Do you carry medical items?

[Darqhelmet]

First aid / boo-boo in my cars and range bag. I haven’t had first aid training in 20 years. I’m not doing much of anything for anyone outside of little stuff. Worst thing in recent times was a ricochet from another shooter popped my forearm. Flushed it, iodine, and a couple butterfly’s. Back to shooting for the day. Still have a small scar.

 

[SARGE67]

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The most usual condition for which on-scene first-aid is likely to effective and result in a life saved by anything less than an EMT Ambulance is a respiratory arrest.

Recall your “ABC’s”; the first two are AIRWAY & BREATHING.

Aside from incidents on an actual battlefield, control of massive bleeding is relatively rare.

And, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest salvage rates are less than 10% if not defibrillated in less than 5’’; regardless of the training, experience, & equipment of “first responders”.

So, the odds strongly favor training & equipment to treat a respiratory arrest. Basic needs for those are NARCAN (intranasal), an airway device, & a means of ventillation.

Good Luck !

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I will agree that airway/breathing is the one most of us will encounter around the house or restaurant, usually from food. Most have no clue on how to respond and calling 911 is lost time - they will be dead within 4 minutes. You could have saved their life. That is really different from someone having a heart attack where chest compressions and breathing are involved and survival rates are minimal outside a hospital and even then, best wishes. The other is bleeding especially if the person is on blood thinners by RX. They are called that for a reason and surgeons and dentists request you be off them for at least 7 days prior to any procedure. However accidental emergencies aren't always predictable so in a pinch you must be able to stop the bleeding.

 

[leVieux]

I will agree that airway/breathing is the one most of us will encounter around the house or restaurant, usually from food. Most have no clue on how to respond and calling 911 is lost time - they will be dead within 4 minutes. You could have saved their life. That is really different from someone having a heart attack where chest compressions and breathing are involved and survival rates are minimal outside a hospital and even then, best wishes. The other is bleeding especially if the person is on blood thinners by RX. They are called that for a reason and surgeons and dentists request you be off them for at least 7 days prior to any procedure. However accidental emergencies aren't always predictable so in a pinch you must be able to stop the bleeding.

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My comments were never intended to minimize the threat of acute blood loss, only the relative infrequency of life-threatening blood loss controllable by EMT tourrniquets & not by external compression.

Most life threatening acute bleeds come from body orifices, battlefields excluded. Occasionally a major bleed through injured skin is encountered w/ veicle accidents or industrial accidents, but those are not common, as compared to “I can’t breathe” incidents.

Bleeding associated with therapeutic anticoagulants is most usually internal, involving the GI tract.

Even then, the time b/t symptoms & imminent collapse usually would allow transport.

In immediate acute respiratory failure, the problem is instantly identifiable to everyone, “trained or not”; with 3 or 4 minutes to loss of consciousness, & 9 or 10 minutes to irreversible brain damage & death; i.e. NO TIME for “911” to help.

So, “treatable” (by simple methods) of acute respiratory failure is much, much more of a threat to the population than anything which a tourniquet could help “save”.

This is why AIRWAY access & “management”, even just the very basic steps, is considered so important in all “first-aid training”.

And, w/ every major event, always have someone CALL 911, whether you think they can help or not.

As the old slogan goes: “Safety is EVERYONE’S business!”

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[TXAdj.....]

Might be preaching to the quire here, and hope most have a small medical kit in their vehicles. If not I highly recommend having something, even if minimal. As summer starts to arrive, more vehicle crashes, shootings, heavy equipment accidents and other things happen. Make sure you and your family have some basic first aid on hand. Police and others can take too long to respond. Feel free to share this video with family and friends, because it’s better to have and not need, than need and not have.

SOFT-T tourniquet in my back pocket and Quik Clot/twin chest seal pack in my shirt pocket. GTG

 

[PGB777]

Might be preaching to the quire here, and hope most have a small medical kit in their vehicles. If not I highly recommend having something, even if minimal. As summer starts to arrive, more vehicle crashes, shootings, heavy equipment accidents and other things happen. Make sure you and your family have some basic first aid on hand. Police and others can take too long to respond. Feel free to share this video with family and friends, because it’s better to have and not

Might be preaching to the quire here, and hope most have a small medical kit in their vehicles. If not I highly recommend having something, even if minimal. As summer starts to arrive, more vehicle crashes, shootings, heavy equipment accidents and other things happen. Make sure you and your family have some basic first aid on hand. Police and others can take too long to respond. Feel free to share this video with family and friends, because it’s better to have and not need, than need and not have.

It's always a good idea to have medical supplies in your vehicle, and home

 

[PGB777]

Yes, I have an IFAK in my car.

Good idea.

 

[leVieux]

Way back when I was an Emergency Doc, I kept a full BanYan kit in my trunk. Had ETT’s, O2, IV’s, Narcotics, etc. Several years. Never used any of it. Even kept a separate suction machine.

 

[Otto_Mation]

I would say that it is just as important to carry a fire extinguisher along with a trauma kit. A couple of years back my son watched the car in front of him on I-10 in West Texas lose control and run off the road, hit a rock bank, then rolled and caught fire. He along with several other cars pulled over and jumped out and were trying to remove the unconscious driver from an upside down car that was on fire. One of the guys that pulled over to help had a fire extinguisher and was able to put the fire out. My son was able to cut his seat belt and they were able get him out of the car. There is no doubt that they saved his life and if one of them did not have a fire extinguisher, I am not sure that would have been possible. It took 20 minutes for police to arrive and longer for and ambulance. If I remember correctly they took the driver away in a helicopter. I vowed that day to always carry a fire extinguisher and a trauma kit in my trucks.

 

[leVieux]

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When I & my Dad owned offshore fishing boats, I did carry all sorts of Medical equipment on them; never used any of that, either.

Far offshore, there is no hope of rapid response help.

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[BBL]

An extinguisher is always in my trunk. I did not know that required any discussion. Fire is deadly. Carry an extinguisher. Period.

 

[Sasquatch]

An extinguisher is always in my trunk. I did not know that required any discussion. Fire is deadly. Carry an extinguisher. Period.

I've got one in the cup holder pocket of both front doors on our vehicle. I've used a fire extinguisher before at home, and a few times while working the road as a tow truck monkey coming across random car fires. Happens more than people think.

 

[NEPrepper]

i carry a whole trauma kit. in addition to a TQ chest seals are good. highly recommend a trauma course

 

[zonearc0]

The Texas Good Samaritan Act.
The law states: “A person who in good faith administers emergency care at the scene of an emergency or in a hospital is not liable in civil damages for an act performed during the emergency unless the act is willfully or wantonly negligent.”
The problem here is .. "unless the act is willfully or wantonly negligent.”
This statement can put you in a hot spot if you have no formal training. If you perform medical care and have no formal training, it could be construed that you are negligent and should have waited for a professional. In general, you can perform CPR and use a defibrillator, but anything more and you are at risk. So, do what you think is *right*, but know you could serve jail time or get sued personally as a result.

 

[CavCop]

The Texas Good Samaritan Act.
The law states: “A person who in good faith administers emergency care at the scene of an emergency or in a hospital is not liable in civil damages for an act performed during the emergency unless the act is willfully or wantonly negligent.”
The problem here is .. "unless the act is willfully or wantonly negligent.”
This statement can put you in a hot spot if you have no formal training. If you perform medical care and have no formal training, it could be construed that you are negligent and should have waited for a professional. In general, you can perform CPR and use a defibrillator, but anything more and you are at risk. So, do what you think is *right*, but know you could serve jail time or get sued personally as a result.

Generally in say a use of force situation, a trained Police Officer is held to a higher standard than a person that shoots a person at night for theft. The same can translate to medical. A trained or certified person is expected to be more responsible and follow proper protocols/procedures.

Do what you feel comfortable with. As a police officer we were expected to limit aid and wait for EMS, as we represented the city for law suits. As an off duty soldier, I could do what the military trained me to do, or just watch someone die. Everyone has to make a choice. Often doing something, works out better than nothing.