First aid kit contents

sausage100uk

Settler
May 4, 2013
538
0
United Kingdom
spot on with the targets, but they are just that, even with the relative density of the population where I work we are still regularly running 15 miles plus to confirmed cardiac arrests never mind the slightly less immediately life threatening but still serious incidents (heart attacks strokes etc.) for example the place where my local bushcraft group meet up is nowhere near any of the priority response points for ambulances, youd be lucky to get a truck on site within 10-15 mins without the time on foot to reach a casualty from the access point. now think about one of your campmates slipping with a mora and catching a major vessel or accidently stabbing someone (ive seen it happen) or choking on a bit of the evenings stew.

I admit there are things in there that might seem ott for general carry but I like to think "its better to have it and not need it" than the other way around - aka "THE OH S**T KIT" my justification for packing them is that I've seen some very minor looking injuries/incidents that would have had far worse outcomes if not for simple kit like a cannula to decompress a chest or the ability to manually clear an airway.
 

Purgatorio

Member
Jan 9, 2014
24
0
The Netherlands
Yes i'm Dutch, En alles is goed, behalve het weer:)
We have for land based operations 4 helicopters, Some areas are covered by the Germans and some by the Belgium, as we do in Germany and Belgium. Sea operations is left to defense with specialized SAR heli's.

There are two points that come into play and what i was referring to. The chance that something will happen, and be prepare for that and a social acceptance of risk.
The chances that something will happen when spending time in the outdoor is relatively low compared to other dangers. And so the fear of help being further than normal is not a logical. one. And with that the second one, is what risk do we actually accept. Participating in traffic, with 2,2 deaths a day and many more injured, is far more dangerous than sport in the outdoors. But do we prepare with the same effort, as an outdoor trip? No. Socially and i wrote this more often, going outdoors and sleeping under a tree, just feels dangerous but isn't. If a hiker dies of hypothermia or, to put it rough, with an axe in his head would be news and the media will cover this big time. A car windscreen in your head is no news, because it happens on a daily basis. So basically we send our kids on the street with nothing, but carry 2 kg medical stuff with us, just in case when making a trip. A book that might be of interst on the subject of outdoor riskmanagement, is 3x3 Lawine, from Werner Munter.

But now the fun part...the statistics:)
unnatural deaths 2012 in the Netherlands : Location.
around the house: 941
hospital: 586
public road: 62 ( this number is influenced big time by the fact that a deadth must be confirmed, and so the most traffic deaths die on there way to the hospital or in the hospital.)
recreation or nature: 72
other: 998
unknown: 1030

Cause:
Fall: 2376
object intruding or hitting: 21
burn: 27
drowning: 64
suffocation: 119
other: 136, unknown: 89

activity.
Play: 8
Housekeeping: 48
DIY: 25
Sport: 5
Going to or coming from the toilet: 128 (real dangerous!) mostly elderly i guess.
Other: 1776

Injures to activity:
fitness: 8
dancing: 9
bicycle: 31
gymnastics: 5
running: 9
fishing: 32
gardening: 15
tennis: 14
hiking:16
swimming: 12
skating: 26

sort injury by activity
brucing: 14
torn musscle or bands: 65
breaking bones: 6
dislocating arm: 1
dislocating shoulder:9
over stressing joints and muscles: 25
knee: 26
hand: 3
head:6
leg general: 5
other: 13

Some remarkable numbers i think.
But in all the risk, and therefore the preperation could be smaller than we feel necessary. Were feel is the keyword here. A medical kit does more at home, than in the woods:)
 

Bluffer

Nomad
Apr 12, 2013
464
1
North Yorkshire
Some very well made points Purgatorio.

There are two points that come into play and what i was referring to. The chance that something will happen, and be prepare for that and a social acceptance of risk.

I would add a third one for Brits, we are a nation of hobbyists and the need to carry something that looks different and screams 'look at me, look at me!!!' often overwhelms logical thought ... :)
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
28
70
south wales
As said earlier carry kit you can use safely and with knowledge.

Carrying an oropharyngeal/oral airway (in different sizes to suit the patient) is fine if you know when its appropriate to use and of course how to use it. A paramedic will know, some of the more advanced first aiders may know but never guess the situation.

Cannulation? wonderful, maybe if you really know what your up to but please, nicely please don't dash off and fill your kit with stuff you could end up doing serious damage with. I worked in Dialysis so was putting a line in dozens of times a week but doubt I'd carry the kit now.

As a nurse I sutured people but won't carry a suture kit now, no need out camping when you know what your doing (I do carry Dermabond but that really would only be for family use)

A few years ago I organised a winter camp for people from another forum who turned up with the most amazing kit and had been 'trained' on courses but after a few questions I realised they had no real idea what they were doing... it made my bowels loose to say the least.

Get the basics right, practise, practise, practise and improve and add kit as your skills improve but never jump the gun.

A fully trained Paramedic is one thing, an over confident Bushcrafter is a different beast altogether.
(sorry for the rant but even though I'm a retired nurse...the nurse is still in me).
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
28
70
south wales
Let me take a guess.. was one of them packing a skin stapler ?

They turned up with two trailers of camping kit for two nights, four of them looked at the site and just went home as it was too 'hard core' lol. Really nice people though and we had a great weekend.
 

Purgatorio

Member
Jan 9, 2014
24
0
The Netherlands
Many things said here, including me. But maybe i should look at all the stuff in your kit in a complete other way.
About 85% in your kit is not for treating yourself but for others. And you use all your knowlegde to prepare even for the worst case, regardless of weight and for others.
That tells me something about how much you care about them. And that is a very unselfish and damn good thing!

But i still think you need at least one samsplint in your kit:)
The are excellent windscreens too!



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