First aid

What do you guys carry in your personal first aid kits?

Do your clubs have additional first aid gear at club sites?

If so, what's in them as well?

Thanks, Geoff

EYE FLUSH and MORE EYE FLUSH. Fire extinguisher. and all of the things you need to stop a good-sized wound. The club bought one travel kit but I carry a lot more. Rolaids, headache meds, burn cream, bee sting kit, and anti "WALKER PILLS" but he seems to be immune.

Scott (not DR.) Riese

Bandaids and CA glue. I have used both on myself, but don't sue me if it kills you.
Actually as we age, we probably need defibulators and paramedics at our beck and call...

LAST EDITED ON Aug-01-03 AT 01:32 AM (CDT)
 
Now, I carry non-sticking gauze and medical wrap tape, I work at a Animal Hospital so they get this stuff for me cheap. Just last week I got my index finger in the prop
on a .15 engine and boy did that bleed, all I had at the time was a clean rag and I wound
it around the cut and went back flying. This pales in comparison when a guy loses
his finger. This was my warning to be careful and be prepared.
Oh yeah, I forgot wear protective eyewear.

>Now, I carry non-sticking gauze and medical wrap tape, I
>work at a Animal Hospital so they get this stuff for me
>cheap. Just last week I got my index finger in the prop
>on a .15 engine and boy did that bleed, all I had at the
>time was a clean rag and I wound
>it around the cut and went back flying. This pales in
>comparison when a guy loses
>his finger. This was my warning to be careful and be
>prepared.
>Oh yeah, I forgot wear protective eyewear.

Jaco,

I wish you would spare us the gory details... LOL

Seriously, I agree 100% w/you, ans the protective eyewear is something we should not overlook. I'd rather loose a finger than an eye, and even better, I'd rather loose neither.

I just became a membewr of a sect called "The Order of the The Chicken Stick".

I figured that it's plain dumb to stick my finger in a place were its integrity is at risk when I can use a chicken stick.

I was proselitized by my mighty CB.46. Took it out of the box, put it on a stand, and it got flooded and hit my ring finger on the "meaty part".

No cuts, no damage, but it did hurt! OUUUUCH!!!!!!

And I saw the light! You won't get me to start a Cox 0.010 with my precious digits.

In Christ,

Duct tape!! Actually I went out and bought a new first aid kit. Last Saturday I pulled my hand into the prop after reaching around to adjust the needle valve. The prop brushed my hand near the meaty part of the thumb and tore off some skin, kinda like a third degree burn. Lots of blood, little pain, and the bandages I had were so old they would not open without a lot of cussing. I flew and bled, not a pretty site. So I got a full first aid kit with lots of extra butterfly bandages, splints for fingers, tape and gauze. Includes instructions too. The waitress/server at Waffle House gave me two pretty blue bandages along with my coffee. At least they didn't have Dino or that purple thing (the big purple animal) on them.

Add a cell phone to the list. With the number for local help. Here in Alameda if you use 911 it goes to the Highway Patrol and they have a long delay in getting help to you.

A cell phone, and anything that is 90 Proof or greater. Currell

CURRELL PATTIE!!!!

This is a family oriented site!

In Christ,

Ion,
Anything less than 90 proof is neither antiseptic nor a pain killer.

...Lots of blood, little pain, and the bandages I had were so old they would not open without a lot of cussing...

Good point! Medications have expiration dates and bandages DO deteriorate. Although expired stuff is better than nothing, you should replace contents as needed.
Note that some first aid creams, etc. say that they expire so many days after opening...as well as the expiration date printed on the container.
...I don't think gauze has an expiration date

Be safe,
George

The usual bandaids, etc for minor cuts
bottled water in case somebody gets fuel in the eyes (been there, done that)
Cell phone for emerg number (regrettably more often used by the wife to harass me at the field, cell phone also used by my buddies (Andy?) to taunt me from contest sites I cannot attend)
ASPIRIN. This under orders from my wife, who happens to be an MD. Although I'm still on the young side for a heart attack, she feels very strongly about me having it with me at contests, etc, where somebody else might keel over with a heart attack. Aspirin is supposed to be about the best immediate action treatment for a heart attack victim. Here's hoping I never need to use it.
Benadryl tablets in case somebody gets mauled by bees or the Huntersville red ant nest and turns out to be allergic to them.

I should probably pack a real bandage in case somebody really gets creamed with a prop, but have figured a rag would come into play for that.

Good point George

Can I add that from personal experience with saline solution for irrigating eyes, although it has a use by date, unopened bottles are ok for a couple of years after the date. It is a product liability thing but unopened is the key and it's not very expensive even in Oz.

As a critical care RN, may I also strongly urge your club or flying group to make a date with the Red Cross to attend a class in basic CPR?

<People who go into cardiac arrest have six minutes, max, to live without intervention.>

Many of our flying sites are further than that from a hospital. Also, get an address and GPS location and post them where they are very visible, to help EMS get to you. Don't try to drive people to the hospital if they are bad. They need treatment as well as transport. Only EMS can do both.

Sorry to be so stern, but a bunch of us aren't very young anymore. CPR done early can save a life.

Also, if you have a couple of buddies you fly with on a regular basis, it doesn't hurt to know a little about each others medical history, medications. I have a buddy that cut himself pretty good - I didn't know - he fainted at the sight of his own blood, I didn't know - he was on some serious blood pressure meds (called his wife from the emergency med station). The cut was not that serious, a couple stitches & a lot of blood, but trying to help my friend who couldn't stay conscious about gave me a heart attack.
As Kelvin said:
>Sorry to be so stern, but a bunch of us aren't very young
>anymore. >Kelvin

Steve ..

Also make sure YOU are not the only one who knows CPR!

I cary steril wipes as well as white medical tape and gauze so far it's all I've needed.
Dwayne

>The cut was not that serious, a
>couple stitches & a lot of blood, but trying to help my
>friend who couldn't stay conscious about gave me a heart
>attack.

Steve, a lot of folks are on a blood thinner like Coumadin or Plavix or at least aspirin. If your buddy has had heart trouble of any kind, figure that he is on one of the above. And any injuries will bleed more than normal. Don't panic, just keep steady, constant pressure on any cuts, etc. They will clot, just seems to take forever.

I know this seems off topic, but we've lost so many good guys over the last 2-3 years....The response of the people at the Nats this year seems to have been excellent.

From what I saw at yesterday's contest I will recomend everyone carry a half gallon of clean water in the car. This is beacuse I saw 2 guys spray themselfs in the EYE with fuel. Jeff Rein was Lucky ,Mel Lyne was carted off in the MEAT WAGON.Also I saw Lee Uberbacher's latest injury A 2" gash on the forearm from a ST .60 hitting him with a 14-5 APC prop.(NASTY).
Be aware gentlemen.
John

Hydrogen peroxide, bottled water and sterile pads plus wrap for same. Also materials for a tourniquet and a blanket.
Ice and asparin is good to have also.

The old military "threesome" I was taught was:

1. Stop the bleeding

2. Clear the airway

3. Prevent/treat for shock

Hi Jake,
Couple of FWIIWs-hydrogen peroxide has gone on the medical no-no list. It is out of our facility. It appears to do more harm to the tissue than good. Normal saline or clean water are better for washing wounds. We use saline or antibiotic solutions.
The military first aid approach is good in the event of trauma. In all medical emergencies though, remember the ABCs- Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. If one of these is absent, the other stuff won't matter much after a while.
The aspirin is excellent for suspected heart attacks and one kind of stroke. If you think someone's having a stroke, there is the chance that it is being caused by a bleed, and the aspirin will make it worse. If the stroke is from a blood clot, the aspirin can help. So you have to take a chance.
All good stuff that everyone should know about.
Kelvin

>Hydrogen peroxide, bottled water and sterile pads plus wrap
>for same. Also materials for a tourniquet and a blanket.
>Ice and asparin is good to have also.
>
>The old military "threesome" I was taught was:
>
>1. Stop the bleeding
>
>2. Clear the airway
>
>3. Prevent/treat for shock
>
>
>John

Right on, Jake!!

For shock prevention a good blanket or any kind of heat insulation material will prevent a guy from shock.

In Christ,

At our MN contest last weekend I got a call on the cell phone from my wife. My son had been at scout camp all week and was scheduled to ride home with another family. They were all leaving camp and getting ready to turn left across a four lane highway. The minivan four cars ahead of the vehicle my son was in pulled out and was hit broadside. Luckily the impact was behind the center passenger seat but the driver's son had just asked permission to slip out of his seatbelt to pick up a CD from the floor. Another scout was also a passenger.

The hatch flew open and the unbuckled kid and all the camping gear were flung out onto the pavement. Of course, the whole troop stopped to render assistance on the scene. ALL adult scout leaders MUST be trained in first aid. The injured scout (who was in shock) was airlifted to a trauma equipped hospital. He has a broken collarbone and a fractured skull which was operated on to relieve some subdural hemorhaging but is expected to make a complete recovery. The adult driver and the other scout who remained buckled suffered only minor bruises.

Moral of the story - all it takes is a blink and our lives are impacted forever. Be prepared. Think safety.

Have your Emergency number Speed Dialled on the cell phone.

I carry a small J&J FirstAid kit in my Rubbermaid stool/toolbox. Also a fire extenguisher (maybe Halon). The club has a bigger J&J FirstAid kit, that should go with the CD to contests. Unfortunately, it has been left in somebody's basement, mostly. Won't say whose. Tonight, it went into the storage area with everything else, on top of the contest kits. I also have a similar J&J FirstAid kit in the back of my truck, plus Anacin, Sinus meds, Tums and Chapstick in the cab. By the way, Sunscreen should be applied at least an hour before exposure to the sun. My drill is to shower, shave, rub in the Sunscreen for awhile, and if there is still excess, blot off. Use an electric starter! Stay safe, Steve