first aid kits - or FAK items you take out with you

[rawfish111]

first aid in 14 words....air goes in and out, blood goes round and round...anything else is bad

There are those who will die, no matter what you do. There are those who will live, no matter what you do...its the ones in the middle we help.

As an MCA accredited first aid instructor and former battlefield first aid trainer I agree wholeheartedly with this statement.

Much sense is being spoken in this thread besides.

[Silverback]

A story relayed to me by a friend of mine involves someone who went on the marshalls FA course for the IOM TT...during the course they were instructed on how to reduce a fracture for pain relief but primarily to restore blood flow to the limb distal to the break...this was questioned one of the attendees who stated that straightening a broken leg could have dire consequences for the injured party......the instructor replied that not straightening the limb would have more serious complications as the casualty wouldn't fit in the helicopter otherwise......

In a wilderness/remote setting the medicine should never hold up the rescue......the clock is ticking...this nugget was passed told me a couple of years ago by a Cave Rescue Doctor.....Medicine in Cave Rescue is a really interesting field...not that you'd ever catch me down one !

[blindgeekuk]

Given my eyesight results in lots of little accidents, I always have a couple of plasters, some micropore tape, paracetamol and ibuprofen in a pocket.

For a first aid kit, I've got a gelert travel pak 3 - mainly cause it came with some burn gel stuff, and an emergency blanket. Thats bulked out with some painkillers, anti histamins, alcohol hand stuff, lipbalm, matches, and a pack of sweets. I've done first aid causes for work and for 'pleasure' - i.e. a did an infant resus one when the kids were born, but its not something that I actively use and thus have forgotten most of it, so if a real situation came up, I'd probably be as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Stuff like tourniquet's, I'd have no idea where to place them (about half an inch above the trauma?) but I do remember the advice was however tight you think it is, it should be tighter.

[Silverback]

A torniquet has to be placed on a single bone to ensure efficacy.. Even in the rescue and emergency services its recognised as a last resort..... its use in battlefield medicine brings in a different protocol although the advances in battlefield medicine are filtering down to civillian pre hospital care

[OakAshandThorn]

My first-aid kit consists of a small bottle of Tea tree oil, some Dr. Scholls athlete's foot powder, Witch Hazel extract, a dozen or so cotton swabs, band-aids, Mirasorb sponges (4 in x 4 in), a bunch of non-stick dressings (4 in x 3 in), bandage roll tape, and of course, a quick-clot . All is kept inside a ziploc bag in an outside pocket of my rucksack so it's easily accessible.
I might be able to add in a few cc's of Balsam Fir blister resin when I go up to New Hampshire at the end of the month .

[Silverback]

How much can you buy Quic - Clot, CELOX or HemCon for over there in the US ?

Personally I use Celox granules and impregnated bandage

[Sittingbull]

My first-aid kit consists of a small bottle of Tea tree oil, some Dr. Scholls athlete's foot powder, Witch Hazel extract, a dozen or so cotton swabs, band-aids, Mirasorb sponges (4 in x 4 in), a bunch of non-stick dressings (4 in x 3 in), bandage roll tape, and of course, a quick-clot . All is kept inside a ziploc bag in an outside pocket of my rucksack so it's easily accessible.
I might be able to add in a few cc's of Balsam Fir blister resin when I go up to New Hampshire at the end of the month .

You have a lot of natural remedies there. Mind explaining what they are used for?

[Silverback]

Tea tree is used for allsorts, my mrs uses it to control Cold Sores, Witch hazel is mainly used externally on sores, bruises, and swelling, is used in skin care ( It is often also used as a natural remedy for psoriasis and eczema, in aftershave and in-grown nail applications and to prevent facial sweating and cracked/blistered skin, and for treating insect bites, poison ivy etc. Medicinal uses of the Balsam Fir are diverse. The Iroquois made a warm liquid from the sap that they used in the treatment of gonorrhea; a decoction of roots and branches was used to create sweat baths to alleviate pain from rheumatism and parturition. The Ojibwe, Micmac and Potawatomi used the gum as a salve to treat wounds and swallowed fresh balsam gum to treat colds. The Chippewa melted the gum on a warm stone, inhaling the fumes to treat headaches.

Its used now in proprietary inhalant decongestants

[OakAshandThorn]

How much can you buy Quic - Clot, CELOX or HemCon for over there in the US ?

Personally I use Celox granules and impregnated bandage

If you know where to look, you can get the quick-clot sport for around $8.00. It's about the same on the Amazonian.

[OakAshandThorn]

Tea tree is used for allsorts, my mrs uses it to control Cold Sores, Witch hazel is mainly used externally on sores, bruises, and swelling, is used in skin care ( It is often also used as a natural remedy for psoriasis and eczema, in aftershave and in-grown nail applications and to prevent facial sweating and cracked/blistered skin, and for treating insect bites, poison ivy etc. Medicinal uses of the Balsam Fir are diverse. The Iroquois made a warm liquid from the sap that they used in the treatment of gonorrhea; a decoction of roots and branches was used to create sweat baths to alleviate pain from rheumatism and parturition. The Ojibwe, Micmac and Potawatomi used the gum as a salve to treat wounds and swallowed fresh balsam gum to treat colds. The Chippewa melted the gum on a warm stone, inhaling the fumes to treat headaches.

Its used now in proprietary inhalant decongestants

Wowzers - didn't know Balsam had that many uses amongst the Natives .