rescues this was a large rucksack and packed with everything we might need . We had to take it in turn to carry it was just to heavy for one man to carry the whole time.
My point is that you can't carry enough for every eventuality so it will always be a compromise yes you can have all the
gear in your truck but how much good is it in your truck it needs to be where the casualty is ok if the truck is a 100 yards from wbere you are sitting in your high seat or a couple of hundred yards across an arable field.
If stalking in the Highlands or even in some large forestry blocks you can be several miles from your vehicle or sven
from vehicular access for a first aid kit to be practical it needs to be able to be carried on your person.
As it will always be a comprimise I would rather carry stuff that will do the most good in the most likely to encounter
situations.
Muntybuck5803
Well-Known Member
Without swinging the lantern too much (pull up a sandbag) I have utilised a number of C-A-Ts in real world situations and the things are amazing. Regardless of the condition of limbs, or what is left of the limb rather, these things work wonders and if caught quick enough, absolutely will save your life. Game changer.
My stalking med kit consists of a C-A-T, an ECB (Israeli dressing) and CELOX rapid gauze. All carried in such a position that the C-A-T is easily accessible and set up for one handed application and the rest aren’t tucked away too far (even set up Velcro’d to your belt where it doesn’t take up any room)
I fully appreciate the likelihood of needing to utilise any of this kit in a stalking environment is rather unlikely, I’d rather have it and not need it.
Buy the real deal, get some training and if you never need to use any of it, happy days
My stalking med kit consists of a C-A-T, an ECB (Israeli dressing) and CELOX rapid gauze. All carried in such a position that the C-A-T is easily accessible and set up for one handed application and the rest aren’t tucked away too far (even set up Velcro’d to your belt where it doesn’t take up any room)
I fully appreciate the likelihood of needing to utilise any of this kit in a stalking environment is rather unlikely, I’d rather have it and not need it.
Buy the real deal, get some training and if you never need to use any of it, happy days
Stalker62
Well-Known Member
Well, that sentence did two things for me that I seldom experience.
Made me break into a grin, (pull up a sandbag) and filled me with a sense of admiration for what I think I know, you did.
Thank you for your service.
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