# EMT belt pack and basic equipment for student



## radtech (Apr 16, 2013)

Suggestions for anEMT belt pack?
Looking for a good EMT Belt Pack to carry my basics in.  I know that as time goes on and eventually enter into the field, I'm going to wish I had gotten another belt pack instead of the one the college is trying to sell me out of the bookstore.

The college is suggesting that we go ahead and purchase an EMT Belt Pack with the stethoscope, scissors, blood pressure cuff, and a pen light.  I'm thinking I might want to just buy things separately and put them in my own belt bag, but not sure.  Husband said he can handle getting me a good pen light and knows I'll need a good pocket knife to clip to my pocket even though it's not mentioned, but the medical gear I'll have to get if I don't purchase a kit.

I have worked in Rad Tech or Oncology for many years, so being familiar with the basic equipment is not an issue, just easy of use and good quality.


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## rwik123 (Apr 16, 2013)

Please don't wear a belt pack. You'll thank me later. Everything you need can be carried in your pockets or in your jump bag.


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## Milla3P (Apr 17, 2013)

Wait... EMS fanny packs are a real thing?





Unless you plan on starting out completely on your own, all of these things will already be provided for your use by your employer. Most premade kits are filled with inferior products that turn into useless junk pretty quickly, too.


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## CFal (Apr 19, 2013)

Conterra makes some nice ones

http://www.conterra-inc.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=6
http://www.conterra-inc.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=5


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## PaddyWagon (Apr 19, 2013)

Milla3P said:


> Wait... EMS fanny packs are a real thing?
> 
> View attachment 1501
> 
> ...



On my ride alongs the FTO and partner used nothing that didn't come with the rig, and in hospital ER everything but personal stethoscopes was from the hospital shelves.


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## Handsome Robb (Apr 19, 2013)

PaddyWagon said:


> On my ride alongs the FTO and partner used nothing that didn't come with the rig, and in hospital ER everything but personal stethoscopes was from the hospital shelves.



Pretty much how it is here, except the supplies are from the shelves in our garage, not the hospital.


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## DrankTheKoolaid (Apr 19, 2013)

Yeah you really should not need any thing bought on your own other then a real flashlight if your doing nights unless you want to carry around a D cell Baton

Trust me you don't want to be 'that guy' who is brand spanking new and shows up with a bat belt. That's not the first impression you want to make


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## joshrunkle35 (Apr 20, 2013)

I carry a pen, cell phone, wallet, watch, keys, a really nice flashlight (surefire EB1) and a really nice knife (microtech ultratech two-tone tanto). 

All of the other items are in with other gear. Almost everyone has a stethescope and alcohol wipes in an airway kit, for example. A penlight is almost always in a trauma kit and five other places, and the low setting on my personal light will work as well.

A really nice light and a really nice pocketknife (unless you're the person that constantly loses this item)...and a really nice coffee maker, are essential items for EMS. Obviously, if you go to a formal college for EMS, check with your instructor before you go bringing a pocketknife to class.


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## radtech (Apr 20, 2013)

*radtech *husband here:  OK, she's got her own stethoscope from other jobs.  I'll just pick her up a nice pocket clip lockblade and a decent light.  Thx for the heads-up.


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## CFal (Apr 20, 2013)

a buttpack is very handy providing EMS care away from an ambulance


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## WCAD1620 (May 24, 2013)

i made the rookie mistake years ago and worried about what i carried...it never fails, what you need you will not have.  

depend on a well stocked well inventoried rig!

all i carry now is a good sharp knife (cold steel) a benchmade seatbelt cutter and a boker tactical pen. those and the rig get me out of any situation!


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## Akulahawk (May 24, 2013)

CFal said:


> a buttpack is very handy providing EMS care away from an ambulance


I have several of those... however I also make sure that if I use one on the job, it's set up for only what I absolutely need. And no, I don't wear it most of the time. I wear it only when there's a good chance that I could be well separated from the ambulance or my jump kit. Because my butt packs are also stocked as mini-jump kits, they serve as first aid kits when I'm not working. 

At least _one_ of my kits is (still) set up for working the sidelines of various sporting events... It's an older version of this: http://www.amerisport.com/item.asp?s=FG-226&b=y


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## O2togo (May 24, 2013)

Good pair of shears and a pen light. I bought the kit from my school that came with a holster, and various tools, none of which lasted long. I tend to lose every pair of shears I get my hands on. A decent stethoscope would be good. I broke my kit one in about a week.


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## Handsome Robb (May 25, 2013)

CFal said:


> a buttpack is very handy providing EMS care away from an ambulance



My first out bag that my agency provided me has backpack straps on it so I usually carry that if we're leaving the ambulance. 

I also have a vest, again purchased through my agency primarily for working traffic accidents, that has primarily things to treat problems with ABCs. Couple of TQs, tape, a little bandaging stuff, some NPAs, a couple IV start kits, earplugs for me, a flashlight and a pair of shears.99.9% of the time though I work out of the ambulance or rarely my bag. 

When I worked as a beach lifeguard on a big beach it was a different story. 

All I carry on my person is a sharpie or two, some pens, a pair of shears, a flashlight, my narc kit and my stethoscope.


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