First Aid Kit for Remote Work

[Bystander]

Good Morning to All! Thanks to tips at the Chainsaw forum, I've worked out how to carry equipment for trail maintenance work. Safety is a concern. There will be multiple people in the group. These are tight and steep trails, so we'll be on foot. The woods are heavy and we don't have a budget, so helicopters aren't in the mix. Sorry to ramble...here's my question:

What would you put in a compact first aid kit if the nearest road was 2 miles away? I figure that a cell phone is #1, but could use some advice from folks with experience.

Thanks in Advance, Dave

 

[kf_tree]

check out www.rei.com or www.mgear.com they have nice first aid kits for outdoor backpackers. they come in a nice nylon pouch. just pick one with all the basics. you might want to add a sam splint and duct tape. also add some meds for pain/ bee stings etc. depending on temps possibly a space blanket.
but most importantly know how to use whats in the kit. look in your area for a basic first aid class. even if the class costs a few bucks. what you learn may save a life.

ALWAYS carry rubber gloves in your kit. becareful around blood and body fluids. if your trained in cpr carry a pocket mask.

if all goes well you'll never need to open the kit. but when an item is used, make sure you replace it. don't carry a kit missing half the stuff.

 

[mbopp]

My kit for trail work includes: assorted band-aids, moleskin, Bactine (antiseptic - anesthetic), Ace bandage, aspirin, Benadryl, a few large compress bandages, and medical tape. A Zip-loc bag can be used as an irrigation squirter if you cut a corner off and load it with water from your water bottles. Add bug repellent if needed.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

One quick thing that can be dont is a have individualy wrapped female pads and ace bandages in each saw operators helmet suspention. This works good for a feild expeidiant compression bandage. Especial if working on steep slopes. It is right there and you don't have to run 1/4 mile up slope to get to the truck.

One rule of military first aid is always use the injured mans gear, not yours.

A card with location along with a radio/cell phone. Grease pencil on a laminated card works fine. topo grid coordinates would help. Do a comunications check to ensure it works when you arrive on site. Train for responce, everyone should know how to call for help.

A big eye wash bottle.

Chemical cold compresses.

get a back/fanny pack style case so you can use 2 hands when moving on slopes.

Anyone have bee sensativity? Ticks a big problem where you are? How large a crew will it be, would having a collapsable board or gurney to retrieve a disabled member be feasable?

What type of responce units does your area have, vollenteer EMT? Is it likely that you will be out htere an hour before responce arrives? That is probably the biggest factor that determines how much stuff you should bring.

 

[Newfie]

A pocket size first aid manual might come in handy if things get hairy and help is slow to arrive. As a minimum the crew ought to be familar with some of the basic techniques to deal with something like a chainsaw injury. JPS brings up excellent points about commo and knowing your location so that you can tell help where you are. Another thing I would recommend is having the vehicle if any, situated so that it ready to leave without any complicated maneuvering or turning around.

How about a red smoke grenade?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Actualy, with helecopter ambulances so prevelent these days a smoke makrer is not so far fetched, especialy with a large crew. Risk oc accidents seems to be exponetialy related to crew size, not linear.

I would use green smoke though

 

[Kevin]

JP`s (new) female pads and a roll of tape.

 

[DDM]

Nah I wont go there John,

Add Some Q-tips for Cleaning Debri from Eyes though

 

[Kevin]

I was going to say new in the box but I know you guys better than to say something like that on here.

 

[Bystander]

GPS?

Great ideas for the kit and procedures. Do you think the helicopter people would know what to do with coordinates from a GPS?

 

[DDM]

Ummm Bystander Yeh Medvac Is Familiar with GPS

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Nice off the beaten path, highly effective hints JP! Got the latest batch of shirts; they are sharper than i thought! Thanx!

The individually wrapped, sanitary, napkin thing is old logger's trick, they also carried a mirror for signalling, or placing sanitary pad directly on a throat gusher if alone; also for trying to see something in your own eye; which is pretty tough!

i was thinking other canidates might be: the smallest size Tecnu-Wash; knife, lighter, candle, watch, spare cell fone battery, flashlight (spare batteries), snakebite kit and 'respirator cup' for similar reasons as rubber gloves. All depending on the situation, space, perhaps some assumed in other areas, but perhaps all worthy of mention hear.

Tags and pencils/markers are also good for marking tourniquet locations and times on forehead of victim; though some say not to tourniquet anymore.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

There are a lot of great suggestions here.

Everyone should have a small kit on their person at all times. You can supplement this with a larger crash pack for group gear. Have all of the supplies stored in zip lock bags. FA kits should be red and you could use white tape to make a cross.

Another source of information would be your local EMT team. Talk with the ambulance people not the firefighters. Not meaning to besmirch any firefighters, its just that the ambulance folks are specially trained in their skills and will have better suggestions.

There are many good wilderness FA books on the market. Get to a bookstore and bone up on what they recommend.

Tom

 

[Nickrosis]

I would be interested in taking a Advanced Wilderness First Aid course. I've taken CPR and First Aid (not current in either, ), but wilderness classes are far more in-depth and teach techniques that can't be covered in a 2 day first aid class.

Ski patrol members (any reading this?) have to take 80 hours of training to serve as members, at least at the place near me. The next time this class is available, I believe it is worth taking because the ski club pays for the cost if I'm willing to work for 12 nights (no problem).

Has anyone taken the class, and could they shed some light on this? Also, has anyone taken classes that get into minor surgery, etc? These are for wilderness guides, mountain climbers, and other professionals, apparently.

Great thread.

Nickrosis

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Several years ago I took a Wilderness First Responder class. This was in lieu of recertifying my Advanced First Aid. The WFR covered everything that the AFA covered plus more skills about dealing with patient care and transport. The WFR class is geared to being used where you're outside the EMS coverage area and you might need to treat some injuries. I would really recommend the WFR or the AFA if you can't find the WFR class.

When I took the AFA class I paid for one of my crew to attend. On the first night of the class we filled out a questionaire. One of the questions asked where we expected to use the knowledge and skills from the class. Greg wrote that he planned on never using the skills. But, if the occasion ever arose, he hoped to have the skills available. The instructor used that as a tee-up the next week about the value of having the knowledge. The guy who taught the class and I became good friends. We lead several group trips into the BWCAW and Yellowstone together. Tomorrow I'm going over to their new house to look at a backyard full of buckthorn [spit...] that is destined to be rearranged by my brush chipper.

Tom

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Hey Tom, I got a brush saw, lets have a party. Everyone else can drag.