My large/group first aid kit.

[ashes1627]

Hello. I thought I may as well post some images of my large/group first aid kit. Please note, I have added 2 more pairs of gloves and ordered 2 FFD's, but I haven't included them in the images and so will list the contents as shown in the images.

It is all contained in a army surplus British Army Medic Daysack, which has enough room for all my kit and its medical contents.

Here are the images and the contents list.

Outside(The red cross folds up so its not visible if its not needed):

Inside:

The pouches on the velcro-backed front:

The pouches unloaded:

The equipment board which clips inside the bag:

The equipment board unloaded:

• Burn Bag with tape
• 2x Instant Ice Pack
• Burn Dressing 10cm x 10cm
• 2x Burn pad
• 2x Burn Jel
• 5x Jelonet pads
• 2x Conforming Bandage
• 2x Large non-adherant dressing
• Pair of gloves
• foil blanket
• 5x Wound-cleaning wipe
• 15x Buttefly plaster
• Eye wash phinial
• 4x Triangular bandage
• Extra-large bandage
• 16x Doxycycline capsules 100mg
• 32x Paracetamol capsules 500mg
• 30x Co-codamol
• 36x Ibuprofen
• Blister Plasters (assorted)
• 2x Pack of 3 steri-strips
• Temporary wound closures
• Anti-bac hand jel
• Pen torch
• Disposable Apron
• Savlon wound wash 100ml
• 3x Assorted scissors
• Tuff-cuts
• 2x Large no.9 dressing
• 3x Medium No.8 dressing
• 20x Assorted plasters

It should cover everything a group would need, but please feel free to submit suggestions on improvements and added contents!

 

[exped.equip.]

A couple of plain paper clips(not painted) and a small lighter. For melting through a finger nail after you`ve hit it with mallet etc.

 

[Ronnie]

I'd add a Salbutamol inhaler, soluble aspirin for MI, sutures, a colloidal dressing like Duoderm Thick, an israeli FFD trauma bandage, orange elstoplast tape, sterile gauze x4 at least, thermometer, stethoscope, ORS sachets, ibuprofen topical gel, and an epi-pen if I could get hold of one. Consider super-glue for wound closures. The medical stuff is much more expensive, but DIY stuff will work.

I'd keep the shears and the straight scissors and ditch the rest. If you want more sharp pointyness then pack a scalpel and a stitch cutter. A disposable razor will help clean up hairy trauma areas. Tweezers will be useful, and also some kind of proprietary tick removing tool.

Ditch all that burn stuff and replace it with aloe vera gel.

Ditch the savalon wound clean and replace it with sterile saline. Maybe pack a small bottle of Betadine iodine solution if you absolutely have to start putting antiseptics into wounds.

Doxycycline definitely wouldn't be my choice of a first line antibiotic.

Apologies if this sounds critical - hope it's constructive.

 

[roger-uk]

I would classify that as being way way above a First Aid Kit even for group use.

I assume your First Aid qualifications are above that of "standard" first aid.

 

[ashes1627]

I'd add a Salbutamol inhaler, soluble aspirin for MI, sutures, a colloidal dressing like Duoderm Thick, an israeli FFD trauma bandage, orange elstoplast tape, sterile gauze x4 at least, thermometer, stethoscope, ORS sachets, ibuprofen topical gel, and an epi-pen if I could get hold of one. Consider super-glue for wound closures. The medical stuff is much more expensive, but DIY stuff will work.

I'd keep the shears and the straight scissors and ditch the rest. If you want more sharp pointyness then pack a scalpel and a stitch cutter. A disposable razor will help clean up hairy trauma areas. Tweezers will be useful, and also some kind of proprietary tick removing tool.

Ditch all that burn stuff and replace it with aloe vera gel.

Ditch the savalon wound clean and replace it with sterile saline. Maybe pack a small bottle of Betadine iodine solution if you absolutely have to start putting antiseptics into wounds.

Doxycycline definitely wouldn't be my choice of a first line antibiotic.

Apologies if this sounds critical - hope it's constructive.

Thanks for the reply and suggestions!
I have some gauzes lying around somewhere, i will have to see if I can find them.
I have sutures that stick onto each side of the wound and pull it together, but i called them Temporary Wound Closures to avoid confusion.
I will add some aspirin, but I don't have an inhaler or an epi-pen that I could get hold of.
I will take out all the other scissors and just leave the shears and the straight scissors like you suggested, and add a disposable razor and some tweezers.
Im not a fan of using non-medical superglue for wound closing, but if I find some medical stuff at a good price I will get that.
I have ordered a couple of Israeli FFD's so they will be added, and I will order some ORS sachets.
Im only using Doxycycline because I have some spare(and you never know when you may get Bubonic Plague), next time I go and see my doctor I will ask her if she can prescribe a better antibiotic.

Thanks for you advice and ideas, they are appreciated!

 

[whitey3192]

dunno if ive missed it but what about a tourniquet?

 

[Ian S]

A lot of good kit there, but

1) The medicine stuff doesn't really have a place in a first aid kit, and some of it would definitely need a paramedic at least to administer.

2) Tourniquets aren't considered to be first aid kit either - too much opportunity to do shed loads of harm (in the requiring of amputation of a limb way) rather than good.

My big kit, as already mentioned in a previous thread, is a HSE approved 10 person refill kit, which costs less than £7.

 

[ashes1627]

1) The medicine stuff doesn't really have a place in a first aid kit, and some of it would definitely need a paramedic at least to administer.

2) Tourniquets aren't considered to be first aid kit either - too much opportunity to do shed loads of harm (in the requiring of amputation of a limb way) rather than good.

The medicine I have can be administered by anyone, although they would have to know the right doses and time periods. I suppose my kit is more of a medical kit and not a first aid kit though.
I don't like/use Tourniquets for that reason, elevating the limb tends to help enough in combination with a good dressing and pressure to not warrant a tourniquet, with less risk attached.

My big kit, as already mentioned in a previous thread, is a HSE approved 10 person refill kit, which costs less than £7.

Personally I don't like the HSE kits as I don't feel they are suitable anywhere but a low-risk workplace, such as an office. Still, I suppose it comes down to what you are using it for and your level of training.

 

[Ian S]

The medicine I have can be administered by anyone, although they would have to know the right doses and time periods.

That's the problem in a nutshell. I would hate for someone who 'knows that they're doing' when they manifestly don't, to barge in and use stuff with possibly horrendous consequences.

Personally I don't like the HSE kits as I don't feel they are suitable anywhere but a low-risk workplace, such as an office. Still, I suppose it comes down to what you are using it for and your level of training.

I agree that the HSE kits are not the best (whatever that means) but they are designed to do a job, generally dealing with fairly big wounds. A 12X12 dressing is a decent old size, and the 18X18 dressings are pretty huge. Add the triangular bandages in there, and you have a decent kit. The other advantages of HSE kits is that they are fairly simple to use, they don't contain anything which someone could foul up with and they're a recognised standard.

I carry this kit when I'm either in the woods or at a demo with my woodcarving tools - axes, adzes, knives, gouges etc.

I admit my first aid training was about 15 years ago, and was to Standard First Aid level. I'd be interested to know what level you are trained to.

 

[ashes1627]

My training is with St John, and I did that in 08. Im also a member of St John, and so my training is up-to-date. I am trained to deal with:

• Asthma
• Bites and Stings
• Minor Bleeding
• Major Bleeding and Shock
• Bone, Muscle and Joint Injuries
• Burns and Scalds
• Chest Pains
• Choking
• Electric Shock
• Fainting
• Foreign Objects
• Head Injuries
• Heat Exhaustion
• Hypothermia
• Low Blood Sugar
• Poisons
• Primary Survey
• Recovery Position
• Resuscitation
• Seizures
• Severe Allergic Reaction
• Spinal Injury

They are just the main things, I have done training on different injuries and illnesses as well.

I don't let others use most of my kit, as some people who don't know what they are doing will act like they do, and the medicines are for my use, family use and friends use only.

I hope this answers you questions, but please feel free to comment again if you wish for any further information or have some more advice!

 

[TeeDee]

So what would you gents say are the best/price reasonable kits fro picking off the shelf?

Level I , Level II

 

[Justin Time]

I'd echo what others are saying and get rid of the doxycycline. There are all sorts of issues about the safe use of antibiotics (and other medication) which is why they are Prescription Only in law. Give them to someone without a prescription, without having tested a specimen of infected tissue, without knowledge of the person's medical history and the medical (not first aid) knowledge to assess that, opens the person and yourself to all sorts of problems, including legal action for you. I suspect that St John's would not defend you.
Just because your doctor advised you on how to use it for yourself does not equip you to offer it to others. I know that some GPs will prescribe antibiotics for kits if people are going on expeditions in wilderness abroad but I would think it would be unlikely you'd get that for a UK based kit.

sorry to be so blunt.

 

[ashes1627]

I'd echo what others are saying and get rid of the doxycycline. There are all sorts of issues about the safe use of antibiotics (and other medication) which is why they are Prescription Only in law. Give them to someone without a prescription, without having tested a specimen of infected tissue, without knowledge of the person's medical history and the medical (not first aid) knowledge to assess that, opens the person and yourself to all sorts of problems, including legal action for you. I suspect that St John's would not defend you.
Just because your doctor advised you on how to use it for yourself does not equip you to offer it to others. I know that some GPs will prescribe antibiotics for kits if people are going on expeditions in wilderness abroad but I would think it would be unlikely you'd get that for a UK based kit.

sorry to be so blunt.

The doxycycline is for my own use only, as I take it everyday anyway (On doctor's orders).

Paracetamol and ibuprofen are over-the-counter medicines and most people are aware of the risks and how to use them, however as I stated in my previous comment they are only for me, my family and my friends to use anyway.

Any antibiotics would be used for personal use only if I had some and needed to take them, as I tend to be reasonably good at getting ill.

I have a fair bit of medical (not first aid) knowledge from Health and Social Care which I study at City College (Norwich), and so I tend to have a bit more knowledge on medical matters and the law regarding medicine and emergency treatment than people who have not studied it, and so I am aware of the risks.
Medical History is key and I wouldn't even give paracetamol or ibuprofen to friends or family without knowing there medical history, i'm not stupid. Also, it would be given as a friend and not as a first aider, which is commonly done to protect people from legal proceedings.

Thanks for commenting anyway.

 

[Ronnie]

Also consider Piriton antihistamine, and a topical steroid, i.e. 1% Hydrocortisone cream.

 

[Sniper]

Looks like a very comprehensive kit you've got there ashes. My suggestion is you ditch the medicines you cannot prescribe nor administer anything other than Aspirin and Paracetamol end of story. If they are as you say for your own use and not for any third party outside your own family you can take what you wish, and for your own use I would suggest adding anti histamine and Imodium. Another suggestion for the main kit would be Sugar or Hypostop, a magnifying lens, also one of those leather finger stalls that can cover a dressing and keep it clean, it also stops it getting caught or snagged on anything.
Your training suggests you are a first aider with St. John's so this would be a good kit to allow you to administer first aid to about your limit for competance. A good comprehensive kit. I do suggest one other item which is a burns kit, they are far superior to standard first aid procedure but learn how to use it beforehand though. There are several other suggestions I could make but you would have to acheive enhanced skills levels before they could be considered. I am making an assumption here so forgive me if it does what it says ..... but I feel although it's very comprehensive and all but it's just too big and I would not find it very easy to pack in with your normal gear, I realise it would be in the car but the larger one I use is a small aluminium case sized about the same as an attache case and there is enough there to cover any likely eventuality. Of course my biggest one has everything anyone would ever need but there again it's purpose built and does over a ton.
Just one last thing administering medication to a friend is just as illegal as to a stranger in the eyes of the law.

 

[ashes1627]

Just one last thing administering medication to a friend is just as illegal as to a stranger in the eyes of the law.

Administering it is illegal, however giving them paracetamol that they can take if they wish is not. Its a legal loophole, but I have seen it stand up in court. I have been on public duties (especially the Royal Norfolk Show and the Worstead Festival)where members of 2 main voluntary first aid providers have given it to them as a friend, and as long as its made clear that it is from them as a friend for them to take and not from the organisation its legal. Eventually this practice will be stopped, but for the time being I still see it happening.

I have managed to fit it all into my bag, its surprising how it seems to swallow kit!

Thanks for your comments Sniper.

 

[Ronnie]

Where'd you get the bag from?

 

[ashes1627]

Where'd you get the bag from?

I got it from Becketts Army Surplus in Norwich. They had one of them in store and I bought it, it was only £36, considering they are normally sell at twice that price for the same thing in the same condition at other places where I have seen them online.

 

[Sniper]

As I said Ashes you can prescribe and give out Paracetamol as a pain killer and Aspirin for heart attack as a first aider, no legal problems there. The friend thing though I can assure you is not a lopphole the law is quite clear.

 

[ashes1627]

Thanks for the warring on the legal thing, I better go and inform some people that actually did break the law with what they did. Perhaps there was another factor that I didn't hear about in the court case.

Thanks again for the warning.