What do you consider essential?

i always carry my TCCC bag with me (canadian forces combat trauma course, stands for Tactical Combat Casualty Care) with 3 extra C.A.T tourniquets. the likelihood of someone taking a round in a vital area such as the femoral artery or carotid artery is pretty low but it happened overseas and it was caused more often than not by blue on blue incidents. the range i shoot at is about 25 minutes to get to the nearest hospital and it only takes 2 minutes to bleed out from a severed femoral. so my theory is if someone does get shot on a range, is unprepared for the resulting injury, and dies. well my friend you can always find sympathy in the dictionary some where between sh*t and syphilis. because if you cant be prepared yourself then you should always go with someone who is

i also always bring a good pair of boots and a chest rig of some sort to carry all my ammo and other sundrys
 
TDC said:
You don't need to be EMS to use a trauma kit, but yes I have been instructed in the use of the contents in my kit. If you feel being EMS/EMT/Paramedic qualified is essential, why did you waste your time on a first aid course for yourself and the family?

TDC

ETA: The kit itself may or may not be used by yourself or on yourself. Remember that.
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Well what's in a trauma kit that's not in a first aid kit? Most kits I know of come with sterile gauze, rubber gloves (in case of latex allergy), adhesive bandages, antibiotics, basic meds like aspirin, bandages, medical tape, EMT scissors, and probably a ton of other things I don't even remember anymore. And we were seriously considering adding a hemostatic agent to the box (rejected but that was years ago).

MAYBE a way to manage the airway but I'm not particularly familiar at using a trach, or OPA/NPA.

Pneumothorax treatment I've barely got any idea about. I could maybe seal the wound but I'd have a helluva a time trying to locate trapped air.

And I'm not even gonna go near a blood volume expander. Unless you happen to volunteer letting me stick needles in you.
 
Magazines. I can't believe that this went 5 pages and nobody mentioned those. Because sometimes the guns get to the range and the mags don't.
 
TDC said:
Wow, I see a bunch of ill prepared firearms owners here. How about a trauma/blow out kit for treating gunshot wounds or other serious trauma. Having a sandwich/donut/wife/kids/cleaning kit/flashlight/targets/timer or chew with you when someone is bleeding out will be of little use.

TDC
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They will go into shock on eventually loose conciousness, regardless of your bandaging skills.

You need oxygyen with all the airways and non-rebreather/bag valve masks to actually help soemone who was recently shot.


You have a point though, I've got to get my hands on some field dressings because they can't hurt. But bandages are only half the battle, if that.
 
Well... Besides my gun, ammo, paperwork, cleaning stuff, PPE (eyes, ears, first aid kit (Capable of dealing with anything from a cut/scrape to burns to snake bites to gsw's... And yes I have the training to use everything in the kit), etc)... I like to have the following:
  1. Flashlight
  2. Leatherman
  3. Condoms


Ok... So for the first two, the reasons for wanting them are obvious...
.
The third item people generally are curious about & besides the obvious use of a condom they can also be used in the following ways:
  • To cover the muzzle when its raining or snowing. Many ranges I go to do not have covered positions, or do have covered positions, but the gun racks for the shooters are uncovered... Because of this, keeping rain and snow out of the muzzle is an issue.
  • I can use them to control bleeding & to hold a dressing in place.
  • They can be used for targets (they're hard to shoot in the wind by the way).
  • They make great storage containers for small stuff you dont want to loose & want to keep dry. If it's raining really hard, I'll normally put my cellphone & keys in a condom and tie off the end for the day. Rain or shine, I'm still going shooting.
 
Haagen_Dazs said:
They will go into shock on eventually loose conciousness, regardless of your bandaging skills.

You need oxygyen with all the airways and non-rebreather/bag valve masks to actually help soemone who was recently shot.


You have a point though, I've got to get my hands on some field dressings because they can't hurt. But bandages are only half the battle, if that.
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How many GSWs have you treated in the field? In my experience the ones that lived all stayed awake. With rapid application of a tourniquet to a wounded extremity you can keep someone alive that would otherwise have bled out in minutes. I've applied tourniquets and dressings to dozens of traumatic amputations and penetrating wounds to limbs and the majority of the guys have lived. None of those guys got oxygen on the way to the aid station either, they were just thrown in the back of a Ranger or the rack on a ATV.

A basic trauma kit and more importantly the training to use it are a must have at any range. You should also let your shooting buddies know where the kit is in case of emergency.
 
Big_Red said:
How many GSWs have you treated in the field? In my experience the ones that lived all stayed awake. With rapid application of a tourniquet to a wounded extremity you can keep someone alive that would otherwise have bled out in minutes. I've applied tourniquets and dressings to dozens of traumatic amputations and penetrating wounds to limbs and the majority of the guys have lived. None of those guys got oxygen on the way to the aid station either, they were just thrown in the back of a Ranger or the rack on a ATV.

A basic trauma kit and more importantly the training to use it are a must have at any range. You should also let your shooting buddies know where the kit is in case of emergency.
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This is great advice. I'd love to take some trauma and rescue training, not just for incidents when hunting or shooting, but for any disaster. I find my first aid training to be woefully inadequate to deal with anything more than a twisted ankle. I'd like to be able to help in the event I come across a car accident, or natural disaster strikes. Many places we travel in Canada are a distance away from EMT and these types of skills could save a life.

Where might a civvie get some training beyond SJA?
 
OFA Lv 2 is pretty good for most stuff. (Lv 3 is overkill unless you have the equipment and need to package and move someone for transport to the hospital yourself).

I haven't taken Wilderness FA, but I hear it is pretty good for situations where you might have to improvise.

If you are in BC I advise people against going to St-Johns, for a couple of different reasons.

Google the following for FA training in BC:
ER Plus
Traumatech
Valley First aid

Everyone needs to know how to put on a tourniquet, IMHO.
 
Big_Red said:
How many GSWs have you treated in the field? In my experience the ones that lived all stayed awake. With rapid application of a tourniquet to a wounded extremity you can keep someone alive that would otherwise have bled out in minutes. I've applied tourniquets and dressings to dozens of traumatic amputations and penetrating wounds to limbs and the majority of the guys have lived. None of those guys got oxygen on the way to the aid station either, they were just thrown in the back of a Ranger or the rack on a ATV.

A basic trauma kit and more importantly the training to use it are a must have at any range. You should also let your shooting buddies know where the kit is in case of emergency.
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Thank you Big Red. This is exactly what I was referring to. A simple trauma/blow out kit containing the basics. Tourniquet, pressure dressing, gauze, and a hemostatic agent for good measure. Some kits contain an NPA for an obstructed airway as well as a decomp needle for treating TP. As Big Red posted, get the basic kit and the training to use it.

Starscream said:
Well what's in a trauma kit that's not in a first aid kit? Most kits I know of come with sterile gauze, rubber gloves (in case of latex allergy), adhesive bandages, antibiotics, basic meds like aspirin, bandages, medical tape, EMT scissors, and probably a ton of other things I don't even remember anymore. And we were seriously considering adding a hemostatic agent to the box (rejected but that was years ago).

MAYBE a way to manage the airway but I'm not particularly familiar at using a trach, or OPA/NPA.

Pneumothorax treatment I've barely got any idea about. I could maybe seal the wound but I'd have a helluva a time trying to locate trapped air.

And I'm not even gonna go near a blood volume expander. Unless you happen to volunteer letting me stick needles in you.
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The majority of crap in a first aid kit is for treating inconvenience injuries not life threatening injuries. I'm not saying don't bring/have one with you I'm just saying it won't be the hero of the day should someone lose a digit/limb or get shot. Pressure bandages and tourniquets are what's needed.

TDC
 
Big_Red said:
Many colleges offer evening EMR courses for people with jobs. If you have the time off it takes 2 weeks straight.

In the US there are also some great short courses like Wilderness EMT.
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Yeah... There are also "Tactical Medicine" courses and "Emergency Range Something" (I forget what the second one is called exactly)... But, the point is... Those classes are all fairly inexpensive (at least here in the states) and come in at < $200 or < $100 depending on if you want on of their FAK's.
 
Big_Red said:
How many GSWs have you treated in the field? In my experience the ones that lived all stayed awake. With rapid application of a tourniquet to a wounded extremity you can keep someone alive that would otherwise have bled out in minutes. I've applied tourniquets and dressings to dozens of traumatic amputations and penetrating wounds to limbs and the majority of the guys have lived. None of those guys got oxygen on the way to the aid station either, they were just thrown in the back of a Ranger or the rack on a ATV.

A basic trauma kit and more importantly the training to use it are a must have at any range. You should also let your shooting buddies know where the kit is in case of emergency.
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Thankfully I've never had to deal with a gunshot wound but I have been in situations where there was nothing I could do to combat shock where something as simple as a broken tib/fib turned into a nightmare over 30 minutes.

And yeah tourniquets are very useful at combating bleeding but at the high price of the persons limb. I may be wrong on this one but I don't have any training with tourniquets which means I can't legally give them and neither can any other unqualified Canadian.

I'm AMFR qualified with the SJA (4 day, 2 evening course) and if I had to treat a gunshot wound today I'd have feild dressings, oxygen and maybe an AED. Anything other than that would be beyond my qualification and not considered legal F/A.
 
TDC said:
The majority of crap in a first aid kit is for treating inconvenience injuries not life threatening injuries. I'm not saying don't bring/have one with you I'm just saying it won't be the hero of the day should someone lose a digit/limb or get shot. Pressure bandages and tourniquets are what's needed.

TDC
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And I'm saying what weird first aid kid already DOESN'T have bandages already included? Every first aid kit I've ever seen had them included...
 
I always bring a knife. It's probably the most essential tool anyone could have. Otherwise I have the usual stuff such as a cellphone on me, and occasionally I bring a surefire E1L outdoorsman flashlight (fits handily in my Ontario Rat-5 sheath).

Don't need any tools to fieldstrip my firearms (rem 870 & ak 47 is all I have at the moment), so no need to bring any tools besides a knife.
 
Haagen_Dazs said:
Thankfully I've never had to deal with a gunshot wound but I have been in situations where there was nothing I could do to combat shock where something as simple as a broken tib/fib turned into a nightmare over 30 minutes.

And yeah tourniquets are very useful at combating bleeding but at the high price of the persons limb. I may be wrong on this one but I don't have any training with tourniquets which means I can't legally give them and neither can any other unqualified Canadian.

I'm AMFR qualified with the SJA (4 day, 2 evening course) and if I had to treat a gunshot wound today I'd have feild dressings, oxygen and maybe an AED. Anything other than that would be beyond my qualification and not considered legal F/A.
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If you're willing to let someone bleed out because you're not "permitted" to use a tourniquet than your priorities are wrong. The use of a tourniquet does not automatically translate into a lost limb. The wearing of a tourniquet can be done for several hours with no ill effects. If you used one at the range I'm betting it would be no more than 30 minutes before the patient was in hospital, maybe an hour. Regardless, the option isn't an option. Lose a limb or die..

Starscream said:
And I'm saying what weird first aid kid already DOESN'T have bandages already included? Every first aid kit I've ever seen had them included...
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Do first aid kits have Israeli bandages or an Oales dressing? If your kit does its a fantastic kit. I have yet to see a basic/standard first aid kit contain a tourniquet.

kthomas said:
I always bring a knife. It's probably the most essential tool anyone could have. Otherwise I have the usual stuff such as a cellphone on me, and occasionally I bring a surefire E1L outdoorsman flashlight (fits handily in my Ontario Rat-5 sheath).

Don't need any tools to fieldstrip my firearms (rem 870 & ak 47 is all I have at the moment), so no need to bring any tools besides a knife.
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A knife should be something you carry all the time anyway.;)

TDC
 
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