If your emergency 1st aid kit dumped and you only had a chance to grab one thing out of it, what would that be?
Probably tourniquet, I can using articles of clothing for bleeding and wound packing. A plastic shopping bag can be used as a occlusive dressing with some tap go sucking chest wounds.
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CAT tourniquet
Nitrile gloves. As an EMT the #1 first move in all emergency care is personal safety. Such a simple measure that gets over looked. I own my variety of cat & rat tourniquets but as edc civilian use its highly unlikely to need it, and more likely to come into contact with something or someone we wish we didn’t. It’s likely anyone in this community will have a belt that their holster sits on and laces they tie their shoes with, both items that can be used as a TQ. Are they the best? No, but they will work in that unlikely scenario. I keep a bandana in my back pocket daily, also an alternative for a makeshift TQ. My partner at work is a big guy and can make a size M fit, I am more on the smaller frame and size M work for me as well. It’s a generic size for most, takes no space at all. I keep a pair in my useless coin pocket, I have even forgot about them in the laundry and they come out fine. Just make sure if you do carry a pair daily they are a quality pair. Last thing you want is to pull them on in a rush and rip your gloves. Sh*t might not be hitting the fans but it just may end up on your hands now…
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I think @Dakota is the big winner! Gloves should be the first thing on and the last thing off whenever first aid is involved, unless it is self administered, although, it is still a pretty good idea. I have gloves in every first aid kit is have and they are first on, even to put a bandaid on a kid. There is no question they are needed but i just didn;t think of them as the equipment that they are!
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I think @Dakota wins. very few people I would touch without gloves, myself, my wife, and my mom.
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Good call, @Dakota!
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I work as a fire investigator and we have a first aid kit in the vehicle, but I do not carry one on me or in my personal vehicle. Maybe I need to start. Gloves would be the first thing needed though.
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What is your favorite go to brand for durability, strength, etc.? There are many choices on amazon and also at the local medical supply store.
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Uncoated, regular strength (325mg) aspirin for chest pain (heart attack)
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