well Ive searched a 90 mile radius for classes that might teach a passer by about
respiration, pulse, eye dilation, finger nail pinch, skin condition, verbal response , shock etc, and no one around here offers some sort of 45 hour course.

Not to be certified, but just to know what to look for

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
well Ive searched a 90 mile radius for classes that might teach a passer by about
respiration, pulse, eye dilation, finger nail pinch, skin condition, verbal response , shock etc, and no one around here offers some sort of 45 hour course.

Not to be certified, but just to know what to look for

The American Heart Assoc's Heart Saver cpr, aed, first aid is what I take for work. Looks like Cedar Rapids is closest for you.

Though not ideal by any stretch, if you find yourself in an area where there simply aren't resources for training, you can find basic first aid/cpr/aed classes online. Obviously you don't get the practical, but something is better than nothing.

quote:

Originally posted by lude4life:
Any recommendations on a real first aid kit? Most I see seem cheesy and not worth a crap.

Or a good list of things to put together to make your own?

I guess it depends on your level of training though. I surely wouldnt need a full EMS kit...

Tourniquet for arterial bleeding on extremities. Think bomb blasts and the like. CAT is the standard, SWAT-T is the compromise.

Celox Z-Fold Gauze. For packing profusely bleeding wounds. Not so much for gunshot wounds, moreso for gaping wounds caused by car accidents and explosions.

Trauma shears. For getting through clothing so you can get to the wounds. Not everyone is wearing a t-shirt you can tear through with your hands.

CPR Mask and Gloves. To protect yourself from the ickies. Only important if you care about your own safety when rendering aid to others.

8" ABD Pad and Duct Tape. A good foundation on which you can use other stuff to apply pressure on wounds.

Epipen. To open airways in the event of anaphylaxis. Optional because it's expensive, and the people who suffer from anaphylaxis should have one on them.

Aspirin. To increase survivability during heart attacks.

Carried in a sturdy vacuum sealed bag, which can double as a chest seal.

Bonus points for a nasopharyngeal airway tube and a decompression needle if you know how to use them.

These are the things that I would consider including in a trauma kit to react to the things that people die of in the event of a horrible accident, shooting, explosion, etc.

Most things in a consumer "first aid kit" is just wound care and illness management. Bandaids, topical ointments, and OTC meds for aches and pains. In an emergency, your real concern is keeping blood from leaking out, keeping the blood inside moving, making sure that blood is oxygenated, and making sure the lights don't go out upstairs from shock. Everything else can wait.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Aeteocles,

I recommend a multi-day wilderness first aid course as the base of your first aid knowledge. I took mine with the Wilderness Medical Institute through my local REI.

The Red Cross class I took was very, very basic. Much time was spent on recognizing the signs of stroke and heart attack, performing first aid, and putting pressure on wounds. The focus was simply doing what you can until help arrived, but the presumption was always that help was arriving.

Help isn't always going to arrive. At least, not soon enough. An active shooter may keep help from getting to you. You might be in a car accident hours away from help. You might be hiking in the woods days from civilization. Or, in the case of a bombing, there simply might be too many injured for emergency medical to handle.

So I recommend Wilderness First Aid. The training assumes that help isn't coming anytime soon. It covers how to move a victim if necessary. It covers how to pack and care for a wound over a period of hours and days. It covers how to immobilize backs, necks, and broken limbs for transport. These skills, in my opinion, are more useful than "Direct someone to call 911."

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Carried in a sturdy vacuum sealed bag, which can double as a chest seal.

Tape a single edge razor blade to the outside of the bag. They aren't easy to tear, and yeah, you should have a knife but you know how that works.

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:

quote:

Carried in a sturdy vacuum sealed bag, which can double as a chest seal.

Tape a single edge razor blade to the outside of the bag. They aren't easy to tear, and yeah, you should have a knife but you know how that works.

I cut little v shaped notches all around the outside edge of the bag, 3 or 4 to a side. The notches make it easy to tear the bag open.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:

quote:

Carried in a sturdy vacuum sealed bag, which can double as a chest seal.

Tape a single edge razor blade to the outside of the bag. They aren't easy to tear, and yeah, you should have a knife but you know how that works.

I cut little v shaped notches all around the outside edge of the bag, 3 or 4 to a side. The notches make it easy to tear the bag open.

Oh, nice idea!

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Kerry Davis does a good job with his kits, his training classes are also excellent

Their products are outstanding. He is the instructor (among others) at Sig Academy for the Bullets and Bandages

He also donated time during the recent Aiming for Zero match we held at the academy last month along with giving away a lot of his kits to the participants to raise more funds for the organization.

I work for a major home improvement store in the Midwest. When I was hired, they made a point of stating you do "NOT" assist any customer who has been injured. You contact the general mgr, who will asses the situation, and calls 911 if needed. This is per the "Policy and Procedures" of the company. If you do help the injured customer, that is grounds for termination.