# Essentials for a jump kit?



## kr804573 (Jul 25, 2011)

I'm finishing my EMT class and want to get a kit going, I know a lot of people don't carry kits in their cars, but I want to I'm a certified EMR so I'm going to start riding soon . So my question, what do you carry in your personal kit that gets used a lot? Also what inch tape do you find most useful?


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## dixie_flatline (Jul 25, 2011)

kr804573 said:


> I'm finishing my EMT class and want to get a kit going, I know a lot of people don't carry kits in their cars, but I want to I'm a certified EMR so I'm going to start riding soon . So my question, what do you carry in your personal kit that gets used a lot? Also what inch tape do you find most useful?



Kid - I know from your other thread that you're 15 going on 16.  Firstly, do you even have a car yet?  Also, what does "riding soon" have to do with carrying your own equipment?  Just because you are granted the privilege of riding on an ambulance doesn't deputize you to make your own car a mobile dispensary.

As you point out, a lot of people here don't carry a kit.  To take it a step further, a lot of people here don't believe in carrying a kit and campaign, vigorously, against it.  For one thing, for the purposes of the law, you are not an EMT when you are just driving along and come across an accident.  If you are in uniform and everything, your station might have provisions for considering a POV (personal vehicle) an official response, but it's still shaky.  So the most you might want to safely carry would be some gloves, a couple band-aids, and above all a working cell phone.  There is no need for you to be treating a patient, administering O2, slapping collars on them, etc.  If it's a bad accident and no one else is around, you might be able to help by applying some pressure to a bleeder, but above all you need to get the real professionals there ASAP.

If you plan on using this bag during official work while riding the ambulance, then your company should pay for it (and approve of anything you're carrying).  

If you want to put some stuff together for personal/family use, you're often better off buying a pre-packaged first aid kit from galls or amazon.  9 times out of 10 you will be using aspirin/tylenol, a band-aid, or maybe some alcohol wipes/antibiotic ointment.


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## dstevens58 (Jul 25, 2011)

I have a small kit that I carry in my truck.  Any given day, it's 50/50 if I have the car or the truck.  I have a pair of scissors, BP cuff, stethoscope, and small pulse ox, pen and notepad.  That way, I can have some basic information and vitals for which ever squad shows up for the patient(s).


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## nwhitney (Jul 25, 2011)

dixie_flatline said:


> Kid - I know from your other thread that you're 15 going on 16.  Firstly, do you even have a car yet?  Also, what does "riding soon" have to do with carrying your own equipment?  Just because you are granted the privilege of riding on an ambulance doesn't deputize you to make your own car a mobile dispensary.
> 
> As you point out, a lot of people here don't carry a kit.  To take it a step further, a lot of people here don't believe in carrying a kit and campaign, vigorously, against it.  For one thing, for the purposes of the law, you are not an EMT when you are just driving along and come across an accident.  If you are in uniform and everything, your station might have provisions for considering a POV (personal vehicle) an official response, but it's still shaky.  So the most you might want to safely carry would be some gloves, a couple band-aids, and above all a working cell phone.  There is no need for you to be treating a patient, administering O2, slapping collars on them, etc.  If it's a bad accident and no one else is around, you might be able to help by applying some pressure to a bleeder, but above all you need to get the real professionals there ASAP.
> 
> ...



I'm in 100% agreement with this.


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## bigbaldguy (Jul 25, 2011)

Just carry some gloves and maybe a good flashlight. Don't feel bad about wanting to jump in with both feet on the jump kit I felt the same way 2 weeks into my basic class and I'm........well I'm not 16. Your enthusiasm for being an emt is great but skip the trunk full of goodies and gadgets and just stuff some gloves in your glove box.


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## Handsome Robb (Jul 25, 2011)

Gloves and a CPR mask. You could even argue against the mask with the AHA's new "Hands Only" CPR campaign for the general public.

and one of these


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## kr804573 (Jul 25, 2011)

dixie_flatline said:


> Kid - I know from your other thread that you're 15 going on 16.  Firstly, do you even have a car yet?  Also, what does "riding soon" have to do with carrying your own equipment?  Just because you are granted the privilege of riding on an ambulance doesn't deputize you to make your own car a mobile dispensary.
> 
> As you point out, a lot of people here don't carry a kit.  To take it a step further, a lot of people here don't believe in carrying a kit and campaign, vigorously, against it.  For one thing, for the purposes of the law, you are not an EMT when you are just driving along and come across an accident.  If you are in uniform and everything, your station might have provisions for considering a POV (personal vehicle) an official response, but it's still shaky.  So the most you might want to safely carry would be some gloves, a couple band-aids, and above all a working cell phone.  There is no need for you to be treating a patient, administering O2, slapping collars on them, etc.  If it's a bad accident and no one else is around, you might be able to help by applying some pressure to a bleeder, but above all you need to get the real professionals there .



I get the fact that you more seasoned people think us newbies are toally nieve. But that's not how it is , I understand I'm not going to be fully caring for someone, but should the need arise in a less urgent situation. And one last thing don't belittle me for my age, I'm going to be just as qualified as someone thirty years older, and I DO have a car, I'm mature enough to buy myself one.


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## Handsome Robb (Jul 25, 2011)

If you really want to build yourself a first aid kit. Gloves, band-aids of different sizes, antiseptic wipes, a couple 4x4s, some kerlex or something of the sort, some neosporin and I like 1 inch tape. Flashlight is good. If it's daytime though you can improvise to look at someone's pupils by shading their eyes with your hand then letting the light hit them.


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## kr804573 (Jul 25, 2011)

bigbaldguy said:


> Just carry some gloves and maybe a good flashlight. Don't feel bad about wanting to jump in with both feet on the jump kit I felt the same way 2 weeks into my basic class and I'm........well I'm not 16. Your enthusiasm for being an emt is great but skip the trunk full of goodies and gadgets and just stuff some gloves in your glove box.



Thank you, now I feel like I'm not the only one, but I'm a week away from being done with the training, I've given it some thought, I just want a small kit with the ESSENTIALS, gloves, 4 x4 , tape..ect


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## MrBrown (Jul 25, 2011)

If you use that phone the people who show up might be carrying this:






and this






out of which they pull this






</taking the piss>


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## Tommerag (Jul 25, 2011)

kr804573 said:


> I get the fact that you more seasoned people think us newbies are toally nieve. But that's not how it is , I understand I'm not going to be fully caring for someone, but should the need arise in a less urgent situation. And one last thing don't belittle me for my age, I'm going to be just as qualified as someone thirty years older, and I DO have a car, I'm mature enough to buy myself one.



You asked for advice and people are giving you advice from their experience. You should listen to it. Yes you will be just as qualified as anyone else that as taken the tests, but you will lack the experience, which I find is probably just as important, if not more, then the 120 hrs of class.

Like it was said before a pair of gloves, pocket mask, flashlight, and cell phone is really all you would need.


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## DarkStarr (Jul 25, 2011)

I live in my employers service area and am 5 miles away from the base (2 miles, if we end up moving one of the older ambulances to the fire station), and I often respond to E1 priority calls when I know I can get there before the ambulance, or if they may need an extra hand (cardiac arrest).  Also, sometimes if we are out of service, dispatch will call for QRP because the nearest bus might be greater than 10 to 15 out.

I used to respond to every E1 or E2 I could (E3 is toe pain), but quickly realized other than getting a history and vitals, there wasn't much I could add to (the medic is going to get their own history and vitals anyway).  These days, I rarely respond unless it's a good one.  There have been a few instances where we've been able to have one person QRP to the scene, and the other grab a bus from the station and meet on scene, which means keeping our own calls, instead of having the other service get them, but that only happens if a few people happen to be listening at the same time.

We get 1 hour of pay if we call en route but get cancelled, 2 hours if we get on scene and assist, and 4 hours pay if we ride in.

That said, I carry gloves, a steth and cuff, several gauze pads, hot/cold packs, some tape, and a BVM.  Might add a tourniquet but not really in a rush to get one.

The most used items would be the steth and guff, I've used the 4x4's once (with tape), and took my BVM out of the bag once, but didn't use.


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## DesertMedic66 (Jul 25, 2011)

When i started the class i wanted to go all out and make a jump bag and everything. I then realized that it would not be worth it. One guy from my EMT class bought a $300 jump bag, backboards, C-collars, the works. He has failed EMT class 3 times and failed the NR multiple times. I carry a survival kit for myself and also a first aid kit. I went to walmart and bought one. Then I added medical shears, and added more gloves.


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## bigbaldguy (Jul 25, 2011)

MrBrown said:


> If you use that phone the people who show up might be carrying this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Awesome


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## Tigger (Jul 25, 2011)

kr804573 said:


> Thank you, now I feel like I'm not the only one, but I'm a week away from being done with the training, I've given it some thought, I just want a small kit with the ESSENTIALS, gloves, 4 x4 , tape..ect



If you want to carry the essentials you do not need a kit. You need a ziploc sandwich bag. If it can't fit in there, you don't need it in your car. A couple of 4x4s, gloves, bandaids (for you), and antiseptic wipes. I also have a quickclot in there for ski season. I don't bother with a pocket mask, anything small enough to fit in the center console isn't worth using. Hands only for me until the actual responders arrive.

Actually come to think of it I broke my own rule and have two abdominal pads with CAT wrapped around them stored with spare tire. I did not pay a dime for any of that outside of the quicklot, which is intended for personal use.


Sent from my out of area communications device.


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## DarkStarr (Jul 25, 2011)

I lied, I also have an adult and ped C-collar.

My bag is very small, more like an oversized fanny pack.  The collars sit under the rear seat of my truck.


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## dixie_flatline (Jul 25, 2011)

kr804573 said:


> I get the fact that you more seasoned people think us newbies are toally nieve. But that's not how it is , I understand I'm not going to be fully caring for someone, but should the need arise in a less urgent situation. And one last thing don't belittle me for my age, I'm going to be just as qualified as someone thirty years older, and I DO have a car, I'm mature enough to buy myself one.



Firstly, it's "totally naive" (pet peeve).  

Now then, I didn't intend to belittle you simply because of your age (it's good that you can afford a car, although looking around at my workplace, I don't equate making money with maturity), so sorry for opening up with "kid".  If anything, I was belittling the attitude that is so often displayed by the young, rash, and foolhardy over-eagers that jump on here ready to Rock and Roll.  It's a serious job, and often it's the calls that aren't life-and-death that can jam up your career (and indeed your whole life).

Yes, you will be qualified the same as someone who is 30 years older _who also just passed their test_.  There is no way that you will be anywhere near as qualified as someone 5 years older who's been doing the job for 3 or 4 years.  That comes with time. 

As for the car, I had been driving for 10+ years and it wasn't until i became an EMT that there were ever any kind of gloves in my glove box, which the english/grammar nerd in me found amusing.  I have however carried a rudimentary "Emergency Kit" in my trunk since I was 16, that has road flares, reflective signals, a foil blanket, disposable camera (probably long since expired), and a basic first aid kit (with the aforementioned CPR-mask, band-aids, and simple painkillers).


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## Elk Oil (Jul 25, 2011)

I live in my service area and carry a complete jump kit with oxygen because I cover parts of my town in my POV when I'm on call and have to wait for the transporting ambulance to arrive.  And that is the only reason I carry anything.

The thing I use most out of the kit is oxygen, my scope and BP cuff because far and away most of our calls are medical and not trauma.  But understand that I'm responding to calls for which I am on duty, I'm not keeping this stuff in my truck because I'm hoping for the "bad one" while driving around town.

My service provides all items in the kit.


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## kr804573 (Jul 25, 2011)

I'm typing from my phone, which accounts for the spelling, sorry! The attitude of the new, I see it all the time but not just from younger people, but I could see how that could be attributed to anyone newer to EMS. Obviously I'm not as qualified as someone who's been doing this longer, I would never try and claim that I will ever be, that would just be stupid! Thank you for helping to clear this up!


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## abckidsmom (Jul 25, 2011)

DarkStarr said:


> I live in my employers service area and am 5 miles away from the base (2 miles, if we end up moving one of the older ambulances to the fire station), and I often respond to E1 priority calls when I know I can get there before the ambulance, or if they may need an extra hand (cardiac arrest).  Also, sometimes if we are out of service, dispatch will call for QRP because the nearest bus might be greater than 10 to 15 out.
> 
> I used to respond to every E1 or E2 I could (E3 is toe pain), but quickly realized other than getting a history and vitals, there wasn't much I could add to (the medic is going to get their own history and vitals anyway).  These days, I rarely respond unless it's a good one.  There have been a few instances where we've been able to have one person QRP to the scene, and the other grab a bus from the station and meet on scene, which means keeping our own calls, instead of having the other service get them, but that only happens if a few people happen to be listening at the same time.
> 
> ...



And yet earlier you claimed this:



			
				DarkStarr said:
			
		

> EMS is not my lifestyle, nor do I change my lifestyle to fit EMS. It is not my passion, and I do not dedicate my off hours to studying and training for it. Also, I don't hang out at work, nor do I spend hours down at the fire station when not on call.
> 
> That is my response, and I have no problems.



Do you really think the two are remotely similar?  Which is the real DarkStarr?

It's a lifestyle if you know what's happening at work when you're at home, just saying.


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## Sasha (Jul 25, 2011)

abckidsmom said:


> And yet earlier you claimed this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Totally this. But i also think its a lifestyle when you spend your off time on an internet ems forum.... just sayin' 

That said i ignore my phone when i think it might be work. For their known numbers the ringtone is the jaws theme. If it looks like one of their other fifteen lines i ignore.

As for jump kits, a cell phone and thats it. I dont stop, i call 911 and keep on truckin'

Sent from LuLu using Tapatalk


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## usalsfyre (Jul 25, 2011)

*I guess it's wackeresk but....*

...I do carry a small bag, it's actually a retired shaving kit. In it are two 5x9s, two rolls of coban, two tourniquets, a 10 pack of 4x4s and roll of kerlix, gloves and a pair of scissors. Basicly stuff to stop exsanguinating hemorrhage if it can be stopped. 

I couldn't tell you the last time I stopped at an accident though.


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## rwik123 (Jul 25, 2011)

I stopped at an accident about a month ago. Roll-over with one occupant ejection that happened visibly up the highway while i was driving. I had nothing on me but a pair of gloves in my glovebox. I did a quick assessment and took C spine till the first medic unit rolled up about 5 minutes later. If I had a full jump bag would I of used it? No. If someone is truly dying in front of you, there are plenty ways to improvise. Plus in the time that you roll up and the time that the EMTs come you won't have much time for anything. Just make sure nothing is going terribly wrong, hold C-spine if necessary and most importantly talk and comfort the patient. That last thing being the most important. In my opinion there really aren't any contents of a jump bag that could be beneficial for a patient pre-ems other than maybe gloves and a few gauze pads. If you want to have stuff on you for everyday stuff, throw a Johnson and Johnson boo-boo kit in your trunk.


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## Chimpie (Jul 25, 2011)

I've been a MFR for 14 years.  I don't think I've ever used anything other than gloves on a scene I've drive up on.  I do have a small kit in the car but it's nothing to brag about.


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## abckidsmom (Jul 25, 2011)

I roll with a fully stocked jump bag, issued by my squad.  I use it a lot too, but I frequent places with entirely too many children.

Mostly, I reach for the bag for bandaids, or to check the blood pressure of old people who just want to keep an eye on things.

I have treated burns, broken arms, and hypoglycemia in addition to the myriad first aid things.

And these were all situations where I was just there and helped a friend or someone I knew when the situation came up.


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## jjesusfreak01 (Jul 25, 2011)

I have one of these mini kits that contains only bandaids, alcohol wipes, and neosporin. I keep it in my backpack, along with a cpr mask, my stethoscopes (my bag comes on the truck with me when i'm working), and a finger pulseox that I use for work (my IFT company keeps their pulseox in a sealed bag and makes it a PITA to reseal it). I keep gloves in the center console, and a large bag in my trunk with mostly bandaging supplies (4x4s, 5x9s, tape, bandaids) thats there only for if someone I know cuts or burns themselves and needs a little wrap-up. I don't expect to use much but the gloves if I roll up on a crash scene in my POV, unless I know EMS is a good long way away.


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## DarkStarr (Jul 25, 2011)

abckidsmom said:


> And yet earlier you claimed this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes I leave my portable on 'page', but more or less because if I respond, I get paid.  I also receive texts from dispatch, is that wrong?

I'd say it's a lifestyle if you let it interfere with life, which I did in my infancy.


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## medichopeful (Jul 25, 2011)

kr804573 said:


> I'm finishing my EMT class and want to get a kit going, I know a lot of people don't carry kits in their cars, but I want to I'm a certified EMR so I'm going to start riding soon . So my question, what do you carry in your personal kit that gets used a lot? Also what inch tape do you find most useful?



You might want to consider spending the money on a good Anatomy and Physiology book instead of a kit


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## chriso (Jul 30, 2011)

I carry a bag in my vehicle but it is more for personal use and left overs because of the field I was in before this... I live back in forth living in a city and then living at our place in the sierras. My kit mostly consist of a bleeder type set up. 

  I carry a molle 3 day assault pack with a IFAK attached to it. 
IFAK consist of
NPA 28f
CAT tourniquet.
Primed gause & izzy bandage.
med tape.
I also added a Asherman chest seal and a ARS decompression needle.

I carry my steth and bp cuff in top pocket (but this was just in there from when I was doing my ride alongs and for when I work at the hospital since I take the pack everywhere). I also have some quickclot in there somewhere. 

As I said before this is more of a bleeder kit from working with uncle sam. I also shoot a lot of IDPA matches so this goes with me to my matches and when I hit beale or the CHP range for training. This kit is for personal emergencies not playing street medic.


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## guttruck (Jul 30, 2011)

plenty of 4x4's and a tourney and you are good to go:rofl:


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## Sasha (Jul 30, 2011)

Tourney? Like a golf tourney?? You can fit a tournament in your bag?


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## guttruck (Jul 30, 2011)

tourney= tourniquet


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## smelleecat (Aug 1, 2011)

MrBrown said:


> If you use that phone the people who show up might be carrying this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




omg too funny


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## smelleecat (Aug 1, 2011)

Ive got a small bag with some gloves, 4x4's, bandaids, neosporin, gauze rolls, butterflies, and alcohol swabs, even a small bottle of iodine. Only thing is, Ive used it more at home than stopping at an accident scene. I never imagined myself stopped on the side of the road just to put a bandaid on someone. If Im gonna stop, itll be c-spine criteria so i wont have any hands to use those bandaids anyway. If you find yourself in a situation where youve stopped to help someone, and you dont have what you need, improvise. Use what you have on hand. You wouldnt believe some of the ways Ive seen patients brought into the ER by ALS, but it works. Even they improvise. Above all, dont be a ricky rescue. Youll just get made fun of and thats no fun


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## daine.scott (Sep 2, 2011)

You should be able to get a basic first aid kit at any store that carries medical supplies. I agree that you should only carry the basics, but it's a good idea to at least have gloves and antiseptics.


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