Personal trauma bag?
- Thread starter MissMo
- Start date
EpiEMS
Forum Deputy Chief
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Many folks here, myself included, militate against large personal kits. I'd strongly suggest (unless you are responding as part of your service and/or are in a rural area) to limit yourself to the essentials:
1) Gloves,
2) Cell phone, and, if you're somebody who would be willing to assist off-duty
3) Consider a pocket mask, tourniquet, and pressure dressing
1) Gloves,
2) Cell phone, and, if you're somebody who would be willing to assist off-duty
3) Consider a pocket mask, tourniquet, and pressure dressing
No need for it. I keep my work bag in my car but other than gloves and cell phone nothing shall come out of it. The more you do the more liability you take, unless you are part of a department that has covers it's members off duty you won't be covered under protocols, and almost anything either needs more equipment than you can keep with out or can wait another couple of minutes for a bus to get there.
I'll call for you, stop life threatening hemorrhage, and maybe some hands only CPR.
I'll call for you, stop life threatening hemorrhage, and maybe some hands only CPR.
hometownmedic5
Forum Asst. Chief
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If you simply must carry a personal kit, go to CVS and find a packaged first aid kit and buy that. This will do two things. 1) it will save you about two hundred dollars and 2) If it isn't in the kit, you probably shouldn't be using it in the first response capacity. By eliminating all the junk you have no business using unless you rolled up in an ambulance, you have cut your liability way, way, way the hell down.
Or, you can be the Ricky Rescue type and find a stokes that folds up for your trunk, personal O2 cascade, an 80's era defibrillator, and so on. You do you...
Or, you can be the Ricky Rescue type and find a stokes that folds up for your trunk, personal O2 cascade, an 80's era defibrillator, and so on. You do you...
NPO
Forum Deputy Chief
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My father in law wanted one for his trunk. Just a little kit that does a bit more than the basic Band-Aid for when he's out in the sticks hunting or camping, until he can make it back to civilization.
I stocked it with a CAT, some 4x4s, rolled gauze, gloves, 2 burn gauze, and an ACE bandage.
You don't need anything crazy. And most or the stuff I had left over from an old BLS bag I had for when I did standby EMS work.
I stocked it with a CAT, some 4x4s, rolled gauze, gloves, 2 burn gauze, and an ACE bandage.
You don't need anything crazy. And most or the stuff I had left over from an old BLS bag I had for when I did standby EMS work.
DrParasite
The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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bandaids... grab a box of of bandaids.
Giant81
Forum Lieutenant
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Before I start, I volunteer on a rural rig that has a larger area to cover. We are an all volunteer, all call (meaning every member gets the page at the same time, then we coordinate over the radio who will go, and where we will meet them) and there is a possibility to respond directly to the scene and get there before the ambulance.
With that said, I keep it to the minimum essentials. Things I think can really make a difference just long enough before the ambulance gets there. I also like few tools, many uses. That's why I like to watch videos, and practice using like 4x4's and roller gauze to bandage everything instead of using specially shaped bandages.
a) Gloves maybe a grab a couple surgical masks off the truck.
b) Gauze (mostly just some 4x4's and some roller gauze)
c) trauma pad
d) CPR mask
e) couple tourniquets
f) bp cuff
g) stethoscope
h) notepad and pen
i) finger O2 sensor
j) some tape
k) some bandaids (mostly my kids get a kick out of me pulling out my EMS bag when fixing a scraped knees and elbows)
L) pen light
M) trauma sheers
N) maybe a space blanket or two, they are pretty small
My philosophy is mostly just CPR and bleeding control (maybe some element protection w/space blanket) until the ambulance gets there and has literally everything else I could use in my scope. None of them expire, and they can all sit outside in my truck in WI in freezing weather without causing harm.
Not to mention I don't see me getting into liability problems with the vast majority of it even if I'm doing some first aid outside of my area (sure leave the TQ's in the bag) but I don't see anyone getting in trouble for something as simple as holding some gauze on someones arm/leg/head until the service in that area gets there.
With that said, I keep it to the minimum essentials. Things I think can really make a difference just long enough before the ambulance gets there. I also like few tools, many uses. That's why I like to watch videos, and practice using like 4x4's and roller gauze to bandage everything instead of using specially shaped bandages.
a) Gloves maybe a grab a couple surgical masks off the truck.
b) Gauze (mostly just some 4x4's and some roller gauze)
c) trauma pad
d) CPR mask
e) couple tourniquets
f) bp cuff
g) stethoscope
h) notepad and pen
i) finger O2 sensor
j) some tape
k) some bandaids (mostly my kids get a kick out of me pulling out my EMS bag when fixing a scraped knees and elbows)
L) pen light
M) trauma sheers
N) maybe a space blanket or two, they are pretty small
My philosophy is mostly just CPR and bleeding control (maybe some element protection w/space blanket) until the ambulance gets there and has literally everything else I could use in my scope. None of them expire, and they can all sit outside in my truck in WI in freezing weather without causing harm.
Not to mention I don't see me getting into liability problems with the vast majority of it even if I'm doing some first aid outside of my area (sure leave the TQ's in the bag) but I don't see anyone getting in trouble for something as simple as holding some gauze on someones arm/leg/head until the service in that area gets there.
redundantbassist
Nefarious Dude
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No.
Do your social life a favor and skip the whacker sack.
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There are many options on Amazon.
Here is one on Galls. For many years I looked forward to receiving the Galls catalog, I'm not sure if that's still a thing as of the last decade.
Now I'm a gloves and band aids kind of guy.
I have one, but use it as a first aid kit for event volunteering/daily first aid kit so it's packed toward that goal. My day job is as a carpenter and I volunteer for fun runs, etc. On occasion we'll have mishaps. Comes in handy more often than I thought, but what I deal with is not usually life threatening. I'd still rather have than not. Most used and most recommended is gloves.
Gloves
Eye protection
BP cuff
Stethoscope
Bandaids
4x4's
Trauma pads
Rolled bandages
Tourniquet
Oral Glucose and monitor
Tape
Gloves
Eye protection
BP cuff
Stethoscope
Bandaids
4x4's
Trauma pads
Rolled bandages
Tourniquet
Oral Glucose and monitor
Tape