First aid

[bluebell]

Hi guys,

 

Ok I think this thread has just about run its course, its seems many more people are falling on the side of now carrying a more relevant first aid kit. I think this is great and can only be a good thing, and for those of you that dont feel it is relevant, I hope (god forbid) that if anything every happens to you then there is someone else a little more prepared near by.

 

I think we should take this thread in two directions now:

Anecdotes and actual first hand stories of first aid (at all levels, there is no bad knowledge) what worked..what didnt..what you wished you had with you...and how prepared did you feel. I suggest we keep all of this in the current thread.

First aid training, knowledge of use of the tools, Tourniquet, Catheter, H bandage, Hemostatic agent etc and I will start another thread regarding this where we can discuss use and training in this area.

 

DTA Europe

 

The one thing that no one has mentioned yet is the survival bag/foil blanket. I have them dotted all over as they are generally strong and handy to have and if someone is injured and starting to go in to shock very good to keep them warm.

[Deserttech Europe]

Excellent point Bluebell,

 

Shock is indeed a killer and in our context of needing to perform this type of trauma care due to serious injury and being in a remote location is almost certainly a factor in the scenario.

 

I keep such a blanket in my bergen (suprised at that Brown Dog???) and would recommend others to do like wise. They are light in weight and useful for many purposes.

 

DTA Europe

 

The one thing that no one has mentioned yet is the survival bag/foil blanket. I have them dotted all over as they are generally strong and handy to have and if someone is injured and starting to go in to shock very good to keep them warm.

[Barrelsniffer]

Excellent point Bluebell,

 

Shock is indeed a killer and in our context of needing to perform this type of trauma care due to serious injury and being in a remote location is almost certainly a factor in the scenario.

 

I keep such a blanket in my bergen (suprised at that Brown Dog???) and would recommend others to do like wise. They are light in weight and useful for many purposes.

 

DTA Europe

 

 

I did mention survival blanket in one of my posts.. ..shock works in mysterious ways..believe me ..

 

Mick

[brown dog]

I keep such a blanket in my bergen (suprised at that Brown Dog???)

 

Nope. Spotted it in between the camp bed and the inflatable mattress

[eldon]

As a side note to the above comments about survival blankets and I'm not knocking them;

 

I once slept out in one in November in Scotland on my stalking permission ( so I could have a lie in, oh yer, and still be on site...lol )just to get a feel for how effective they are. They may save your life but they are not the lap of luxury and it was bloody freezing.

 

I like to have confidence in my gear and the only way sometimes is field testing after all there is no point in carrying something round with false confidence.

[baldie]

Was talking about quickclot etc to a friend who is on leave at the mo. He said they use it but very carefully indeed due to burning. Apparently any moisture on the surrounding skin will cause the burn when the stuff is applied.

He was also on about a different clotting aid, which is pushed down into the wound , especially on arteries, and seals up internally ?

 

Used foil blankets many times on rescued terriers that have been dug out , when at fox for days, due to cave ins etc. They have saved many little dogs lives for us. I remember one bad dig in Edale , peak district. The tyke was wrapped up in a foil blanket, and the fastest man raced down the fell to the nearest farm. Into the warm Aga oven went the tyke, and emerged a lot better after a couple of hours.

That was a good day...she was a very valuable animal.

Anything is better than nothing. I always carried some hot packs, the ones you squeeze to activate, and they stay warm for hours. Shock is a real killer in animals, and men.

[brown dog]

Dave,

 

The 'pack the wound' stuff is Celox gauze.

 

All,

 

As Eldon discovered; foil blankets are actually chuff all use if you're already cold - think about it; they don't insulate, they just reflect.

 

Soooo, if you're not radiating heat; there's nothing for it to reflect.

Soooo, if you're already cold, all it is is a shiny windbreak.

 

Here's the heat - if you want to re-warm someone you need a heat source too - they're the size of an A4 sheet. I have one jammed down the backpad area of every rucksack I own; always there, but completey unnoticed:

 

http://www.heatmax.com/HotHands/survivalheatpack.htm

 

 

And throw your foil blankets away. Get these - they combine foil blanket with a degree of insulation for little more weight:

 

http://www.blizzardsurvival.com/product.php/105/blizzard-survival-blanket

 

They're so good, people even use them as sleeping bags in ultra-lightweight mountain marathons.

[DL.]

Was talking about quickclot etc to a friend who is on leave at the mo. He said they use it but very carefully indeed due to burning. Apparently any moisture on the surrounding skin will cause the burn when the stuff is applied.

 

 

Quickclot is out of favour at the moment, it is going to be very problematic to use in windy conditions, and it is usually windy where I go shooting! Quick clot is lava based, whereas Hemcon is shell fish based, Hemcons' the preferred option out of the two.

 

This clip has been doing the rounds for a number of years, excuse me if it's been posted before.

 

[Barrelsniffer]

Yep cant be very nice if blown into the eyes..they now do them in what looks like a tea bag application..lot better and easier to use.

 

Mick