**Read this before anything else in the First Aid section**

[Citizen Simon]

I've noticed a trend of people coming to the first aid section and asking the same questions over and over again. That leads to elitest bastards like myself getting pissed off and treating people like they are noobs. However I understand there is a lot to cover here in the first aid. What I have made here is kind of an index of the first aid. I will maintain it as the forum expands. That way simple things are caught before someone vomits fire all over you for packing a surgery kit in your FAK. Also, if you read nothing else in this post read the disclaimer on the bottom!

Want to ask what you should pack in your first aid kit?
I think that is a good question to ask. However before we answer we'll need to know what the aid kit is for. Include the following things: How many people this kit is for. Is it just for trauma (injuries) or also for illness? Where do you plan to use it? (At the house or on a road trip, or in the PAW??) How long do you want it to last? All of those factors will lead to better advice.

If your first aid kit doesn't have the following items dont even bother asking for suggestions!
That's right, if you dont have this stuff all you are going to get in reply are the things on this list. (This is a bare minimum, more is recomended)

2 Rolls of Kerlix or similar Gauze
2 Ace Wraps
1 roll of one inch tape
1 roll of 3 inch tape/duct tape

What basic items should I keep in my trauma bag?
Here is a list of things that will often be suggested in response to that question.

Gloves
bandaids
Kerlix/Gauze
Ace wraps
Tourinquets
Tape
Emergency Trauma Dressing/Izzy or similar pressure dressing
Kravats/Triangular bandages
Splinting materials(Sam splints)
Asherman Chest Seals
Quickclot
Hemcon Bandages.
EMT-sheers
Forceps
CPR-mask
Burn-dressing / burn-jel

What should I keep in my Aid kit for things other than trauma?
Again, these are just regularly recomended items, all are suggested, you do what works for you.

5 Decades worth of any perscription meds you need to survive
Soap
Hand Sanatizer
Tylenol
Asprin
Motrin
Immodium
Benadryl
Bacitracin
Hydrocortisone
Alcohol (bottle or pads)
Chapstick
Sunscreen
hydration salts
Bug Spray
Mole Skin
More Tape
Cough Drops
For a better list of over the counter medications and their uses we have a thread just for that.Click here to educate yourself!

What are some good first aid kits?? Or what does yours look like?
There is a lot of first aid porn on here. Here are a few links.

Gunny-This is honestly the most well rounded FAK on the forum that is legal for civilians/untrained people.
Jim
Pastryfish
Erik
The Czech FAK
TFB
Veritas
Sharkchild
Well, you get the picture on the ZS general expectations of a first aid kit. There are more in first aid section. I listed but just a few.


Why do I need Kerlix, or an Emergency Trauma Dressing, What the fuck is all of this crap anyway?
Oh, so you want to know why you are packing this crap? Knowing why/how to use your shit is more important than having it.

Kerlix
Emergency Trauma Dressing/Izzy
Triangular bandage
Sam Splint
Asherman Chest Seal
rehydration Salts
Inflammation and Infection Guide
Wound Care Guide

Here are some videos for those that can't read:
C.A.T.
M.A.T.
Epi-Pen
Twin-Ject
Quick-clot & Quick-clot ACS
Quick-clot ACS+ & Quick-clot 1st Response
E.T.D. (Israeli-bandage)
Oales-bandage

What should I know about first aid?
That is too much to list here in this post, read the first aid section, it's not that big. Search before asking the same questions everyone else has.

I refuse to get formal training, how do I get books so I can learn myself how to do medical things?
Want some reading? Thought you'd never ask.

Combat medic Field Reference It is IMHO the best reference for untrained personell
From BoltAction
Downloadable?
Special Forces Medical Handbook
Yet another army manual, but this is basic first aid, and for the layman
Desk reference.

WARNING: IF YOU ENCOUNTER AN ACTUAL MEDICAL EMERGENCY CONTACT 911 OR YOUR LOCAL EMS!!! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PRACTICE ANYTHING WE HAVE DISCUSSED HERE!!!


CYA blatantly stolen from Wikipedia and modified for the same purpose as above.

This Forum contains articles on many medical topics; however no warranty whatsoever is made that any of the articles are accurate. There is absolutely no assurance that any statement contained in an article touching on medical matters is true, correct or precise. Even if a statement made about medicine is accurate, it may not apply to you or your symptoms.

The medical information provided on these forums is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice of a medical professional (for instance, a qualified doctor/physician, nurse, pharmacist/chemist, and so on). We are NOT not your doctor.

None of the individual contributors, system operators, developers, sponsors of this forum (ZS) nor anyone else connected to this forum (ZS) can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information presented on this web site.

Nothing on these forums or included as part of any project of zombie squad, should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a medical opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of medicine.


I felt the need to start a post to allow some of us who have medical training to link to in our signatures as a reference that we are NOT LIABLE for the information we post. Whether this disclaimer is linked in a signature or not, I would recommend you follow it for all information posted here on these and ANY internet forums!!!

This forum, the people who run it, and the members who post here are NOT responsible for the medical information contained herein. Information posted is for general discussion and informational purposes only. I and everyone else here take NO responsibility for the information and it’s validly. DO NOT attempt to practice and medical techniques mentioned in these forums w/o being trained to do so.

Honestly, I can’t stress this enough. This is an internet forum about the PAW, not a medical advice forum. Any medical advice posted is understood to be hearsay and not direct medical advice from a licensed doctor or ems personnel. Even though some of us are certified as such we do not condone practicing medicine with out training and certifications.

You have been warned, we are NOT liable, we are not condoning you to try these things, we take no responsibility for your actions and the information we post. All information posted is for discussion purposes ONLY and NOTHING MORE!!! Do not try the information and techniques we post here. Do not take what we post as medical advice and/or medical directive!


[u]WARNING: IF YOU ENCOUNTER AN ACTUAL MEDICAL EMERGENCY CONTACT 911 OR YOUR LOCAL EMS!!! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PRACTICE ANYTHING WE HAVE DISCUSSED HERE!!!

[IllicitDreams]

Bravo Doc! Excellent primer for the first aid section.

[Ad'lan]

Awesome, thanks doc.

[Buddha]

I just bookmarked it, just incase it dosen't stick.
GOOD WORK
I have been using Gunny's IFAK as a template for one myself. As with most things I have had to re-think my own IFAK since joining this forum.

[Tetra Grammaton Cleric]

I just bookmarked it, just incase it dosen't stick.
GOOD WORK
I have been using Gunny's IFAK as a template for one myself. As with most things I have had to re-think my own IFAK since joining this forum.

Aye QFT. It's well handy having guys that use FAK's and Trauma kits as a matter of daily life post here.

Thanks to Doc Simon, TacMedic, GanaEMT, Gunny and everybody for sharing.

Thanks to everybody who posts thier IFAK's as well.

It really is educational stuff.
-

[Jamie]

Thanks Doc!

I used a number of the FAKs you linked to in building my own FAK...

This thread is a nice way for anyone to work on their FAK, whether they're just getting started or need to finish/improve their FAK...

nfa

[Erik]

Wow, Doc is using my IFAK as an example of a good IFAK! I'm honored. Of course, I only know what I do know about first aid kits directly because of him.

-Erik

[tehuringa]

Good stuff Doc

[Kitsune]

Holy cow udders doc, you rule.

-Kit
--Fox in training

[The Highwayman]

Way to go Doc!
It's a good thing I just read this, as I was about to go perform a Tracheotomy on my neighbor. Of course, he may be having trouble breathing from me practicing with my duct-tape on his mouth/nose area.

Oh well....


Seriously Doc, good job!

[DrGonzo]

Might as well shut down the First Aid section all together. Every new thread with be answered with "See Sticky."

Good job, Doc!

[Gunny]

Look for Doc Simon's post in an upcoming ZSS Feed article.

[JIM]

Some instruction-videos:

C.A.T.

M.A.T.

Epi-Pen

Twin-Ject

Quick-clot & Quick-clot ACS

Quick-clot ACS+ & Quick-clot 1st Response

E.T.D. (Israeli-bandage)

Oales-bandage

Watching these clips doesn't mean you've had adequate training...get the training..

[Regret]

Thank you for posting this...this is actually the post that brought me to these forums.

I'm taking note of all the suggestions while compiling my FAK and IFAK, and am currently scheduled to take the Red Cross certification courses for CPR and First-Responder/First-Aid during the first week of February. In the coming weeks, I will compile my kits and share them with the group as well.

[Pastryfish]

Awesomeness! My FAK made the list!

*does happy dance*

[Seanwins]

Can someone point me to a thread that provides suggestions on where to buy this stuff. I find the local Safeway to be somewhat limited on supplies.

[JIM]

Another couple of video's:

S.O.F.T.T.

How to pack a wound

Foxtrot litter

A.C.S.

Ambu-bag

Crickit

How to use a B.V.M.

[Shmerlin]

Awsome, and I nominate this for a sticky.

[Gunny]

Awsome, and I nominate this for a sticky.

It already is a sticky

In the next month I'll be overhauling Doc's original thread by adding more material, links and videos.

[Veritas]

How about some links to suppliers? It would be nice to see where everyone is getting there stuff from, that was the hardest part of putting mine together. There was an old thread, but it got derailed by talk of a kerlix group buy.

[Gunny]

How about some links to suppliers? It would be nice to see where everyone is getting there stuff from, that was the hardest part of putting mine together. There was an old thread, but it got derailed by talk of a kerlix group buy.

That's on the agenda.

[JIM]

How about some links to suppliers? It would be nice to see where everyone is getting there stuff from, that was the hardest part of putting mine together. There was an old thread, but it got derailed by talk of a kerlix group buy.

That's on the agenda.

Everyone of Gunny's 'IFAK-essentials'- threads have manufacturer-links at the bottom of them. Those should help you getting started.

[Hooligan]

I have a suggestion maybe when people post their FAK they also should post their level of training. I feel it would help in advising people what they should and should not have in their first aid kit. I think some people see certain things in others pack and think they need to get them when they really are not qualified to use them. NPA, OPA chest needles epi-pins and any IV treatment an untrained person should not have in their FAK. Certain skills unless in an extreme situation are not to be used even if you are trained if you are not on duty for a medical provider.

[posie]

I have a suggestion maybe when people post their FAK they also should post their level of training. I feel it would help in advising people what they should and should not have in their first aid kit. I think some people see certain things in others pack and think they need to get them when they really are not qualified to use them. NPA, OPA chest needles epi-pins and any IV treatment an untrained person should not have in their FAK. Certain skills unless in an extreme situation are not to be used even if you are trained if you are not on duty for a medical provider.

I agree. I was certified as an EMT-II in Alaska, the equivalent of I-85 with the NREMT, and my registration is still current. EMTs in rural AK get to do a lot more than our urban counterparts, depending on our standing orders and what our medical control allows. However, EMTs are only allowed to practice under a medical director's license, and since I'm no longer paid or volunteer I consider myself decommissioned. Anyway, I was pretty surprised to see ET tubes and IV & IO sets in some of the kits (let alone morphine, atropine, naloxone, needle decom kits, and other stuff). In my state you have to have a physician's license to buy those kinds of items, and I thought that was the case all over the US, but apparently some smart folks have persuaded their personal physicians to give them prescriptions, which is great. As numerous people on this board have stated, in a Katrina-like situation, you will probably be able to scare up a paramedic, nurse, or doctor who DOES know how to use your painstakingly assembled badass FAK.

As for me, it's been over a year since I've done an IV, and almost 2 years since I've dropped an endotracheal tube (I've never been trained on a combitube, LMA, or multilumen airway), so I'd be uncomfortable performing one in an emergency situation...unless there was absolutely no other hope AND if we stood a high chance of getting the patient to a hospital before our O2 runs out and before other problems can develop.

There is a lot of stuff that seems deceptively easy to administer. For example, I am trained to administer dextrose 50%/D50 through an IV. A nurse here on ZS said that they were uncomfortable with administering D50 because there is such a high potential for necrotized tissue, and I certainly agree - as a II, I'd never give D50 unless we were en route to an ER, the vein was 100% patent, and my paramedic or medical control told me to do it. Someone might think, "hey, I can give an IV, so therefore I can give an anti-emetic like Phenergan through the IV," until their patient develops a gangrenous limb because the IV was improperly inserted. It is WAY too easy to innocently overstep your bounds in an emergency situation and not realize how much harm could potentially be done. The D50 and Phenergan are only 2 minor examples of how something that seems simple can have disastrous results. In my opinion this temptation to ACT NOW could potentially be very high in someone who has access to equipment that is beyond their scope of practice. In any environment with no easy hospital access, a medical condition can quickly spiral out of control with the wrong interventions. Then again, the entire raison d'etre why people on this board carry medical/first responder kits is so that we can do something to help, rather than sit around helplessly and watch our friends and neighbors suffer and/or die.

Anyway, from the posts I've read, everybody understands that they shouldn't use items unless they're authorized and trained to use them. Sounds good to me. I love looking at pictures of everybody's FAKs. I can't wait to get mine together.