Who carries a med kit in their vehicle off-duty?

Trauma Cop

Trauma Cop

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I always found a surprising that a lot of healthcare providers carried no medical equipment inside their vehicle when they were off duty. I can't tell you how many times while working a wreck, I had healthcare professionals pull up wanting to help but had no medical supplies at their disposal. How many of you guys carry medical kits ino your vehicle while traveling abroad? Those with advanced training such as paramedics, do you carry just basic first aid supplies or ALS equipment such as decompression needles, ET tubes etc?
 
I carry 2 tourniquets, a chest seal, gloves, and my cell phone. I have never found the need to carry any more items.
 
I carry a Tq for me or my family, and sunglasses to out down ober my eyes as I drive past a wreck.
 
It's important to understand that advanced providers (paramedics, RNs, etc) cannot perform advanced interventions while off duty. Things like IVs, needle decompression, etc require medical direction, which we don't have while off duty. That is a major reason why most people don't carry that stuff off duty.

I carry a small first aid kit. It had a tourniquet, gauze, some saline for cleaning, etc. I also have some OTC medication for personal or family use. Things like aspiring, benadryl, ibuprofen, etc.

I do keep my work gear bag in my truck which also carries some personal preference ALS equipment, including a ARS needle. My medical director has chosen to extend our medical direction to us off duty. This works by having our dispatch remotely clock us in if we happen across a serious emergency while off duty within our county. This is extremely helpful as many of our employees are also volunteer firefighters. If one of them responds (or happens to be nearby off duty) we can have them clocked in remotely and they become fully covered employees.

I've used this more than once on a dual medic truck to bring on an off duty EMT to drive so my medic partner and I can both be in the back
 
I keep a basic IFAK (tq, chest seal, etc) but anything that looks like a useful bag will just get you a smashed window around here, unfortunately. My jump bag that I've had for years was recently stolen.

That's a huge reason. Plus, I cannot really keep supplies that I'd use at the Paramedic level stored safely or temperature controlled. I also do not have protocols to use while off duty. In Texas I did, but I do not in California. :/
 
NPO said:
It's important to understand that advanced providers (paramedics, RNs, etc) cannot perform advanced interventions while off duty. Things like IVs, needle decompression, etc require medical direction, which we don't have while off duty. That is a major reason why most people don't carry that stuff off duty.

I carry a small first aid kit. It had a tourniquet, gauze, some saline for cleaning, etc. I also have some OTC medication for personal or family use. Things like aspiring, benadryl, ibuprofen, etc.

I do keep my work gear bag in my truck which also carries some personal preference ALS equipment, including a ARS needle. My medical director has chosen to extend our medical direction to us off duty. This works by having our dispatch remotely clock us in if we happen across a serious emergency while off duty within our county. This is extremely helpful as many of our employees are also volunteer firefighters. If one of them responds (or happens to be nearby off duty) we can have them clocked in remotely and they become fully covered employees.

I've used this more than once on a dual medic truck to bring on an off duty EMT to drive so my medic partner and I can both be in the back
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Yeah, that's what I was getting at. Some places allow you to carry some advanced items especially for members that might be on some type of special team.
 
Trauma Cop said:
Yeah, that's what I was getting at. Some places allow you to carry some advanced items especially for members that might be on some type of special team.
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That condition is very rare.
 
I think I have a basic store bought first aid kit, the kind with various size band-aids, a guaze roll, stuff like that. When I was in the Reserves I often kept my kit with my IFAK in my truck, but I've been out for a few years and haven't carried said IFAK in as long.

I don't think I've ever once, while just driving along, encountered something like a serious auto accident where there were no other first responders on scene, to use any IFAK equipment anyway.

And I've been an EMT for 8 years now? So yeah, i don't feel any particular need to spend a bunch of extra money on stuff I'm just not gonna use.
 
DesertMedic66 said:
I carry 2 tourniquets, a chest seal, gloves, and my cell phone. I have never found the need to carry any more ite
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Jim37F said:
I think I have a basic store bought first aid kit, the kind with various size band-aids, a guaze roll, stuff like that. When I was in the Reserves I often kept my kit with my IFAK in my truck, but I've been out for a few years and haven't carried said IFAK in as long.

I don't think I've ever once, while just driving along, encountered something like a serious auto accident where there were no other first responders on scene, to use any IFAK equipment anyway.

And I've been an EMT for 8 years now? So yeah, i don't feel any particular need to spend a bunch of extra money on stuff I'm just not gon
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Jim37F said:
I think I have a basic store bought first aid kit, the kind with various size band-aids, a guaze roll, stuff like that. When I was in the Reserves I often kept my kit with my IFAK in my truck, but I've been out for a few years and haven't carried said IFAK in as long.

I don't think I've ever once, while just driving along, encountered something like a serious auto accident where there were no other first responders on scene, to use any IFAK equipment anyway.

And I've been an EMT for 8 years now? So yeah, i don't feel any particular need to spend a bunch of extra money on stuff I'm just not gonna use.
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I can see that. Especially depending on where you live. I live in the Appalachian mountains so it isn't uncommon at all to come across an ATV, side by side or motor vehicle collisions especially during the winter months. We also get our fair share of negligent discharges during hunting season. I'm a big advocate of carrying a window punch. A lot of times, motor vehicle collisions are rollovers here due to the mountainous terrain. Window punches almost always have to be used in those circumstances because the doors get crushed and will not open.
 
Jim37F said:
And I've been an EMT for 8 years now? So yeah, i don't feel any particular need to spend a bunch of extra money on stuff I'm just not gonna use.
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That totally makes sense where you are.

As the exception to the rule, I offer an example. I once arrived on scene of an MVA (off duty). 3 motorcycles on a freeway were taken out by a vehicle that then rolled into a ditch. EMS had 1 ambulance on scene. By a stroke of dumb luck, 2 off duty paramedics (myself included), 2 off duty EMTs (my wife being one), an off duty firefighter, an off duty police officer, and get this, a firefighter returning from a career fair with battery powered hydraulic tools and turnouts in a department pickup were all driving by at right time.

But, I get that is not the rule to set a standard by. It just worked out for us. We were all local to the area so it was a seamless integration.
 
NPO said:
That totally makes sense where you are.

As the exception to the rule, I offer an example. I once arrived on scene of an MVA (off duty). 3 motorcycles on a freeway were taken out by a vehicle that then rolled into a ditch. EMS had 1 ambulance on scene. By a stroke of dumb luck, 2 off duty paramedics (myself included), 2 off duty EMTs (my wife being one), an off duty firefighter, an off duty police officer, and get this, a firefighter returning from a career fair with battery powered hydraulic tools and turnouts in a department pickup were all driving by at right time.

But, I get that is not the rule to set a standard by. It just worked out for us. We were all local to the area so it was a seamless integration.
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This is kind of off the subject but related. I've got a buddy that worked for 25 years in the ER and he said that he very rarely saw good first aid applied to victims that had been brought in by POV. Now bear in mind, a lot of the people being brought in were probably workplace accidents, home accidents etc. But it's got to make you wonder how differently some of the outcomes would have been if some of those individuals would have gotten quick treatment from bystanders.
 
I have I guess what you would call an IFAK in my truck that has some anaphylaxis meds in it as well. I have a medical director who will cover us off duty but I don't really intend to use that for joe citizen, the ALS stuff is for friends/family/me. Also have the first aid kit that came with my old frontier for non serious things.
 
Tigger said:
I have I guess what you would call an IFAK in my truck that has some anaphylaxis meds in it as well. I have a medical director who will cover us off duty but I don't really intend to use that for joe citizen, the ALS stuff is for friends/family/me. Also have the first aid kit that came with my old frontier for non serious things.
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Tigger said:
I have I guess what you would call an IFAK in my truck that has some anaphylaxis meds in it as well. I have a medical director who will cover us off duty but I don't really intend to use that for joe citizen, the ALS stuff is for friends/family/me. Also have the first aid kit that came with my old frontier for non serious things.
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Same here. I keep a large medical bag in my vehicle with some advanced items to use for family members. Two tours in Iraq and 13 years as a cop will make me forever paranoid about not having enough medical supplies. Let it also be noted that where I live, it would easily take a minimum of 30 minutes for ambulatory care to arrive at the scene of just about any incident.
 
Getting a little sidetracked, but my department issued BLS or ALS bags and AEDs to some of our employees in our rural areas. This was in response to an emergency bridge closure by DOT that extended response times to the area by about 45 minutes. The employees could volunteer to have equipment at home and dispatch would call them if there was a call in their area.
 
I used to carry some gloves and a full set of turnout gear. I've stopped at more wrecks than I can count.

However, now I just call 911 and let the AHJ handle it. in my two day bag (which is where I keep spare uniforms should I get stuck at the station for 2 days), I have clothes and snacks, and in my EMS bag (which is usually in my trunk unless the wife takes it out, whose sole purpose is so I have my equipment for my EMS shifts) I keep my helmet, jacket, scope, BP cuff, and other personal use items for use on the ambulance. I think I have a pulse ox too that I picked up along the way, but I think the batteries are dead. I have never used anything other than some latex gloves, but I might see if I can get ahold of a TQ or two just in case.

Realistically, if I was a volunteer in my first due area, and it was standard practice to respond POV to a scene, I would probably ask to be issued a bag with the equipment I need. But since I don't volunteer in my department's first due, and we don't respond POV to a scene, as a rule, I see no real need to keep any gear in my car.

and if I'm traveling abroad, I want no one to know that I know how to apply a bandaid.
 
I have a TQ, an Israeli bandage and some other minor first aid things in my truck. I’ve used it more than a couple of times. No ALS gear.
 
I keep a bag in my truck for when I’m going shooting at a match or am at the range in case something does go wrong. Mostly some TQs, Israeli bandages, some curlex, gloves, and a few of the hemastatic dressings. A few of the match’s I’ll do it will be at least 20mins till an ambulance can get to the range and even longer to get to the patient depending on where they are at. Everyday I’ve got just a basic IFAK in my center console.
 
Gloves
Tourniquet
Stethoscope
Cell Phone
 
NPO said:
That totally makes sense where you are.

As the exception to the rule, I offer an example. I once arrived on scene of an MVA (off duty). 3 motorcycles on a freeway were taken out by a vehicle that then rolled into a ditch. EMS had 1 ambulance on scene. By a stroke of dumb luck, 2 off duty paramedics (myself included), 2 off duty EMTs (my wife being one), an off duty firefighter, an off duty police officer, and get this, a firefighter returning from a career fair with battery powered hydraulic tools and turnouts in a department pickup were all driving by at right time.

But, I get that is not the rule to set a standard by. It just worked out for us. We were all local to the area so it was a seamless integration.
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I had no idea you were on the cast of Chicago Fire!

But seriously, I have some basic bleeding control stuff, tourniquet, and pocket face mask and gloves in a little bag in my trunk.

Work car (building inspector) I have a pocket face mask because I happened to have a ton of them.
 
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