do you even med kit bro?

The issue here is something similar to gun buying. You could very easily spend $1500 on a backpack to deal with all sorts of medical issues. It would have everything from a snake bite kit and bandaids to IV solution and ready made splints. But most of us will not have a use for $1500 worth of medical supplies, or know how to use them without being career medical field. Likewise not many people will have a $1500 AR in the trunk because of the Ferguson riots. It all comes down to what you are trained to deal with and spend money on.

As a volunteer firemen we were all certified red Cross first aid providers.......I need to check my expiration date on my card.

I carry a good commercial first aid kit in my truck that I have added some extras to.

If you are on foot you can do a lot with a good, large bandana, which I carry in my hip pocket every day of my life.

I think your chances of needing fancy medical gear are remote. Your chances of needing normal first aid equipment like bandages and ibuprofen are pretty high. I'd be inclined to get a small first aid kit of the kind typically sold at Walmart or CVS that has a little bit of everything in it that you might need. I'd be inclined to add some stuff to it if you think you need a "trauma" kit.

Chances of needing some of this fancy stuff is pretty slim but not zero and for some people it might make sense to have it available. People who go hunting are more at risk for accidental gunshot wounds then people who are just sitting in their office all day. It's probably not a huge additional risk but it's higher so it might be worth having some additional medical equipment.

Some of the stuff probably should not be acquired unless you also acquire knowledge on how to use it safely.

On the other hand, it's not going to hurt you to have this stuff available if you're smart enough not to use it unless you really need to.

Basic first aid training in college and as a park ranger. Was a CPR instructor. Basic stuff any person with loved ones should know.

But no plans to do more.

Blkhrt13 said:

I don't know man an accidental gsw is a good reason to have training

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It's far more likely you'll need the training for something else.
Getting it specifically in case of a gun shot wound would likely end up being a waste of time.

Blkhrt13 said:

I think we all have a different idea of waiting for Murphy to show up. I'm going to look into another Red Cross course after I finish my welding cert. but I do also intend to get a DARK and take their class too. The red cross cert I took covered everything from burns to. Gsw and cpr.

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Curious. What is DARK?

For me it depends.
If I'm going to a range that I don't know if they have a first aid kit I will have a blow out kit.
Reading a book Im not too worried a controlled explosion going off in my hands and having people around me that i dont know leaves me a little uneasy.
If I'm about and don't want to have much I'll have a SWAT-T tourniquet and gauze to pack. I like that I can use it as a pressure bandage also.

ilbob said:

Curious. What is DARK?

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http://darkangelmedical.com

Though I was not a medic, I was in a Medical Battalion. My 1SG was an RN. We got lots of medical training, focusing on camp disease prevention and gunshot wounds. I carry a medical kit in each of my vehicles, and all my go bags have some basic med stuff in them. I've done civilian First Responder training.

I keep a pretty well stocked first aid kit in all my vehicles just because I'm aware of my own history with pointy things, rocks, fence posts, etc.

herrwalther said:

In general, most clotting agents have a shelf life of about 36 months. Brand and type may vary. Bandages and anything vacuum sealed only need replacing if the package is broken. A yearly refresher is a good basis on first aid and CPR classes.

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Some time ago, I read a report that said there was an alternative to chemical clotters that expire. Oddly enough, they are products with which most women are already familiar - tampons and sanitary napkins.
Both are designed to absorb liquids, are nice and clean (but not sterile) when first opened, and, in the case of a tampon, can actually be inserted into a bullet puncture and act like a cork in a bottle.
They are worth considering.

Blkhrt13 said:

Do you add medical training to your prepping and firearms training? This is part of why I'm trying save up and not buying more guns. Because I need more training both in tactics for shooting and to help learn more of what to do if an accident happens or in any other worst case scenario.


http://darkangelmedical.com/

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I've been through a TCCC course, and I have a combat medical kit with my long gun at work. On my own time I only really carry a tourniquet on a regular basis... it's probably the most bang for your buck in the average tactical medical kit.

JTHunter said:

Some time ago, I read a report that said there was an alternative to chemical clotters that expire. Oddly enough, they are products with which most women are already familiar - tampons and sanitary napkins.
Both are designed to absorb liquids, are nice and clean (but not sterile) when first opened, and, in the case of a tampon, can actually be inserted into a bullet puncture and act like a cork in a bottle.
They are worth considering.

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Tampons are better than nothing. If I really ran out of all sorts of bandages, I am grabbing something from the feminine hygiene aisle. I had heard this before from one of my Army medics. He had a box of large tampons shipped to him as a last ditch "just in case."

Also, every now and then, I see a video for a video called XSTAT on Facebook going through tests and trials. Not sure if it has a shelf life but it works better than Quik-clot. And it should for the $100 price tag.

https://www.sciencealert.com/this-sponge-filled-syringe-can-plug-a-gunshot-wound-in-20-seconds

If you're carrying a firearm for whatever reason, hunting, SD, ranges etc you might as well carry a trauma kit for GSW's. A basic kit could include:

1x TQ
1x Field Dressing
1x Chest seal
1x Tough cut scissors.
Plus Celox if you fancy it.

None of this is hugely expensive and can all pack down very small. I'm not saying you need to carry it everywhere but it's certainly worth keeping one along side an off-the/shelf med kit, in your range bag or vehicle.

I took the Dark Angel class about two years ago. It was STELLAR. Worth every penny. (The kit came with the class.)

Unfortunately, I spend quite a bit of time in places where it is illegal to carry, so having a first aid kit will allow me to be better prepared for at least some situations.

Sigh. The "operator complex" is alive and well in this thread. Yeah, when I was deployed overseas, I carried an IFAK.

During the course of my daily wanderings about my community, or while working, I surely do pack a handgun and spare magazines of some sort ... but no med kit, bro.

If I'm hiking in the Cascades, up Rainier or otherwise out in the boonies on my own or with a select few companions/family members, yep, got a first-aid kit on me, prepared for the worst. But day to day, while I've got massive first aid capabilities in my vehicle, I don't typically carry a med kit. Sorry, bro. If I have to use lethal force, or somehow end up injured or suffering from gunshotitis, 911 is gonna be my first option.

Old Dog said:

Sigh. The "operator complex" is alive and well in this thread. Yeah, when I was deployed overseas, I carried an IFAK.

During the course of my daily wanderings about my community, or while working, I surely do pack a handgun and spare magazines of some sort ... but no med kit, bro.

If I'm hiking in the Cascades, up Rainier or otherwise out in the boonies on my own or with a select few companions/family members, yep, got a first-aid kit on me, prepared for the worst. But day to day, while I've got massive first aid capabilities in my vehicle, I don't typically carry a med kit. Sorry, bro. If I have to use lethal force, or somehow end up injured or suffering from gunshotitis, 911 is gonna be my first option.

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Lol, really? What are you going to do while you're waiting for the ambulance with a gunshot wound to yourself or your friend or family member, stuff it with band aids? The first ten minutes is key to surviving anything like that and if you're not prepared for it then good luck.

Also if you've got 'massive first aid capabilities' in your vehicle, isnt there room for a trauma pack? If you're ex military you'd know how small they are.

If you're around firearms a great deal of time and have a trauma pack in a vehicle or range kit, it's hardly an operator complex, it's common sense.

I have a med kit attached to my range bag, easy enough to pack it once and forget about it. Yes any hemostatic agent has a self life, check it and change it once a year along with your smoke alarm batteries (you do change those right?). I keep an actual IFAK on my range belt, it's sorta like having a first aide kit in the work truck on a construction site, you may never need it, but it doesn't hurt to have it onsite. As far as being out and about in the world daily, I keep a trauma kit in trunk of all of my vehicles, and one in my man purse if I'm carrying it (call it what you will gentleman, it's still a purse). I have used them on several occasions for crashes and auto-pedestrians crashes.

With all that said, that's me. Knowing how to use that gear is far more important, because without knowing what you're doing, having all that gear won't help. I'm lucky in that I'm one of our TCCC and CPR instructors at my agency, so I teach this on a regular basis to stay current. Learning how to use a TQ, a hemostatic agent, handle a penetrating chest wound (with out an invasive procedure like needle decompression), and to do modern hands only CPR, takes about 3-4 hours to get competent. The problem is there aren't a ton of places to learn the material. Assuming however a "non-combat" traumatic injury (collision, workplace accident, etc) even just learning from Youtube on how to use a TQ will cover a large amount or preventable injuries. Hands only CPR (I think they have a youtube video to train it) is about the easiest thing in the world to learn in terms of medical care, and handles a lot of other civilian trauma situations. I'd like to see this sort of training offered for free to any citizen that wants it, as it fosters self reliance and confidence. Knowing that you know HOW to handle a life threatening injury can cut off the panic that is a big problem for most civilians faced with these kinds of injuries (even if all they end up doing is letting the EMT's do the work).

-Jenrick

Everybody needs to know basic trauma care including CPR. First thing taught on courses up here is CYA. If the victim is conscious, you are required(at least up here) to ask if they need/want help.
One thing I've noticed over the years that no First Aid kit has simple Band-Aids. And Medwheeler's kit includes stuff that requires advanced training to use. Different thing for an professional EMT.
That Dark Angel stuff is way over priced. You can build a perfectly good 1st Aid kit in your local drug store for far less money.

Blkhrt13 wrote:
Do you add medical training to your prepping and firearms training?

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Yes, I had to have about 40 hours of emergency training for a job many years ago. Since then, the refresher training has only been about 4 hours per year and focused mainly on CPR/AED use since that's what gets used in an office full of middle-age, overweight, meat-eating males.

I think you can probably get a good emergency medicine/first-responder class from your local Red Cross, YMCA or similar civic organization.

As far as equipment goes, like herrwalther wrote, the things you're most likely to need in a shooting or a bombing are gauze, pressure bandages and tape. I carry a first-aid kit in the car with bandages, antiseptic and first-aid medications for symptomatic relief and minor occurrences and a separate bag with lots of gauze and bandages. I get called upon to use the first-aid kit two or three times a year. I haven't ever had to use the bandage bag; I just keep replenishing it when its contents expire. And it is important - and not cheap - to keep the supplies current.

Blkhrt13 wrote:
I'm more asking if anyone has it on the radar...

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No First-Aid kit on my person.

Like I said previously, a sizable first-aid kit is in the car along with a bandage bag. I have one that has some band-aids, ibuprofen, etc. and a barrier device for CPR that lives in my briefcase and it's rarely more than a few feet away from me.