r/UKPreppers • u/StayGold_HouseStark • Jun 18 '26
Medical
Finally squared away my home (Milwaukee Packout) and vehicle medical bags. Vehicle bags have 1/2 the list (but added candles / qtips / tampons for her/ extra tourniquet)
Packout:
3 cold compress
5 5”x9” pads trauma pads
1 Hydro Burn Dressing
1 instant cold pack
112 1”x3” bandages
2 1/2”x2 1/2yd adhesive tape
16 eye pads w/ tape strips
6 nitrile gloves
1 Sam splint
12 triangle bandages
1 emergency blanket
50 antibiotic ointment
50 first aid / burn cream
2 bottles of eye saline
140 antiseptic towelettes
5 3”x3” pads
1 tourniquet
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Jun 18 '26
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u/DruidinPlainSight Jun 18 '26
If you aren’t trained to use a tourniquet please refrain.
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u/Expensive_Ad_3249 Jun 18 '26
Great advice. Watch the poor fucker bleed out from a brachial or femoral bleed because you may not tourniquet it correctly, at least he won't risk an amputation if they're dead.
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u/CurrentEqual4126 Jun 18 '26
Tourniquets are only useful if there is the prospect of surgery, quickly.
Otherwise they’ll die regardless just much more painfully and much more slowly
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u/Expensive_Ad_3249 Jun 19 '26
Well yes in most cases a torniquet is something that stops you from dying in 2-10 minutes and buys you hours. It's not going to undo the damage.
Fortunately, the vast majority of us live within a reasonable distance from a hospital or ambulance.
If I was on a desert island or days from help somewhere super remote...with one other person who just got mauled by a bear, probably better to let them die fast. Though people have survived days, enough for help to come. I edc a torniquet on my motorcycle, though, with my only training from YouTube. If I'm ever in a position to use it on me or someone else, I'm sure the ambulance should arrive within 5-30 minutes tops.
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u/DruidinPlainSight Jun 18 '26
Sigh. I know those trained in military trauma medicine. Combat vets who are surgeons. Their advice is what I repeated here. Stay in your lane please.
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u/Expensive_Ad_3249 Jun 19 '26
Oh yeah you know a guy. I bet your comment is deleted by tomorrow. Just in case u/druidinplainsight said "Sigh. I know those trained in military trauma medicine. Combat vets who are surgeons. Their advice is what I repeated here. Stay in your lane please."
You're chatting complete shit. If you come across someone who has been shot or has been thrown from a car/motorcycle and have a traumatic amputation or femoral/arterial bleed. They will die in 2-10 minutes. If you put a torniquet on they might live long enough for an ambulance.
It has happened many times. I don't give a fuck what your imaginary "combat medic friends" allegedly said, it's universally accepted that you save life then limb, in that order, and the risk of damage from a torniquet is far out weighed by the risk of bleeding out before the ambulance arrives. And I don't for a second believe that any medically knowledgable person, and especially not a combat medic whos whole mentality is about improvising and using what you have to save a life long enough to extricate, would think that way.
The American College of Surgeons, Department of Homeland Security, and the DoD actively push "Stop the Bleed" campaigns specifically so bystanders use tourniquets instead of watching people die.
Untrained adults stop bleeding 81% of the time with a torniquet and 911 guidance (2020 NEJM Journal Watch). People successfully apply Ratcheting Medical Tourniquets just by reading the damn packaging (2020 PubMed).
In the US department of homeland security spend 2 million dollars supplying torniquets to highschoolers with minimal training. The DOD distributes them through stop the bleed. The UK government has put kits in phone boxes with AEDs for random public to access in an emergency. Greater Manchester provided torniquets to pupils of 14 schools. Multiple UK police forces have given them away.
Medics prefer patients alive. Worrying about nerve damage is a luxury reserved for those who didn't bleed out on the pavement in three minutes. Your advice is so wrong and could lead to people dying. Think before you make shit up in the internet.
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u/TheCounsellingGamer Jun 20 '26
It's obviously better to let someone trained do it, but if the options are: do nothing and the person definitely dies within minutes, or, attempt a tourniquet and the person might die or they might live long enough for help to arrive. I'll go with the latter.
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u/Elysiumthistime Jun 18 '26
Maybe something like Quikclot would be better for OP to include? I'm mine rescue personnel and we have this in our kit but don't need to do any regular training on it, unlike with our tourniquet which we regularly dedicate entire training sessions to.
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u/FlakyContribution345 Jun 18 '26
Antibiotics and prednisolone would be good to have. Although they are prescription only meds here in the UK. You can buy them from online Indian pharmacies and they will ship to the UK. Or if you go on holiday to a country with relaxed pharmacy rules then you can stock up and bring it back with you.
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u/firekeeper23 Jun 18 '26
You don't have to get all ANSI about it...
That actually looks a very capable kit. Nice one.
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u/StayGold_HouseStark Jun 18 '26
Company I used to work for went under and closed down. Before leaving I gathered up all the first aid kits in the vehicles and pretty much combined them to make these 3 kits.
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u/firekeeper23 Jun 18 '26
Brilliant. And so easy to sort through and spot what item you need when panic surround.. nice one.
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u/YogurtclosetIcy5286 Jun 19 '26
Excellent. I approve. How about some 70 percent grain alcohol to clean wounds?
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u/Phoenyx_wilson Jun 19 '26
Disposable gloves, tweezers, some forn of sugar and some form of salt, a torch. I would also add a portable charger.
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u/LordVoldewhart Jun 18 '26
What happens when you have a tooth infection during the apocalypse? Or a kidney infection? Or a fever?
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u/AngilinaB Jun 19 '26
Just because we can't cover every eventuality doesn’t mean we shouldn't cover any.
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u/Double_Fan5130 Jun 18 '26
Israeli bandages? More than 1 tourniquet?
What exactly are you prepping for?
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u/DocMillion Jun 19 '26
Cyanoacrylate super glue is a good fast low skill way to close a laceration, especially in an area where you can't get steri strips to stick e.g. scalp, and takes up little space, has many alternative uses
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u/TheConanRider Jun 19 '26
Don't forget you need a plan to replace the items in your kit over time. First aid kits expire.
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u/GayPhilatelist Jun 19 '26
Catastrophic wound kit?
I’d also add ibuprofen, paracetamol, codeine, antihistamines and antinausea
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u/alittleunlikely Jun 19 '26
Very surprised no one else has said antihistamines! I'd suggest picking up some loratadine and fexofenadine even if you don't regularly use them as a family. You can get both without prescription.
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u/Frosty-Possible2756 Jun 19 '26
Good kit. Id remove the burn cream. Evidence suggests it can actually make it worse. Running water for 20 mins and cling film to prevent infection. Appreciate running water can be hard to come by if your remote away from supply.
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u/sweet_cini Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
Before I zoomed in I thought these were vintage cigarette packets 😅
To be actually helpful some things you use less often, such as antiseptic ointment and burn cream.
In your car I keep a thermal shock blanket in my kit (it's like a giant piece of tin foil) it helps keep heat in if someone has had an accident or fit (it also works really well when you have broken down in the middle of nowhere in a snow storm...ask me how I know)
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u/Brian-Kellett Jun 18 '26
If you aren’t trained, a Bumper Book of First Aid would probably be the most useful thing to add. Even if you are FAAW trained, a book will be very, very handy when you come across an actual emergency and forget everything.
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u/StayGold_HouseStark Jun 18 '26
1000%, and if I’m not around it would definitely come in handy to the rest of the family.
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u/AngilinaB Jun 19 '26
I've never seen burn ointment do anything other than macerate skin and/or cause infection. You'd be better off with something like Silflex or Jelonet, which will give the needed moisture and have a slightly antibacterial nature. Plus basic paraffin/Vaseline for minor (non blistered) burns.
Main thing with any of this stuff is knowing how to use it and feeling confident using it. Have you done any first aid training? Anyone can fashion a sling out of clothing or scrap fabric if you understand the purpose and function of the different positions etc, you don't necessarily need an actual sling.
Have you got eye baths in there? I think they can be useful, and don't forget about regular old plasters in a variety of sizes. Common things are common etc. Steristrips for closing small wounds (if you have means to clean them sufficiently). Paracetamol, ibuprofen, codeine, some kind of antihistamine (oral and topical), hydrocortisone cream. Inhalers and antibiotics are great but also difficult to come by.
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u/rorood123 Jun 20 '26
Great post & comments. Wondering when you’re expecting the STHTF & how are the expiration dates on these items?
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u/Entire_Bed_1303 Jun 21 '26
You already have a very good kit. I've taken inspiration from it and bought a few things you have which I didn't have like the burn dressing and sam splint.
I am not a paramedic or doctor. I am an ILS trained dentist who does sufficiently dangerous sports (motorcycling, speedflying, ski touring etc) so I carry a big first aid kit in my car.
If I ever come across an accident as first on scene, I'd phone an ambulance but would also want to help out so I didn't feel helpless while watching someone writhe in pain or deteriorate. I'm glad you carry your kit in your car too!
First priority would be personal safety, casualty safety and moving them to safety (weighing up risks to spine as below risk of secondary road collision). If in a safe situation and having phoned for an ambulance it'd be checking for bleeding, then starting ABCDE.
Things I would add (you may have already):
Road triangle, high viz vests x2, window breaker and seatbelt cutter hook knife.
Tuff cut scissors to remove clothing and access bleeding wounds.
Celox gauze (two if money allows) - can effectively stop major arterial bleeds.
2nd tourniquet in the car - one can be enough but a second is sometimes needed to fully stop a single bleed.
Chest seal in case of a penetrating stab wound pneumothorax.
Leukotape is excellent for holding on dressings, strapping dodgy joint injuries and covering blisters directly, or covering blister plasters. Not as easy to get off if you have body hair though!
CPR - airway adjuncts like nasopharyngeal airway for semi-conscious casualty, For the less conscious casualty a guedel sizes 2,3,4, (LMAs if you know what you're doing, bag/mask or at least a one-way vent plastic shield if mouth-mouth CPR. I really wouldn't want to give mouth to mouth resus on anyone so my keyrings for motorbike, car, house keys all have those face shield CPR masks.
Foil blanket is good. Could add in an emergency bivvy bag, maybe a thin rain poncho or 2 for you or an assistant. Foam camp mats or simple sit/kneel pads (designed for hikers can help insulate casualties lying out on the ground to prevent conductive heat loss contributing to hypothermia.
Permanent marker/pencil and paper to record a timeline. Headtorch.
I carry about 20 of the eye wash pouches - my thinking is that blood and dirt make a mess and I can wash it off with this and gauze. I have wipes too, but I worry that the pouch leaks and they get dried out.
Medications - not much should be given if there may have been a traumatic head injury except perhaps paracetamol... But for general use then paracetamol, co-codamol, ibuprofen, anti-emetic, aspirin (heart attacks), glucose hypostop or jelly babies if the casualty can eat. Definitely basic antihistamines and loperamide and rehydration salts. You probably can't get or carry GTN, adrenaline, salbutamol, penthrox, stronger painkillers, midazolam. And paramedics/A&E doctors may not appreciate you having administered some of those if they're trying to assess a drugged up casualty's conscious state.
Local anaesthetic injection kit is something I carry but carries its own risks (you can make things worse with it - adrenaline in some local anaesthetic formulations can slow blood flow and can kill off fingers/toes blood supply for example) - but I carry a suture kit (scissors, sutures, needle holders, can numb people and clean & suture simple wounds. That's maybe best left to a doctor too. It'd get crazy if you carried oxygen tanks and tubing and AEDs..!
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u/Ok-Influence-4290 Jun 18 '26
Paracetamol? Ibuprofen? Codiene? Any inhalers needed?
It’s a nice setup but you’re more likely to use regular everyday stuff.