Personal First Aid Kit - My Contents
- Thread starter British Red
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Hi Red with regards to burns the best on the market is "Water Gel" i use it in my first aid pack for work it sorts out all types of burns A&E departments highly recommend it. Another good idea to carry is cling film i cut a normal roll in half it fits in my pack nicely.
I like to carry as much as possible in as tighter space as possible. Including diagnostic equipment as well as treatment.
I carry a Sphyg + stephoscope, plus 5 of S, M, L, + XL bandages, Splint, Tape, Plasters, Blister plasters, Immodium, Fresh Water, Burns dressings, Gauze, Clamps, Single Use Thermometers, Non-adhesive pads, 10 Pairs of gloves, apron, clinical waste bag, Bio-hazard spillage kit, sharps box, plus tweezers and a few other bits and bobs.
And I carry that in something about the size of a very small rucksack.
Wolves.
I carry a Sphyg + stephoscope, plus 5 of S, M, L, + XL bandages, Splint, Tape, Plasters, Blister plasters, Immodium, Fresh Water, Burns dressings, Gauze, Clamps, Single Use Thermometers, Non-adhesive pads, 10 Pairs of gloves, apron, clinical waste bag, Bio-hazard spillage kit, sharps box, plus tweezers and a few other bits and bobs.
And I carry that in something about the size of a very small rucksack.
Wolves.
To begin, I'm not medically qualified so please check the validity of this post and if I'm wrong - tell me! As far as I'm aware any burn which is even remotely likely to require professional treatment is going to have to have any creams or gels removed prior to treatment and can infact seal the heat in (porous materials will have to be removed - leading tocomments). I was told several years ago that the best thing to do (after taking the heat out of the wound) , as a quick fix, would be to cover the entire burn area in plastic - if you have to use cling-film make sure you leave an inch of the end folded back on itself so you can easily find it again! and seal it (REMEMBER: sealing the mouth/nose area can lead a more serious condition known as death), the reason being is that as plastic is non porous it not only stops nasties getting in it's also easier to remove as it will have kept the wound 'gooey'. The plastic can then be removed to allow cleaning/cooling and be reapplied if necessary. Professional treatment for serious burns will most likely include a broad-based anti-biotic to help the body fight the lil'nasties in the patients' system. To end - I'm not medically qualified so please check the validity of this post and if I'm wrong - tell me!
You are right. That is the current medical advice on treatment for burns.
All that being said, there is a product on the market called "Watergel" or another called burngel. They are used by hospitals and pre-hospital care. They are basically aloe vera, and tea tree in a gel form. The problem with putting stuff on burns is you want to cool them, but not freeze them, so using any fat, or oil is a really bad idea, they seal in the heat.
I would add 2 more triangular bandages, and some burn blots.
The St John Ambulance recommended first aid treatment for burns is any non chemical cool liquid, ideally water but milk, soft drinks and even beer (I know - I'd never be able to bring myself to 'waste' good ale either).
Red, the other thing I picked up on in your kit is the antiseptic wipes. These are not recommended a they can interfere with the skins own natural healing process as it kills off the newly forming defensive cell layer. Better to have antibacterial wipes.
Also the tweezers are a no-no in a FAK according to HSE as they class them as 'for use in invasive surgery' yes - that's removing splinters
Matt,
Good info and interesting - I prefer the antiseptic given the intended use. As for tweezers, I think the HSE only applies to organisation based FAKs doesn't it? Since this is my personal kit I can carry lots of things I couldn't use in my FAW kit (like painkillers etc.)
Good to get others views here! I'm hoping others miight publish what they have too
Red
Good info and interesting - I prefer the antiseptic given the intended use. As for tweezers, I think the HSE only applies to organisation based FAKs doesn't it? Since this is my personal kit I can carry lots of things I couldn't use in my FAW kit (like painkillers etc.)
Good to get others views here! I'm hoping others miight publish what they have too
Red
Thanks for the update Minotaur - Aloe vera's a great plant isn't it. I carry a tube for stuff like scratches, grazes, rubs and weather dried skin.
Absolutely Red, that was just an aside I wanted to include as it's such a good example of stupid bureaucracy but please no-one pick up on politics re this
it was just meant to amuse rather than inflame.Totally agree in including whatever medicines, pills, potions and lotions in a personal kit as well but would not offer them to anyone else for fear of the possible litigious consequences - you never know
quick note on the eye dressing
by putting on two of them covering both eyes you do end up with a blind person but if you only put on on and there is something in the eye which may cause further damage with movement the eye will move about as theywork in pairs (shine a light near one eye and the pupil will contract shortly followed by the other, if this doesn't happen something isn't right). The idea of covering both eyes is that the person wont try to look around and cause further damage until it's delt with by a pro. Of course when on duty we normally get them to hospital without too much trouble so you may have to decide that in a bushcraft setting the risk from them being without eye sight is more dangerous then the risk of damage to the eye.
by putting on two of them covering both eyes you do end up with a blind person but if you only put on on and there is something in the eye which may cause further damage with movement the eye will move about as theywork in pairs (shine a light near one eye and the pupil will contract shortly followed by the other, if this doesn't happen something isn't right). The idea of covering both eyes is that the person wont try to look around and cause further damage until it's delt with by a pro. Of course when on duty we normally get them to hospital without too much trouble so you may have to decide that in a bushcraft setting the risk from them being without eye sight is more dangerous then the risk of damage to the eye.
I was told it's because if your using them round a wound they may not get cleaned between the first person and the next. I'm going to get some and boil them after use. I also boil my scissors as they've come into contact with blood (well they will if your cutting away clothing from around a wound)
I like to carry as much as possible in as tighter space as possible. Including diagnostic equipment as well as treatment.
I carry a Sphyg + stephoscope, plus 5 of S, M, L, + XL bandages, Splint, Tape, Plasters, Blister plasters, Immodium, Fresh Water, Burns dressings, Gauze, Clamps, Single Use Thermometers, Non-adhesive pads, 10 Pairs of gloves, apron, clinical waste bag, Bio-hazard spillage kit, sharps box, plus tweezers and a few other bits and bobs.
And I carry that in something about the size of a very small rucksack.
Wolves.
I have to ask why you need to carry all that? Are you a paramedic?
xylaria
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I have 2 1/2 cm long piece of wood in the back of my thumb a moment because I couldn't find decent tweezers at the spring bushmoot. It is too deep and too close to the tendon for me to dare remove it myself. I will need invasive surgery to get it out. If had tweezers and a scaple within the first hour before it swelled I could of got it out. Well thought out FAK are so very important.Also the tweezers are a no-no in a FAK according to HSE as they class them as 'for use in invasive surgery' yes - that's removing splinters
Ahh, now that makes sense, of course only as long as it is safe to cover both, as with many things it's blindingly obvious once someone as yourself points out the reason.
No, only if I am going away soemwhere upwards of one week and I know I am unlikely to see other people or if I am carrying the First Aid equipment for a group. e.g. when we went to Borneo, or Germany. A weekend in Wales doesn't really warrant that much kit
Wolves.
No I carry it because there have been times when incidents have happened and help is a long way away, and diagnostic equipment like a sphyg and stethoscope help in keeping a very close monitoring on someones internal situation. I have been trained and certified to use all the things I carry, it is worth pointing out that if you haven't been trained or taught properly how to use something, DON'T, you could do more harm than good. one example in something that seems as relatively simple as a sphygmanometer is that they can cause crush injury if over tightened or left on too long, or done too regularly.
Wolves.
Absolutely true, but with one exception. Butter is great for bitumen burns as it dissolves off the bitumen - the only way of halting the burn process 'cos water just hardens the outer layer. You can, however, use water for long enough so you can 'crack' the bitumen off.
Granted, bitumen isn't exactly a common bushcraft problem!
That reminds me of a funny story......I used to work as a roofer and we would often be doing flat roofs using built up felt and bitumen....We would have to melt down big blocks of bitumen, pour it into a metal bucket and carry it up the ladder onto the roof....We would have a bucket of water around as a just in case, but most bitumen burns came from splashes, just small bits of it landing on your hands...The boss said the best way to deal with that was to quickly spit onto yourself, so we did that.... Anyway, I took a part time job at a Little Chef and was working on the griddle one evening, in full view of the customers, when I splashed a bit of the hot oil onto my hand....Instant reaction was to start spitting.......Oops
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