FAK's- What's in yours?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'm rebuilding the pathetic FAK that I got as a gift from the dealership when I bought my truck, as over the past year I have used a few things out of it- mostly bandages and alcohol swabs.  This has left me wondering what should I put in it?  Should I just buy an off the shelf FAK from a pharmacy or should I put what I need in it?

Which of course leads to the next question- if I put what I need in it, what do I need more than band aids, alcohol swabs and maybe some antibiotic creme like Polysporin?  That's all I've ever used in the past, and I can't help but think that if I need more, I'm never far from a pharmacy and most of the grocery stores in this province are open 24 hours.

If I expand my thinking to include my dogs' needs (and why wouldn't I?) then I would need gauze pads, stretch and hold bandages, scissors and adhesive tape.  That stuff however gets a bit too bulky to fit in the small plastic FAK box that I have- no big deal as I will happily find other ways to carry things that my dogs need, but then that brings us back around to what to put in the kit itself beyond band aids and alcohol swabs?

Def

[Crow]

I sell firs aid stuff fow working enviroments. Always first look what kind of work my customers do, then start to gather right kind of kits.
If your kit stays in car, i would say you need basic bandaids, anticeptic liquid, those alcohol wipes are good. Baby wipes are always good, if you need to clean grease or dirt off your skin. Some grease patches in case of burnt. Some pressure sides for bigger emergencies.
I have been big fan if liquid bandaids. Great for small wounds that wont leak, scratches and dry hand ripps.
As tools you need atleast dezend scissors and good tape.

[bmot]

Those stretchy medical gloves?


Not only for keeping your hands clean, or for something like that, but also nice to keep a wound on a finger dirtfree. Just tape a cut-off finger over it

[bmot]

Also, if you know how to reanimate, one of those kiss of life foil thingies aren't bad. Really quite small, and might save you from either just grossness or diseases.

[Grant Lamontagne]

When it comes to reanimation I much prefer a high powered rifle.

 

I do have rubber gloves and baby wipes in the Jeep at all times as I worked in too many restaurants in my younger days and as a result I am a compulsive hand washer.  It's kind of sad that I wish heated cup holders were an option on my truck so that my baby wipes wouldn't be frozen all winter long, but that's another rant entirely. 

I use rubber gloves a lot at work so I keep both latex and nitrile gloves in the Jeep at all times, plus I have a set of kevlar gloves in the bag that the FAK goes into.

As for what work environment I am in, I am outdoors and mobile in industrial sites (shipyards) where I encounter everything from food products to radioactive materials.  The kit is mostly for my own benefit as anyone else on site will fall into their own coverage- as an independent contractor I am on my own on a job site full of people.

Def

[bmot]

[...]



 The kit is mostly for my own benefit as anyone else on site will fall into their own coverage- as an independent contractor I am on my own on a job site full of people.

Def

Still, I assume when someone happens to have an accident besides where you are standing, you want to help out?

[Crow]

When it comes to reanimation I much prefer a high powered rifle.

(Image removed from quote.) 

I do have rubber gloves and baby wipes in the Jeep at all times as I worked in too many restaurants in my younger days and as a result I am a compulsive hand washer.  It's kind of sad that I wish heated cup holders were an option on my truck so that my baby wipes wouldn't be frozen all winter long, but that's another rant entirely. 

There are 12V insulated containers that keep liquids warm. I sell these for contractors and factories whom have to have eyewash either in car or cold places outside.

[Millhouse]

Mine contains:

Assorted plasters
Assorted dressings and bandages
Triangular bandage
Antiseptic wipes
Burn gel
Several pairs nitrile gloves
EMT Shears
Blister plasters
Scalpels
Vic Huntsman
Fenix L0D
Tweezers
Micropore tape
Zinc Oxide tape
safety pins
Aspirin
Paracetemol
Ibuprofen
Hand sanitizer
Foil blanket
Tube of Glucose energy gel

[Jothra]

The most versatile thing you can put in a first aid kit is a triangular bandage.  They're cheap, they take up almost no space when they're folded, and they can be used for a million billiion things.

I usually just pick up an off-the-shelf kit with enough basics in it, then add a couple extra triangular bandages, a tensor bandage (if there isn't one already), acetaminophen and ibuprofen,  a Classic, and any miscellany that seems like a good idea at the time.

I know I keep mentioning triangular bandages, but if my  kit weren't devoid of them in 2001, I wouldn't have needed to sacrifice strips of my favourite tacky Hawaiian shirt. I liked that shirt.

[Crow]

I always keep on me dispencer, that has my regular medicines. It has three parts in it that take three pills each. How do you guys carry your medicines?

[Grant Lamontagne]

[...]



 The kit is mostly for my own benefit as anyone else on site will fall into their own coverage- as an independent contractor I am on my own on a job site full of people.

Def

Still, I assume when someone happens to have an accident besides where you are standing, you want to help out?

For very convoluted reasons, few of which make any good sense to me, I am actually very much not allowed to help anyone else.  Many industrial sites have their own plans and personnel who are designated as health and safety officers, and if I was to provide any kind of aid, I can be held liable for any injuries that may result.  Many places are extremely strict about this, and especially as an independent contractor working in a union environment I do not want to step on anyone's toes by getting involved in something.  If it is serious and/or life threatening then by all means I will step in until proper help can arrive, but otherwise I am completely hands off.

I was present for one relatively minor accident a while back where a laborer had accidentally drilled through his finger.  I imagine it was quite painful and it made quite a mess, especially since it was cold and the guy didn't realize he was drilling into his finger for quite some time.  Despite having first aid training I was completely ignored until the designated people could arrive.  If that wound had gotten infected they could easily have said it was my equipment/bandages or attempts to clean it that caused the infection, not the dirty drill bit.  I know that sounds strange, but if it was a dirty drill bit and his fault, they can't sue for any money, but if it was my fault then they still have to deal with the wound, but they can try to make me (or my company) pay for it.

Do No Harm in the places I work simply means stay uninvolved in any issues.   

As for where I keep my medicines, I keep Tylenol arthritis pills in a small tube in the cargo netting of the center console of my Jeep and the full bottle in the glove box.  That's all the medicine I ever use or need to carry.

Def

[bmot]

Ah, yay for the claim-culture... 

[Jothra]

In my province,  if you have training and are on the job, you are required to help until someone more qualified takes over. Also, as long as you don't do anything particularly stupid (like giving CPR to a screaming conscious person) you are not sue-able.

When I took my St John's, I even got all that in writing.

That said, when I was still in construction, I still only packed a one-person basics kit, on the grounds that I only had to help until the designated First Aider showed up. And even when I was the First Aider, since I was with the general, there were always some very well-stocked kits nearby.

When hiking, I still carry a small kit, on the grounds that everyone with me is required to have their own small kit, because you don't want to find out that all your first aid supplies are in the pack buried at the bottom of that avalanche.

[Jothra]

Oh, and as for medicines, I make sure my acetaminophen and ibuprofen are of the same dosage (as measured in number of pills) and put an equal amount of each in a small, clearly-labelled container. Since those two can be safely taken together,  I just take one of each different-looking pill.

[David]

I've added a tourniquet (SOFTT-W) to my FAK I keep in my pack. Proably will never need it but in this day in age it seems like a good idea. It is light and doesnt take up much room.   

[Grant Lamontagne]

In my province,  if you have training and are on the job, you are required to help until someone more qualified takes over. Also, as long as you don't do anything particularly stupid (like giving CPR to a screaming conscious person) you are not sue-able.

When I took my St John's, I even got all that in writing.

That said, when I was still in construction, I still only packed a one-person basics kit, on the grounds that I only had to help until the designated First Aider showed up. And even when I was the First Aider, since I was with the general, there were always some very well-stocked kits nearby.

When hiking, I still carry a small kit, on the grounds that everyone with me is required to have their own small kit, because you don't want to find out that all your first aid supplies are in the pack buried at the bottom of that avalanche.

Provincial law has nothing to do with it in my case.  Most of the work I do is on dockyards, which are unionized.  We have held up multi million dollar cargo for the sake of one or two nails because none of the dozens of guys we had on site were allowed to swing a hammer.  You need a blocker for that, and Heaven help you if you do something that is someone else's job.  You don't tighten a nut without a mechanic and you don't apply a band aid without three levels of supervisors and two dozen reports.  The mentality of some of these guys (not all of course, but some) is pretty far out there.

In the US recently a member of the same union applied for benefits after falling off the end of the dock and cutting his head open while peeing.  Why was he peeing off the end of the dock?  It might have been because he had a blood alcohol level of .25%.  Apparently he has several beers before work, a few more during the morning shift, quite a few more at lunch, then to mix it up in the afternoon he switched to whisky.

He was denied benefits because the board determined that the accident was caused by alcohol consumption.

But that's not where it ends- he appealed, claiming that the accident wasn't the result of him being drunk, he cut his head open because he landed on concrete, and therefore it was the concrete's fault he was hurt.

Needless to say he was denied again, but I doubt I would go after benefits if I got hurt while plastered out of my tree on a job site, and I really don't think I'd have the balls to continue fighting it on the grounds that inanimate objects were what caused the injury.

With that kind of mentality around me I don't want to go near anyone with a boo boo.   

Def

[Etherealicer]

I think keeping it small and simple is best. This of course assumes that you are relatively close to a doctor / hospital.

Small wounds:
- Antiseptic wipe (something to clean)
- Medical tape (one that breathes! its not ideal but it protects your wound much better from dirt than patches, choose one that is appropriate to your work environment (dirt, moisture etc))
- Wound patching spray (for very small wounds / abrasions or for under the medical tape)

Medium and larger wounds:
- Don't bother cleaning (especially with large wounds)
- gauze pad (if you are paranoid get one with antiseptic cream)
- duct tape
- see a doctor

Burn wound - apply cold water
Allergies - Make sure people know and tell them where you keep your allergy medicine

Other gear for your FAK:
- Tweezers (for splinters)
- Gloves (especially to protect yourself if you are helping someone else)

[captain spaulding]

With all the kits and such I have throughout my car, backpack, in home, I still don't have a first aid kit in my car. I also don't have a survival kit in my car either. I need to get on doing both of those. 

[Etherealicer]

With all the kits and such I have throughout my car, backpack, in home, I still don't have a first aid kit in my car. I also don't have a survival kit in my car either. I need to get on doing both of those. 

My survival "kit" is a phone and membership with the REGA (Rettungs Gesellschaft: Rescue Society, they have a rather large fleet of helicopters and come and get you anywhere in the world ).