What is in your First Aid kit?

[Mex-Busnut]

Dear Friends,

1. What do you think is essential for you to have in your First Aid kit?

2. Do you consider supplies for your own travelers only, or for others you may encounter in need on the highway?

3. Have you ever actually had to use your First Aid kit in an emergency situation? If so, was it really useful?

4. Do you have a schedule -- say every 90 days -- to check the supplies and expiration dates of everything in your First Aid kit?

[HB of CJ]

1) Just about everything including some 2nd aid stuff.

2) Both....within reason

3)  Yes, several times....including myself. (embarrassing)

4)  Yes...expecially the many Rx which get cycled every 30 days.

HB of CJ (old coot) (ex FF, PM, RN...now retarded...er retired?)

[Dave Siegel]

Dear Friends,

1. What do you think is essential for you to have in your First Aid kit?

2. Do you consider supplies for your own travelers only, or for others you may encounter in need on the highway?

3. Have you ever actually had to use your First Aid kit in an emergency situation? If so, was it really useful?

4. Do you have a schedule -- say every 90 days -- to check the supplies and expiration dates of everything in your First Aid kit?

#1: We have two First Aid Kits. One with just about every bandage you could imagine and creams for every type of wound. The second kit is  devoted to bites and allergies of all kinds. (Alcohol to After bite, Zertex and Clairtin etc.)
#2: I have enough supplies in there for a small pandemic, so I guess we have considered others as well as our needs.
#3: Yes, we have found several emergencies along the way, and it was very helpful.
#4: I periodically check the expiration dates, especially on the prescription stuff.

Hope this helps, My wife jan works for the Health Dept. and she encourages a complete set-up for just about anything.

[robertglines1]

My kit is in the bath/med cabinet in the coach that is equipped with everything we have at home. Bandages-med etc.  We have a small one in Toad that has pressure bandages and bandades etc that we purchased at CVS. Nice thing about a bus you have room to carry a little of everything specific to your needs and general 1-st aid for guest.  The best thing you can carry is the first aide knowledge in your head--or a book with guidelines.

[Dave Siegel]

Your right Bob, it is nice to have a complete medical laboratory on board but if you don't have the knowledge of how to use the supplies correctly, then ? In addition to a book, there are several very good apps for your smart phones that will guide you through any emergency.

Dave

P.S. Personally, both Jan and I are CPR certified as well. And we keep that certification up to date.

[demodriver]

My personall first aid kit consist of the blue shop rags and electrical tape.

My wife keeps all kinds of stuff that I have no idea what it would ever be used for in the kit for the kids and herself.

Most of the basic first aid stuff wont last very long with me. (like the bandaids) They just fall off.

[wal1809]

Let's see, first aid kit.

1) Ice
2) Whiskey
3) Aspirin

Yeah well that just about covers it.

[luvrbus]

You are right there with some of my friends Wayne they carry JD # 7 and a bottle of peroxide,all we ever had was peroxide and a few band aids then I used the peroxide for the fresh water tank most of the time

good luck   

[bevans6]

I just put the one in my truck in the bus.  It's the current Mercedes one that you get when you buy a Mercedes   

I never check it, there is nothing that expires in it.  It's whoever is bleeding the worst.

Brian

[trucktramp]

Let's see, first aid kit.

1) Ice
2) Whiskey
3) Aspirin

Yeah well that just about covers it.

You forgot the pistol cuz if the first 3 don't work you're gonna need the pistol.

I've got one that's loaded with dressings of all types...4x4's, sponges, Kerlex, Alcohol preps, betadyne, chloroprep pads, bandaids, Forceps, tweezers tournequet, b/p cuff, probably IV sets too, and I'm sure there's stuff I've missed.  I guess being a RN helps.  BLS and ACLS certified too.  Not only can I beat on your chest when your heart stops, I can shock it too.

[Boomer]

I carry a pretty comprehensive kit including a snake bite/sting kit.  Also don't forget the latex gloves.  I also carry flares and an orange safety vest. No hard hat though, LOL.

[CrabbyMilton]

You guys stole my thunder. While we run the risk of making light of being prepared for a medical or some sort of boo boo, nothing wrong with having fun with it. JACK DANIELS No. & would be a staple for a kit.
It beats most pain killers and tastes better at that. You can upgrade to the SINGLE BARREL too.

[Tevo]

Dear Friends,

1. What do you think is essential for you to have in your First Aid kit?

2. Do you consider supplies for your own travelers only, or for others you may encounter in need on the highway?

3. Have you ever actually had to use your First Aid kit in an emergency situation? If so, was it really useful?

4. Do you have a schedule -- say every 90 days -- to check the supplies and expiration dates of everything in your First Aid kit?

You've hit a topic that is near and dear to my heart, as I'm currently starting up a company aimed at first aid training and supplies for motorcyclists. What I've found with off the shelf first aid kits is they're designed primarily to separate you from your money, giving you a pretty container full of overpriced bandaids, with few supplies for actual emergencies. Hence I've designed my own kits, one for my motorcycle which is fairly comprehensive, and in our bus and cars we carry extensive trauma kits. As some background, my wife is a nurse practitioner and I'm certified as an EMT and Wilderness EMT. But to answer your questions as to our bus kit:

1. Essentials:
Personal Protective Equipment (gloves, eye protection, CPR barriers, etc)
Massive Trauma Items (tourniquets, kerlix, pressure bandages, etc)
Burn Items (Burn dressings, gels, etc)
Orthopedic Injury Items (SAM splints, C-collars, triangle bandages, ACE bandages, etc)
Airway Items: (Bag valve mask, oral and nasal airways, Combitube, Crich kit, intubation sets, etc)
Diagnostic Items: BP cuff, stethoscope, glucose tester, pen light, etc)
"Ouch Pouch": basic bandaids and small wound stuff)
Fluids: IV sets and bags of saline
Meds: Rx and OTC meds for everything you can imagine needing

Our kits have lots of other stuff, but most is pretty well outside the norm and is there mainly for use by my wife, but I think the overall categories of things I consider essential are pretty universal. The actual size of our bag is stupid big, and probably a bit too large, but better safe than sorry.

2. I consider the supplies for anyone who needs aid.

3. Yes. Very useful.

4. No schedule. For OTC meds I have a "module" from a supplier in which all the meds expire at about the same time, so I can just replace the packet of meds all at once. Rx meds are sort of a check every now and then thing.

[luvrbus]

Tevo you have everything but the helicopter 

good luck

[belfert]

One thing to consider is using female menstrual pads for absorbing blood from heavy bleeding.  It sounds funny and embarrassing, but they really do work.  We had them in the Boy Scout troop first aid kit when I was a Scout.  I'm sure there are medical products to do the same thing at a higher cost.

Right now I just carry two pretty basic first aid kits in the bus.  I should probably do better, but I'm not a medical professional either.  I'll provide help to anyone who needs it.  Based on experience in my Scout troop those inflatable splints do dry out and rot over time.