Where do you keep your pocket knife?

[Meursault]

In my car, where it's available for any tasks I have for it (I think the last was eating takeout barbecue, and before that, breaking down boxes), but isn't in the way every day.

My Leatherman sits in my work backpack and gets used as everything but a knife. I occasionally unfold the blade and think, "Whoa, this is sharp. I should put this away before my partner stops short and I have a really embarrassing incident report to write."

 

[joegrizzly]

Out of curiosity, why would anyone ever need to carry a pocket knife in the EMS world? What sort of high speed, low drag life saving techniques do you use it for? I see everyone wear one, but I never see anyone actually use it or a situation when it could have been needed.

 

[Smash]

I use bungee cords and wear it slung across my back Scottish claymore style. Probably won't work for you though because the two handed hilt still occasionally hangs up on the roof of the car when I'm getting and out. Leaves a hell of a scratch.

You could try a :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: sword, also known as a hand and a half sword. Nothing compares to 6 feet of Scottish steel, but a hand and a half might be a little more user friendly. Still has plenty of range and a good weight, just a little more manoeuvrable. In EMS I prefer a traditional wakizashi for opening packets of crisps and bags of fluid, and it's great for an emergency cric when the need arises.

 

[Meursault]

In EMS I prefer a traditional wakizashi for opening packets of crisps and bags of fluid, and it's great for an emergency cric when the need arises.

Bah. Anything you want to do with all that fancy steel can be done just as efficiently with a bec de corbin, and you get range, durability, and the ability to use it for extrications. Besides, have you ever tried to train a new hire to cut properly with a curved sword? I'd gladly sacrifice a few inches of cutting surface for the ability to say "just choke up and hit it" in a pinch.

 

[TransportJockey]

Out of curiosity, why would anyone ever need to carry a pocket knife in the EMS world? What sort of high speed, low drag life saving techniques do you use it for? I see everyone wear one, but I never see anyone actually use it or a situation when it could have been needed.

I carry a folding knife every day, whether at work or not. Never used it on scene, but it gets plenty of use at base opening :censored::censored::censored::censored:.

 

[JeffDHMC]

Knives not permitted on the clock. Prior to that policy imementation it was clipped to my RF pants pocket.

 

[Trauma_Junkie]

I keep my pocket knife clipped in my L front pocket.

 

[Shepard]

Back right pocket with wallet or just back right pocket. In my boot on occasion, but rarely. As far as what I need it for, I don't ever expect to use it to defend myself or threaten anyone. It's for convenience. If i need to open some package, cut something, my knife can cut a seat belt (but that's why you have shears), it's only to make my life easier, not to threaten or feel like a macho guy. I have my mom tattoo and cutoff tank tops for that!

 

[akflightmedic]

19 years as a medic...I have never needed a knife on duty (exception below). I carried for a short while as I do like collecting blades but soon realized it is only one more thing on my person which I do not need.

When I worked in remote Alaska, I did carry one on my person, one in the kit and one in the plane. You would be a fool to not have a survival knife or any type of knife in those conditions. All the years outside the frontier...simply not needed.

The one I carried up there was kept on my side in its leather sleeve attached to my belt loop.

I do keep a leatherman in the car for anything unexpected.

 

[Trashtruck]

I don't carry a knife. I don't see the reason for it. I've never heard of anybody using a pocket-knife in the field for any reason that trauma shears could not handle. They use it because it's on their person, and I don't like having anything on me except my wallet and cell phone.
But then again, I never understood having tape dangling on your stethoscope or having a BAAM attached to it, but I see it all the time.
I guess I'm just a simplistic person.

 

[Tigger]

Out of curiosity, why would anyone ever need to carry a pocket knife in the EMS world? What sort of high speed, low drag life saving techniques do you use it for? I see everyone wear one, but I never see anyone actually use it or a situation when it could have been needed.

Our bags and cabinets are sealed. To get to shears sometimes I resort to my locker when I forget my personal shears (we wear four pocket pants).

 

[Meursault]

Our bags and cabinets are sealed. To get to shears sometimes I resort to my locker when I forget my personal shears (we wear four pocket pants).

What are your seals made of? I've never had issues popping plastic seals by either twisting the seal or pulling harder on what it's attached to.

 

[Tigger]

What are your seals made of? I've never had issues popping plastic seals by either twisting the seal or pulling harder on what it's attached to.

Plastic. They are fairly easy to pop on compartments, but the bags are another story. If someone threads them through the zipper lanyards it's possible to bust the lanyards off if you're not careful. Twisting them never seems to work either. Depending on the shift I'll just cut the seals off at the start.

 

[bigbaldguy]

You could try a :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: sword, also known as a hand and a half sword. Nothing compares to 6 feet of Scottish steel, but a hand and a half might be a little more user friendly. Still has plenty of range and a good weight, just a little more manoeuvrable. In EMS I prefer a traditional wakizashi for opening packets of crisps and bags of fluid, and it's great for an emergency cric when the need arises.

Yeah I looked at a hand and a half but I just couldn't get the balance right while wheeling it around my head while on scene. I love the japanese blades but I'd look pretty damn silly with a Katana while wearing my 511 kilt wouldn't I?

 

[rescue1]

I carry mine clipped to my R. front pocket. I'm not really worried about access to it, since the only thing I use it for is opening boxes and other stuff at the station. Basically, I carry a knife on duty for the same reason I carry off duty...utility stuff.

 

[Bullets]

I carry a sheeps foot knife and use it all the time. You can get the point inside the latch on electronic door locks and flip then open top gain access to apartment complexes and senior housing. I also use it to pull trim and expose the airbag components at rescue calls. A nice spyderco or dive knife is great for shimming locks and prying. I have one on my bunker pants, my SCBA harness, my PFD , my dive harness and carry one every day in my pants pocket for utility purposes.

We also use cravats to secure patients to backboard as do most agencies, and I use my knife to cut them. Shears Are slow and can bind on thicker fabric

 

[Chief Complaint]

In my pocket. Is this a trick question?

Lol, this.

 

[Jambi]

I do not keep a knife on me because all the firefighters have all the toys anyone could want. Here we do not get a 911 response without fire.

I do keep a multi-tool in my bag, but I almost never have need of it, though I did use it once when my oxygen key went missing.

 

[Jambi]

This is a more reasonable option in my opinion

 

[WuLabsWuTecH]

Out of curiosity, why would anyone ever need to carry a pocket knife in the EMS world? What sort of high speed, low drag life saving techniques do you use it for? I see everyone wear one, but I never see anyone actually use it or a situation when it could have been needed.

I carry a folding knife every day, whether at work or not. Never used it on scene, but it gets plenty of use at base opening :censored::censored::censored::censored:.

I have never used it on scene that I can remember save for using the seatbelt cutter for opening a package of something that I was fumbling with in my gloves. (An aside, the seatbelt cutter I have on my "rescue" tool has never been used for cutting a seatbelt. If I ever needed to cut a seatbelt, my "seatbelt cutter" would be the blade of the knife. But I do fumble around enough with my gloves on that it's useful to put an cut into packaging of supplies so it's easier to open. By using the "seatbelt cutter" I don't have to have an open blade in a moving truck.) This is not to say I can't see it being used--in fact I have. A partner used it to free someone's leg from a harness/tangled rope. Though I suppose trauma shears may have also worked. Usually I use my knife in the station for random duties or during the day not on duty.

I do not keep a knife on me because all the firefighters have all the toys anyone could want. Here we do not get a 911 response without fire.

I do keep a multi-tool in my bag, but I almost never have need of it, though I did use it once when my oxygen key went missing.

Same--i can't ever imagine using the "rescue tool" on a scene to say, break open a window when a 5 million dollar rescue has tools that are much more effective on it. We do usually get a fire response on MVAs etc, but they are at least 7 minutes behind us if not more just because of the way dispatching and responses work in our area.