Vehicle 1st Aid Kit, what am I missing?

Andy@AAV

Old Marine
Sitting around my house in a self quarantine hoping whatever cold bug I got doesn't get named after me and decided to do some shopping. Time to upgrade my 1st aid kit! I was going to add to some threads on this section but they were pretty old. My scenarios are:

1st responder on vehicle collision (ABC's, stabilize until EMS)
Rollover off road (broken limbs, head trauma, burns)
Burns from stove fire or vehicle fire
Minor or major cuts (camping, hiking, working on vehicle)
Non-life threatening illness (cold, flu, diarrhea, headache, general wussiness :)
Ankle, leg, foot injuries from hiking or falls (sprain, fracture, blister)

Right now I carry a collection of stuff I took from IFAKs in my truck. Right now my truck kit consists of:

2-large gauze battle dressings (bleeding)
Combat tourniquet
2-rolls curlex
2-triangle bandages
Quick clot
2 medium sterile gauze pads
Collection of band aid strips
Sam splint
Iodine

I just ordered the following:

1) -- 011036 - Assorted Band Aids from J&J $7.35/ea. -- $7.35
(3) -- 0141N - Individually wrapped Nitrile exam gloves, 1/pair bag. $1.10/ea. -- $3.30
(1) -- 023143 - 1/2" x 180" Waterproof *Adhesive Tape $1.66/ea. -- $1.66
(1) -- 062171 - Vaseline Petrolatum Gauze Dressing $2.90/ea. -- $2.90
(1) -- 067444 - 4" x 4" Sterile Gauze Pads 10/box $3.02/ea. -- $3.02
(1) -- 105020 - 2" x *5' *Ace Type Elastic Bandage $1.42/ea. -- $1.42
(1) -- 1383691 - Moleskin, 2" X 3" 6/bag $3.50/ea. -- $3.50
(1) -- 154818 - Alcohol Wipes 50/box $2.63/ea. -- $2.63
(1) -- 200808 - Cool Blaze *Burn Dressing, 8" x 8" $6.75/ea. -- $6.75
(1) -- 215581 - Cetafen Cough & Cold, 100/box $9.25/ea. -- $9.25
(1) -- 232124 - Triple Antibiotic Ointment, 25/box $3.95/ea. -- $3.95
(1) -- 233020 - Anti-Itch 1% Hydrocortisone Cream 25box $3.89/ea. -- $3.89
(2) -- 30100K - Instant Ice Pack, Large $1.99/ea. -- $3.98
(1) -- 32301070 - Paramedic Shears $2.89/ea. -- $2.89
(1) -- 3249319 - Steel Kit Tweezers $0.84/ea. -- $0.84
(1) -- 550228 - Purell Sanitizer Hand Towels $6.25/ea. -- $6.25
(2) -- 991600 - Replacement Pain Reliever Kit. $1.85/ea. -- $3.70

I am CPR certified, trained in combat lifesaver and basic first aid (some experience at both) so I know how to use everything on the list. I am not an EMT and don't want to bring a fully stocked trauma center with me, just to cover likely scenarios.

So: what am I missing?
 

ssssnake529

Explorer
J&J blister dressings. (much better than moleskin)

aspirin

electrolyte replacement drink mix

Sunburn cream

serious pain meds (if you can get a prescription for them from a friendly doctor.)

Mouth shield for CPR

heavy duty Ziplock bags

Wound closure strips

Dermabond
 

Andy@AAV

Old Marine
J&J blister dressings. (much better than moleskin)

aspirin -actually have it in my kit, fever reducer and heart attacks

electrolyte replacement drink mix. -I keep Gatorade on hand, may toss a pack in my aid bag

Sunburn cream. -is this an aloe cream or sunscreen?

serious pain meds (if you can get a prescription for them from a friendly doctor.).

Mouth shield for CPR -good call, on the list

heavy duty Ziplock bags. -what for? I keep trash bags in my truck and ziplocks in my cooking gear.

Wound closure strips -I hate these, every time I need a band aid I grab one by mistake!

Derma-bond -I'm getting vetbond for the dog anyway, thanks!

Thanks for the input!
 

Andy@AAV

Old Marine
a couple of 6" wide elastic bandages, some BZK wipes for cleaning wounds without causing more pain and with more effectiveness than the alcohol wipes, and some wider tape, something like some 1" Durapore and even some duct tape isn't a bad thing to have onhand.

- I keep duct tape in the truck. Never heard of BZK wipes, but they look good. I will order them next and use the alcohol wipes for cleaning maps.

If you use a cooler with ice when traveling, a couple of ziplocs will make nice refillable ice packs, if you use a fridge with a freezer, a couple of reusable cold packs will last longer and work better than any of the instant type. There's a great product called "sting-eze" that I use at work, it's great for insect bites and stings, come in boxes of 10 wipes, you can get em on Amazon.com pretty cheap and they work very well.

- never thought about cold packs in the ARB, thanks. I went hiking with a friend who said she was allergic to bees when we saw some. No epi pen on hand. Do you need a prescription for one and would it be worthwhile?

An emergency blanket is great for treating shock and the initial stages of hypothermia.

- I keep one of those and a snug pack in my tool box.

Vet wrap or Coban will help with the ice packs and they can also be used to hold bandages in place, easier to use than tape too. Sticks to itself instead of to the patient's skin.

Thanks for the reply!
 

grizzlyj

Tea pot tester
What are you missing???? Jeez, reread your own post will you!!! Wussiness is not covered at all, and I wish you had so I can persuade the Missus that more time in remote places is the best time you can spend! ;)

Not relevant to most here, but I read somewhere iodene is no longer publically available in Europe/UK?

Seperate container of spare, clean water for rinsing eyes and wounds, or just drinking if your main can is holed? Eye pads? For a recent long trip in our camper we took a correctly sized neck brace, if driving yourself out after injury was required, but you could maybe improvise that?

"Where there is no Doctor" is a fabulous book for the truck.

# Paperback: 508 pages
# Publisher: Macmillan Education; Updated Edition (2009) edition (16 Oct 2004)
# Language English
# ISBN-10: 0333516524
# ISBN-13: 978-0333516522

Also available as a free download http://weblife.org/pdf/where_there_is_no_doctor.pdf

I believe not all Quikclot type stuff is the same, some gives 3rd degree burns and some doesn't?

http://www.spservices.co.uk/ is the daddy in the UK, I've no idea what half their stuff is for! (And don't want too!)

Jason

:)
 
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tsconver

New member
Glucose or instant jello to give to a diabetic, sugar can save them if they are low and won't do any damage if they are too high.

First aid blanket

I also carry a ambu bag, stethescope and blood pressure cuff. the later can be used to control bleeding on a limb as well.

Sterile eye wash
 

jayshapiro

Adventurer
My Amazon kit...

You already have an excellent list going, but I thought I'd share mine as well if anyone's looking for a fast / easy way to assemble your kit.

I went through the (excellent) Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course from Remote Medical in 2010. Based on that experience, I assembled a shopping list on Amazon for all of the items I carry in our emergency kit for our round-the-world expedition in the EcoRoamer.

You can view the entire list here:
http://amzn.com/lm/R34FYOAXBDQ88Y

To be clear it's a medical emergency only bag, and separate from the Survival / Ditch Bag that we keep in the truck.

Also note, that since you can buy any of these items on Amazon, it doesn't include any of the medications we carry.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Jay.
 
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jeepxj13

Adventurer
So does all the items on the list fit into the small medic bag?


You already have an excellent list going, but I thought I'd share mine as well if anyone's looking for a fast / easy way to assemble your kit.

I went through the (excellent) Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course from Remote Medical in 2010. Based on that experience, I assembled a shopping list on Amazon for all of the items I carry in our emergency kit for our round-the-world expedition in the EcoRoamer.

You can view the entire list here:
http://amzn.com/lm/R34FYOAXBDQ88Y

To be clear it's a medical emergency only bag, and separate from the Survival / Ditch Bag that we keep in the truck.

Also note, that since you can buy any of these items on Amazon, it doesn't include any of the medications we carry.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Jay.
 

mtnbike28

Expedition Leader
2 items and a thought... protective gloves (I use the blue gloves from the garage)
and included a bottle of baby aspirin that is opened and on top (for heart attacks)
I also included a bunch more bandages and athletic tape after we (my wife, a nurse) ran out of band-aids, etc when she helped a young boy
cut bad on both feet from the rocks on the Outer Banks.
 

MN ZJ

Observer
Good list so far!

Gloves: avoid latex. Many people are allergic to the stuff. Go with nitrile.
And a tip: put each pair into a ziploc bag. Practice learning to remove the gloves properly and put them in the ziploc. If you're transporting someone to the ER, bring the gloves along to be properly disposed of. If an ambulance ride is required, send them with EMS.
-K
 

AA1PR

Disabled Explorer
how about an small plastic syringe to clean out wounds
maybe an ace bandage
a space blanket
& a bandana that can be used for a torniquet or surgical tubing
 

boisefj

Observer
You might want to consider changing tourniquets to M2 Ratcheting Tourniquets, as they don't have an expiration date, can be used in practice and for real without having to have a 2nd one. They are not UV susceptible and can be self administered in less than 15 seconds with just Gross motor skills. Much easier to self apply than Wind-lass tourniquets and they are military approved by NAVSEA and took top rating in the last 3 evaluations. Trying one made me a beliver. Wish I would of had them when I was a paramedic. They are available at www.theactivityusa.com
 

FJOE

Regular Dude
+1 to the book- "Wilderness and Travel Medicine" by Eric Weiss MD". Great reference.

I'd add some type of occlusive dressing too. You mentioned you were CLS trained, so I'm sure you remember chest seals, etc. Have something that you can treat both pneumothorax and tension pneumo. Chest seals are nice, but gorilla tape and mre bags will work just as well in a pinch. I carry HALO seals, as you get 2 in a pack. Plus the standard NARP decompression needles, etc. When dealing with industrial accidents (think machinery, like big vehicles), have something for eviscerations. A roll of plastic wrap and some kerlix will do in a bind. Remember hypothermia concerns as well. Other than that, you seem to have the basics covered.
 
Our first responders bag keeps growing..
1459545075251-492750058.jpeg

and it will probably continue to grow when one finds something out of the ordinary to use on the trail. We're find that the small alcohol wipes simply are not being used and do not have a very good life span when in storage for a long period of time. So multiple sized closing containers are needed to ensure safe keeping of medical fluids etc.

Few oddball items include:

  • Reinforced paint stirs which can be used for small splints.
  • Softener sheets for a quick bug repellent. Just wipe on exposed skin areas and tuck in shirt or pant pockets.
  • A variety of tapes, ranging from masking tape to duct tape.
  • A variety of shoes string lengths and colors.

I mean I can go on about this stuff.. like I said the bag continues to grow and evolve over time.

Look for other expoer's and exchange ideas. Safe Travels
 

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