How are you prepping for First Aid?

[Buckeye0311]

Hi everyone. Well I think the title pretty much sums it up. What are you buying? How much of it are you buying? Tactical kits or civilian first aid kits?

Thank you all for replying, and stay safe.

[docsherm]

Do not buy kits. They are over priced and you can built your own for much less. Get a good list together and build your own. There are several good lists of med supplies in books like Where there is no Doctor.

[Moose-Knuckle]

In my AO I have CVS and Walgreens, Wal-Mart at a distant third. I buy most of my bandages from CVS as they have the larger selection of (their brand) gauze pads and rolls in the widest selection of sizes. I watch the adds for weekly sales and clip coupons for stuff like isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, waterproof tape. I keep a rotation of over the counter drugs such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, cold & sinus, antibiotic ointment, clotting agents (QuikClot).

I also keep a bag full of various hemostats/forceps, scapels, EMT shears, blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, and some of the Israeli trauma bandages that I acquired in various places over the years.

What I need to learn about is the availability and legality of acquiring and possessing things like IVs and antibiotics?

I have my books from my EMT days but need to add various titles mentioned in this sub-forum as well as put together some IFAK/trauma kits.

[docsherm]

What I need to learn about is the availability and legality of acquiring and possessing things like IVs and antibiotics?

Technically you can not own any of that stuff unless you are a provider or have a prescription for it.

[J8127]

Moose I have the same questions, I would like to have IV/saline lock/chest needles on hand for the worst case scenario.

Before anyone jumps my shit, I know it is illegal to use these on some one else, I will probably never have to use them, but I do know how to use them (as does my girlfriend) and who knows, maybe me and mine end up in a situation where first response cannot get to us. It isn't so I can save the day at a car accident.

[Buckeye0311]

Docsherm, what kind of hemorrhage control products do you like/use? I have some Celox, but am intereseted in the Quickclot Combat Gauze. Thank you.

[docsherm]

I use the Combat Gauze. I am not sure what you can get on the CIV market. If all you can get is Celox then it will work. The best thing is to get what ever you can and be 100% on using it. Get some just to practice with. You can bag them up and keep training with them. If you are using the Celox as your hemostatic dressing you can train with dry oatmeal. It works. Just train with what ever you have. You do not need to spend tons of money on tourniquets, you can make your own. That is what we did in school years before the CAT and SOF-T were out. We made them out of cravats, wood dowels, and a 2" metal ring. They do work very well.

[Buckeye0311]

Thanks Doc, the idea of using oatmeal as a training tool for Celox is priceless! Roger that on the tourniquets, back in bootcamp before we got our Ninja/martial arts belts we were instructed on how our web belts could be used as a tourniquet. Thanks again.

[GMan 19]

Pretty good videos...

http://www.youtube.com/analyticalsur...37/JnY9Op8tJLg

http://www.youtube.com/analyticalsur...36/t9kSrXCG_28

[Bad Medicine]

Moose I have the same questions, I would like to have IV/saline lock/chest needles on hand for the worst case scenario.

Before anyone jumps my shit, I know it is illegal to use these on some one else, I will probably never have to use them, but I do know how to use them (as does my girlfriend) and who knows, maybe me and mine end up in a situation where first response cannot get to us. It isn't so I can save the day at a car accident.

Its Illegal and a liability if you were to use them on someone and something went wrong then you are held responsible for further injuring or even killing your patient.