First aid kit

[sctmom]

What do you have in your first aid kit for dayhikes, car camping, backpacking?

 

[le Voyageur]

This is what I carry in the canoe when treking with scouts

 

1 cell phone

1 GPS unit

Maps of the area

4 Cyalumes

1 small flashlight

12 - 2x2

24 - 4x4

4 - 3 inch roller bandages

6 - 6 cravats

Adhesive bandages (band aids) various sizes

6 rolls of adhesive tape

Steri-strips, 12 each

35 cc irgation syringe

4 rolls of 1 1/2 inch athletic tape

4 elastic bandages (3")

Molefoam, 2 sheets

Second Skin, 1 pack

Space Blanket

2 Sam Splints

1 CPR Face Shield

Stephascope

BP Cuff

1 set of airways

EMT shears

4 hemostats

2 McGills

1 No Neck C collar (adult)

1 Regular C collar (adult)

Latex Gloves

Sawyer Extractor

Sub Normal thermometer (2)

Tweezers

Tick Spoon

Baby Powder

povidone-iodine

Betadine

Cortizone cream

KED Femur Traction Splint

Cold packs

Heat packs

Aloe Vera Gel

4 or 5 pairs of sun glasses (some scouts end up loosing theirs, and on the water sun glasses are a must have)

 

 

 

[sctmom]

Where do you get things like the CPR shield? I've been looking for one of those but don't find it at regular drugstores.

[eisely]

le Voyageur's list for canoe camping can also be applied to car camping where you are virtually unlimited in what you may wish to carry.

 

Backpacking is a different matter. It has been my observation that most people carry far more first aid gear than they will ever need. Field first aid should be oriented at keeping people alive, not setting broken bones or performing surgery. You need to consider what is most lethal, and what is most likely to happen. I remember one highly experienced first aid trainer observing that the most common serious injuries that she routinely encountered were burns. I would not have thought of that.

[le Voyageur]

 

For first aid gear - http://www.mooremedical.com

 

As a post note, don't carry first aid items that you are not trained to use, not qualified to use, or not certified to use...

 

For fastwater/whitewater the four big concerns are hypothermia, brokenbones/head injuries, drowning, and difficult extractions with long transport times to an ER.

 

As stated in the above post, first aiders are not trained in setting bones, and WFR's and WEMT's won't even consider doing it. However, the one exception to that rule is when dealing with an angulated fracture with no distal pulse. The limb then must be move only enough to restore the pulse before splinting. But know that this has a lot of risk, if your transport time is fairly short then let the paramedics or docs do the procedure..

[sctmom]

What are WFR's and WEMT's?

 

[ScouterPaul]

WFR - Wilderness First Responder

WEMT - Wilderness Emegerncy Mediical Technician

 

Both require extensive training. I'm hoping to get WFR training soon.

[johnmbowen]

These are very important and I cannot recommend these courses enough for all of us who take people into the outdoors!

 

I have taken WFR, which is good for 3 years for three times. They are expensive, but better than the alternative. I've not had the chance to get the WEMT though.

 

The usual Red Cross FR courses are all geared toward an event that happens in town, and what you learn is how to keep a victim comfortable and hopefully alive till EMS arrives. The WFR is a detailed class in what to do in the wilderness when you are on your own for however long it takes to get your victim to EMS, and the differences in the classes are enormous! For instance: What do you do to transport (or not) a victim with a broken leg, (or worse an impalation) on a backpack trip three days up the trail? What are the steps and places to help a helo to land? What are hypothermia remedies for a paddler in the wilderness when you are 30 miles from help? These are the questions that these courses answer.

 

Another possibility is to look for WFA or Wilderness First Aid which is sometimes offered through American Red Cross, but is less than the 120 hours to get the WFR usually running 16 or so hours. The WFA that I took also involved learning water based rescue and low and high angle rock rescue. Very applicable, and I have felt overprepaired (a very good feeling).

 

Any of us who take kids into the wilderness should have one, or should have a person along that has this kind of experience.

 

To date I've always managed to PLAN around or away from any potential problem which could have resulted in my having to use this knowledge (knock on wood) but the worst can happen at anytime, especially with youngsters.

 

Please spend the time to investigate these offerings and take the class. They are always interesting and could make the difference on one of your trips. The BSA first aid merit badge is just a bare introduction to what is really needed.

[buffalo2]

Some good emphasis on the Wilderness aspects of First Aid training and the realization that as adult leaders (especially those with that High Adventure bug) it's pretty difficult to get too much training and practice. Remember how we train the boys in First Aid (constantly!)

 

One intermediate step is to set up a Saturday session and invite in some local EMT trainer types with outdoor interests, perhaps university staff, experienced military types, even simpatico professionals. You might be pleasantly surprised as to how willing and available some of these folks are...

Not all but enough!

 

We had a local session last January that was fairly well received and very well presented; restricted admissions to older Scouts with a few prerequisites and to adults that felt capable of instructing First Aid MB. Had 7 sessions including chest and abdominal injuries, heavy-duty fractures, stretcher transport over obstacles by a group, long-term care of head wounds in an isolated outdoor environment. Presenters were well prepared to work at the level of the audience and not get into medications etc.

 

It can be done, and while certainly not at the level of the WFR certification, is a far cry from the ARC's 'When Help is Delayed' and our basic First Aid training. Yes its one more darn thing to set up but won't you feel better on your next 50 Miler?

[sctmom]

Thanks for all the info but y'all went WAY past me. I'm talking about 5 miles or less hikes in state parks on well traveled (level) trails.

I know horrible things can happen there too, but not likely and help is VERY near. Many people on these trails carry their cell phones. I have seen the cell phone used to call 911 as they carried a small child down the trail.

 

I need to a very basic first aid kit -- band-aids, antespectic wipes, gauze, moleskin, and what else?

 

[eisely]

One thing that le Voyageur mentioned that is left off of most lists is a space blanket. This is a very compact lightweight piece of material that unfolds into a blanket that can be very helpful in cases of hypothermia or ordinary shock.

 

I think I mentioned this in another thread, but I will repeat it here. This is not a first aid item. Be sure to take some toilet paper. The very first outing I ever went on as an adult scouter was a Webelos day hike. A kid got diarhea (spelling?), and we were not prepared.

[johnmbowen]

For SCTMOM

For that kind of trip, the most important thing is to actually carry a first aid kit. For light hikes, the most common kind of first aid problem will be foot problems. Blisters (moleskin) possible sprained ankles (stretch bandages), sunburn (sunscreen), and a few bandaids. And of course the knowledge to apply them. A cell phone is also very nice and eliminates the use of runners to get help. Know who to call for each trip...ie the fastest way to connect to EMS. Knowledge is most important...take a Red Cross First Responder class. Second, plan ahead and play the "what-if" game to identify problems that might occur on your trip and tailor the behavior of your people so as to avoid problems. Also think of what your response to a crisis would be at various locations on your trip...what is the fastest way out...what can you handle, and when do you call for help. Be sure that your trip permit is in (for insurance) and that all participants are either part of your unit, or have signed a waiver...don't leave yourself open to lawsuit. Have a Standard Operating Proceedure (SOP) for your trip.

 

If you want to do a more exciting outing, go as assistant leader to learn the ropes, SOPs, and the techniques for fun and well planned trips. The goal is to go!

JB

 

 

[SagerScout]

Amen to the toilet paper.

 

My belt pack for such events also has adhesive bandages, gauze, antiseptic wipes, benadryl stick (for bug bites), triple antibiotic ointment in little packages, a break-and-shake cold pack (no hot pack, Texas doesn't have much frostbite), pair of gloves, feminine hygiene supplies (pads can double in an injury situation - they aren't sterile but they can back up a sterile gauze on a bleeding wound. Obvious when you think about it!) Yes, this is REALLY packed. Cell phones don't work all the time in our rolling hills but I try to have walkie-talkie contact with someone at base camp. We bought the 5-mile range family radios with NOAA and have really liked them.

 

In my car kit, which stays in my car all the time so weight is not an issue, the added items include FLARES AND a folding TRIANGLE to keep other idiots from killing the survivors and first-aiders; the pressurized bottle of sterile normal saline for washing grit out of scrapes; extra break-and-shake cold packs since multiple victims easily occur on the road; latex gloves, CPR shield which I've thankfully never needed; and some essentially disposable orange safety vests - wimpy little vinyl things that don't take up much room at all. I added those after seeing a big SUV lose control and roll on a highway, stopped to help and was simply amazed at how many people chose to zoom by - well, actually THROUGH - the accident site at 45-55 miles an hour. (the SUV was IN the left-hand lane, upside down, its contents strewn over 50 yards, the dazed victims sitting on the shoulder...both survived with only minor injuries, thank God, but I wouldn't have given a nickle for the car.) Almost made you wish that broken windshield glass would cause a flat tire... if you were an ugly-minded sort.

 

[BSA470Firstaider]

I was wondering if anyone had other stuff in their kit. This is what mine contains.

 

2-#10 Scalpels

3-Amonia Inhalants

5-6-Safety Pins

3-4-Needles/Pins

1-Floss

1-Soap

1-Burn Cream(for minor burns only)

1-Vasoline

1-A&D(useful after hiking for an extended period of time)

1-Iodine

1-Purell Hand Sanitizer

8-10-Q-Tips

4-6-Benzalikolium Chloride Wipes

1-Tube Cake Gel(for diabetics)

1-Tube Triple Antibiotic Ointement

1-Tube Hydrocortisone Cream

1-Tube Extra Strength Benadryl

1-New Skin(Gods Creation)

4-Pairs Latex Gloves

2-Pairs Nitrile Gloves

1-ARC CPR Pocket Mask

1-Bulb Suction

6-4X4s

2-Triangular Bandages

2-Trauma Dressings

1-1 in. Roll Sports Tape

1-1 in. Roll First Aid Tape

1-1 cm. Roll First Aid Tape

1-Small Roll Duct Tape(Wrapped around a pencil)

1-Ice Pack

1-2-Glow Sticks

1-box Asst. Band aids

2-Heat Packs

1-Sharpie

2-Pens

3-Biohazard Bags

+-Incident Reports

+-First Aid Reference

1-Box Nexcare Bandages

8-Butterfly Closures

4-Knuckle Bandages

4-Finger Tip Bandages

2-Mole Skin

2-Mole Foam

3-Roller Gauze

8-2X2s

2-2X2X10s

6-Telfa Pads

4-2X3s

1-Thermometer

8-Probe Covers

1-Paramedic Shears

1-Bandage Scissors

2-Tounge Depressors(Double as finger splints)

1-Pointed Tweezers

1-Flashlight

1-Multi-tool

1-Knife

1-Headlamp

1-Compass

 

Anything you think should be in it or if you have a ? about why i put something in e-mail me at Doughnuts64@yahoo.com

 

-Jeff Huggins

BSA Troop 470

SPL/First Aider

[KoreaScouter]

Jeff;

 

Looks like you've really internalized the Motto -- good on 'ya!

 

Just out of curiosity, what's that thing weigh, and who humps it around for you?

 

We have several troop kits; all but one are commercial-type. The remaining kit is a military field trauma kit, heavy on dressings/bandages...I make sure we've got that one whenever we've got an axe yard set up!

 

KS