Pt 2 – Creating a First Aid Kit Suited to YOU and YOUR Needs

By Ray Gano

In Part 1 I talk about a customized first aid kit for you and your family I introduced the different levels or foundations.

REVIEW – Foundation #1 – Custom Car First Aid Kit

First foundation was a customized car first aid kit.

What I took was an off the shelf Coleman First Aid Kit and used that as my basic foundation for my customized car kit.

From that I added the following items…

• Trauma Shears
• Israeli Compression Bandage
• Military Issue Combat Application Tourniquet
• Quick Clot Blood Clotting Agent
• Super Glue Single Packs
• Gorilla Tape To-Go
• Hand Sanitizer Gel
• Microfiber Travel Towel

If this is to much to think about, I highly recommend a all in one pack called – Trauma Pak with QuikClot

In your car kit I am also recommending that you put a few ounces of silver / American Eagle silver dollars in my kits. Why? You never know when you will be in a situation where you need to have some quick money.

Situation #2 – You need a fast hotel room to apply medical treatment. Again whipping out some silver may be the thing to gain you access.

The good thing is that this is money that is difficult to spend quickly.  But in an emergency situation, people have offered services when you surprise them with some silver.

As always, I recommend getting your silver from Steve Quayle’s Renaissance Precious Metals. He makes it easy to purchase a few ounces just for a situation like this.

Renaissance Precious Metals – http://www.sqmetals.com

Recommended Custom Basic Car First Aid Kit

Coleman First Aid Kit – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Coleman-First-Aid-Kit

Trauma Shears – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Trauma-Scissors

Israeli Compression Bandage – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Israeli-Compression-Bandage

Military Issue Combat Application Tourniquet – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Tourniquet

Quick Clot Blood Clotting Agent – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Quick-Clot

Super Glue Single Packs – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Super-Glue-Single-Packs

Gorilla Tape To-Go – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Gorilla-Tape-To-Go

Hand Sanitizer Gel – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Small-Hand-Sanitizer-Gel

Microfiber Travel Towel – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Microfiber-Travel-Towel

REVIEW – Foundation #2 – Custom Urban Home First Aid Kit

The first level / foundation is our car kit, and our second level / foundation is our urban First aid kit.

By foundations or levels what you have in your Urban Home First Aid Kit will also have the same items that your Customized Car First Aid Kit.

Most important is a good means to keep your kit in a good secure bag / backpack of some sorts.

You need something simple to keep your first aid gear organized. Organization is critical so that you can find stuff in a hurry.

After doing a lot of research, I have found the “3V Gear Velox II Large Tactical Backpack”

I like this for several reasons…

It flips completely open exposing the main compartment. This is important so that when you arrive on the scene you can quickly unzip it and get to the items you need quickly.

It is rugged, tough and with the MOLLE set up you can add more bags, canteen, ect to the outside. It also has Velcro strapping on some of the pockets so that you can Velcro things to the outside like labels, patches, etc. These sort of labels can also assist you in finding things you need quickly.

It isn’t small, but it isn’t huge either. You want a first aid pack that you can quickly pick up with one hand and sling it on your back if you have to. The straps on this also are very rugged and positioned well so they do not rub. You can carry this for some time on your back and not be hampered by the straps cutting into your neck like a standard school backpack does.

It also comes in different colors. So if you are not the OD Green type, there are other colors to choose from.

3V Gear Velox II – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-MOLLE-Tactical-Backpack

According to the Center for Disease Control, around 213,000 people are treated in emergency rooms each year for injuries that result from outdoor recreation.

The most common injuries (27.4 percent of them), are fractures, followed by muscle strain and sprains (23.9 percent), bruises and abrasions (15.9 percent), lacerations (14.81 percent) and dislocations (3.81 percent).

The CDC also lists concussions, burns, crushing, dental injuries, skin inflammation and poisoning as other common injuries experienced in the outdoors.

If you have not read my first article on a Urban Home Custom First Aid Kit, take the time to read all the items that believe will help you build a really great custom first aid kit for your home.  I go into great detail as to what is realistic to have on hand.

You can read the first part of that article here…

http://raygano.com/creating-a-first-aid-kit-suited-to-you-and-your-needs/

Please take the time to read that because you need the #2 Level / Foundation items so that you can then build off of that and go to our #3 Level / Foundation Custom Suburban / Country First Aid Kit.

Foundation #3 – Custom Suburban / Country First Aid Kit

You have your custom car kit and your custom urban kit, now we are going to take those two kits and build off of those to create a custom suburban / country kit.

NOTE – As I have mentioned before, you will run into different sort of wounds living in the city/urban environment than that which you will run into living in a suburban/ country environment.

What I am presenting is suggestions that I think are wise if you live in a suburban / country environment.

But my suggestions are not an end all to be all. What you need to do is really survey your living situation and think about what illnesses or injuries you or your family may encounter.

One of the first things that I recommend to anyone living outside and a distance from a doctor or clinic is one of the best books in the world, “Where There Is No Doctor” by David Werner

This book was written with missionaries in mind being in the deepest parts of the world where no doctor is available. So you become the primary care giver. This book is a wealth of information and will teach you have to treat a plethora of illnesses, injuries and even some minor surgeries. It is written in a very easy to understand way so that a lay person can read it and be able to perform medical functions. It also has a lot of images to help the person who is treating and caring for the sick.

One other thing that I am really impressed with this book is the list of medicines and illnesses in the back. For example, you need to use an antibiotic, but you are not sure what antibiotic to use. This appendix helps you determine what doses and medicines for you to use for certain situations.

Where there Is No Doctor – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Where-There-Is-No-Doctor

There are some great companions books that go along with this series that I HIGHLY recommend as well.

Where there is no Dentist – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Where-There-Is-No-Dentist

Where there is no doctor for Women – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Where-There-Is-No-Womans-Dr

Finally I recommend and excellent book by my friends Dr. Joseph Alton AKA “Doc Bone” and his wife “Nurse Amy”  “The Survival Medicine Handbook.”

The Survival Medicine Handbook: A Guide for When Help is Not on the Way

These are all very good books to have on your shelf and I would keep “where there is no doctor” in your bag so you have it as a reference.

In fact, the author made the book available for free in a PDF version. If you would like to download a copy to keep on a Kindle or Smart phone, you can download the PDF here…

Where There Is  No Doctor PDF –

http://raygano.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/nodoctor.pdf

 — IMPORTANT NOTE —

I DO NOT recommend this be your only copy. You need to have a physical copy of this book so that you can look things up in a hurry and possibly have someone holding the book so that you can read and treat at the same time.

Where there Is No Doctor – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Where-There-Is-No-Doctor

In The Country? Beware The Critters

As man moves out into the country where critters live, he is more than likely going to run into said critters.

Some of these animals are nice, cute and cuddly, others will kill you if you harass them to much.

Some of the most common is the Rattlesnakes, Cotton Mouth / Water Moccasin, and the Copperhead. There are others like the Coral Snake, but statistics show that they are not as aggressive as the vipers mentioned above.

So what you need is an excellent snake bite kit.

Forget those little “Cutter Hi-Lo” snake bite kits.   They are outdated and it is found that cutting the wound to make it bleed is not a good idea.

There is a great kit on the market called “The Sawyer Snake Bite Kit” which uses a special pump that looks more like a syringe and it is very easy to use. In fact, you can use it with one hand if you had to use it on yourself.

Here  is the description of the Sawyer Snake Bite Kit…

The Sawyer Extractor Pump Kit extracts venom and poisons from the bites and stings of snakes, bees, wasps, mosquitoes and more. The Extractor’s double chamber vacuum pump action is designed to provide powerful suction for the extraction of venoms and poisons without the need for scalpel blades or knives used in other kits. Because it’s a pump, not a syringe, it’s easy to use with one hand.

When using, select one of the 4 plastic cups that will best cover the bitten area and attach it to the pump, then using your thumb simply push the plunger and the extractor pump will quickly and effectively remove venom’s and poisons from beneath your skin. By simply cleaning the cups after each use you can safely reuse the pump many times over.

The Sawyer Extractor is most effective at retrieving venom outside of the muscle areas of the body. Retrieving venom quickly can significantly improve treatment results by medical practitioners. In muscle areas such as the calf muscles, venom quickly enters the circulatory system and an extractor pump is less effective.

This is the kit that we have, in fact because they are so inexpensive, I have several and keep them in places where I can get to one quickly if I have to.

Sawyer Extractor Pump Kit – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Sawyer-Snake-Bite-Kit

Dealing With Bee, Wasp, Scorpion Stings

You do not know how many times I have been pruning a bush and I upset a wasp’s nest that I had no idea was there.

Talk about a sting that really hurts. Those buggers pack a punch. Usually I get stung on my forearm and when it has happened, it swells up pretty badly.
When this happens, the first thing that I do is get my Benadryl and pop a few of those. It will help with any possible allergic reaction that I might have.

Benadryyl – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Benadryl

Second I get some anti-sting medicine on it and it helps ease the pain.

Sting Kill Swabs – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Sting-Kill-Swabs

Third, and this is something that I found really helps is putting a cold pack / ice pack on the sting. What is amazing is that the cold literally shuts down the pain. Why it works I have no idea, but it helps.

I remember recently I got stung by a scorpion and I slept with an ice pack on my foot, (that’s where I got stung) and it kept the pain at bay pretty well. I wrapped one of those old fashioned ice packs on my foot with an ace bandage and it was good to go.

Muller Ice Pack – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Muller-Ice-Pack

These are a great thing to have no matter what and have many applications.

SPECIAL NOTE – If you live in the country, you may want to get a test done to see if you are hyper-allergic to bee stings and the such. If you are or you know that you are, you need to have some “eppi-pens” prescribed to you so that you do not go into anaphylactic shock and your airway becomes constricted. Benadryl will help with this, but if you hyper-allergic, it is better to be safe than to be sorry.

Punctures & Serious Lacerations (cuts)

Living in the country often means having to do laborious outdoor work. It also means that you will be exposed to tools of the farming trade that you may not be so familiar with, for example…

• Pitchfork
• Machete
• Scythe
• Hoe
• Ax
• Chainsaw
• Hatchet
• Long Knife
• Skinning Knife
• … and the list goes on.

You get the idea. Many of these tools can really do some damage. If you are punctured or cut with one of these, you’re in a world of hurt.

Now the items that I am going to recommend may sound funny to you, but if you think of the logic around these items, they make complete sense.

Not only is it a good idea to have several Israeli bandages on hand, but I have found that using women’s sanitary products, which are made to absorb large amounts of blood, can also help in a big way.

What turned me on to this ideology was when I was attending a CQC handgun class. The teacher said that he kept several tampons in his “blow-out” kit. He noticed that the different sizes of tampons correspond to the different sizes of bullet wounds.

Small tampon – .22 – .38 bullet

Medium/Regular tampon – 9mm – 45 cal

Large tampon – 357 on up.

Because these are made to expand and basically stop the bleeding, inserting these into a puncture wound will also do the same thing. Pour some “quick clot” on the wound and insert the tampon and you could effectively stop the bleeding long enough to get the person to a clinic or hospital.

Super Absorbent Tampon – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Tampon-Puncture-Wound

Women’s kotex can also help be uses as pressure bandages. The different thickness’ and sizes can be adapted to different cuts you may need to treat.

In today’s modern kotex they are treated so that they can absorb more blood  in a thinner amount of padding.

So if you were out in the field cutting down weeds and vines and your arm or leg got badly cut, applying one of these “sanitary napkins” could help keep the bleeding at bay.

SPECIAL NOTE – As I have stated before, I HIGHLY recommend having multiple Israeli compression bandages on hand. But if you do not have some of these, then applying quick clot, a kotex pad and wrap it with an Ace bandage can also help. A sanitary napkin is just a quick replacement in case you do not have a compression bandage in your kit.

One Final Thing To Think About Pet Medicine

If you have pets, and you live out in the country, you may want to think about how you will treat them medically if they have an injury or illness.

The best place to start is… you guessed it, a first aid kit.

Here is what I recommend the “AKC Pet First Aid Kit.” Couple this with what you have in your total kit and you have what you need to treat most pet injuries and illnesses.

This kit can be used from everyday tick removals, insect bites, extra water for a walk in the park and of course when emergency help is required for your pet.

This 50 piece kit, also provides extra room inside so that you can customize it for your pet. Good things to think of including are some of your pet’s favorite treats, any special medications they may need, special vet instructions, etc.

Some of the items in this kit include…

• waterproof emergency ID card
• a thermal foil emergency blanket,
• reflective leash,
• a collapsible food/water bowl,
• plastic water bottle,
• plastic pill/vitamin container,
• alcohol cleansing pads,
• medicine applicator,
• fur-friendly vet wrap,
• tweezers with attached magnifying glass,
• pet safety guide and more.

We have two of these kits and we have added a 16 oz bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide to clean wounds and also if needed to help induce vomiting in case the dog ate something poisonous. Included in this are some syringes so we can draw up a certain amount of peroxide and then administer it down the pets throat. The size of the pet will determine the amount of hydrogen peroxide you will need to use.

AKC Pet First Aid Kit – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-AKC-Pet-First-Aid-Kit

We also have included charcoal pills that will also help with poisonous substances that the dog may have ingested. Please note that since we own dogs, most of what I am suggesting is geared to dogs, but in a lot of cases can be used for cats as well.

Also continuing the “Where There Is No Doctor” theme, here is an excellent book that I recommend, “Where There Is No Animal Doctor. The author’s hope that this book will be useful for people living in areas where there is no veterinarian available

This is an amazing manual covering animal functions of all the major domestic animals. It is written in a simple, easy to understand style, and like the other books, have many good graphics to help illustrate.

This book was really developed to benefit folks living in many of the rural areas of the world where livestock still play an important role in village life.

It deals with many different animal health related topics, including disease prevention, control and treatment, and the promotion of good animal nutrition.

It is hoped that people who use this book will be able to realize which disease conditions they can handle on their own and when to call for help from more experienced animal health workers.

Where there is no animal doctor – http://tinyurl.com/PZ-No-Animal-Doctor

Conclusion

It is my hope that this two part article has been able to serve you and help you think about creating and building your own Custom First Aid Kit no matter where you are located so that in any sort of emergency or even non-emergency situation, you can treat yourself and your family if you have to. Once you then have them stabilized and if needed, you can then seek further medical treatment from a medical professional in your area.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at ray@raygano.net

Stay Safe!