In case you've never been there, Art Of Manliness is a pretty great blog in general.
And exactly what it bills itself as. WYSIWYG.
So naturally, when they had a guy post his version of how to go about constructing a personal first aid kit for Joe Average, I had to check it out. Having made a paltry few posts on the medical arts my ownself.
You might think you've heard it all. Or know it all.
Or that there's nothing new to say on the subject.
You'd be wrong.
Go. Read. Now.
And hey, he's a former Marine, and current paramedic. Stop me if you've heard this one...
The proof of a man's brilliance is how much he agrees with you.
The author of this post gets an Aesop 5-star Gold Seal rating.
He's a certified jet-fuel genius.
RTWT
If nothing I've posted got you to do this, and do it right, go read that post.
Print it out in hard copy, or take notes.
And then GO DO IT.
12 comments:
Nice article and list. With several kits built, and occasionally used, and two small kids of my own, I'm surprised he left out the blister first aid. I've used that more than anything other than bandaids. I really like this product, as it sticks well and is so thin you don't notice it at all.
https://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/glaciergel-blister-and-burn-dressing.html
I keep the sealed bag in my travel bag.
A small tube of superglue is useful too.
The other thing I added after NOT having it when needed was https://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Bills-Gripper-Keychain-Tweezers/dp/B004UBCKY
Nail clippers are surprisingly useful and tiny...
Any list will balloon and there are always more things to add, but I found these to be worthy add ons.
nick
Great article of useful information. Especially like that he included links to everything.
Good system and process. You can always learn something.
Your stuff has been great.
Mosby disses the RATS tourniquets for reasons I understand BUT I keep them because I want them available for my dogs. None of "our" TQ's will work on them. They are valued members of our pack and I want to be able to save them too if I can
Boat Guy
Good article! Reviewing my kits tomorrow.
I don't know how to treat a collapsed lung from a gsw, but I put an air release needle and a Hyfin chest seal in my gun range FAK so that if there is someone there that knows what to do they might be able to save a life. I'm pretty confident on how to use the rest of the items in the kit. For the most part, I only carry what I know how to use.
What Anon @ 2145 said.
I've got stuff in the "big" kit (trauma box) that I'm not fully trained on - like a couple suture kits, among other things - on the basis that there may be someone on scene more highly skilled than I in their use.
Absolute worst case, I know how to re-install buttons and re-seam clothes and have practiced on chicken skins, but that's not the same as 4 years of med school and a couple years in an ER.
Aesop: As you have mentioned time and again (and again...) TRAINING!
Your link-ee also encourages TRAINING!
Ya know what, I have never, ever forgotten to pack my own training. It really does not take up all that much space, it doesn't (generally) outdate, and vermin, water, heat and cold (each, or in combination) do not degrade it.
And, back in the day, working for Da City's EMS (where MAST stood for Mediocrity Always Stands Triumphant!), having skills allowed us to improvise around some of the deficiencies in Da City's logistics. You can improvise splints, you can improvise head blocks (think long spine board), you can wheedle or cadge roller gauze or 4 x 4s (particularly if you are dating one of the ER nurses...or so I've been told...), but you kinda cannot improvise skills.
Excellent article. Being a former EMT I've got a good bag in my truck. and smaller kits at home and in my range bag.
Excellent find. The items he suggests are practical for most folks to have. Now if they'll just get some training....
I'm a bit more expanded in the area of trauma items, which I carry in their own special bags. Each vehicle and range bag has one, along with those same items being in the big house kit. I saw the light when I went to a Stop The Bleed event. It was taught by a doc who was a medic in Afghanistan. He went way beyond the course curriculum and gave us some serious real-world advice. I expect the STB folks would disapprove, but I bless that man.
Already got mine, have it posted to my blog, x2. Need to do a few tweaks to it though, replace a few items. Also need to tighten up my IFAK.
Don't know if you saw the evac training/plans in this document -- posted in comments on preceding post. https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/hpp/reports/Documents/RETN-Ebola-Report-508.pdf
Transportation, numbered pages 21-22, pdf page #s 22-23. Effectively admits that Ebola patients cannot be transported safely:
"First-year data and performance results from the HPP Ebola cooperative agreement associated
with the state of readiness for system-level transportation capabilities include the following:
• Approximately 50 percent of HPP Part A awardees identified issues around
transportation as an Ebola preparedness gap.
• Fifty-four percent, or 1,021, of EMS agencies required to execute their jurisdiction’s
CONOPS were engaged in all phases of the Ebola and other special pathogen
preparedness process (goal is 100 percent).
• NETEC identified two specific transport-related gaps: long-distance transport
planning related to air versus ground and integration of pre-hospital planning with
hospital planning.20
20 NETEC Annual Report FY 2016
https://netec.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/NETEC-Annual-Report-FY-2016_v7_111016-Final.pdf.
HHS recognizes that the regional treatment network relies on effective transportation plans and
engagement of stakeholders to ensure that patients can be transferred safely between hospital
tiers. In response to this gap, the NETEC recommended that local stakeholders, including prehospital,
public health, and hospital clinical and operational leaders, collaborate with state and
regional partners to determine the safest and most effective patient transport options."
AND
Despite safety angle and knowing it's happened previously:
"In April 2017, ASPR participated in the Operation
Tranquil Shift exercise to test the ability of the
nation’s health care system to provide safe medical
transport to American citizens infected with Ebola
while abroad. In this scenario, a cluster of 11
American health care workers were notionally
exposed to Ebola in Sierra Leone. During the
exercise, the mock patients were transported back to
five of the 10 HPP-funded regional Ebola and other
special pathogen treatment centers using specialized
biocontainment units. This exercise was funded by
the U.S. Department of State, which jointly led the
exercise together with ASPR."
Yep, saw that but had already posted the "wall o text" twice and didn't want to wear out my welcome...
nick
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