The Standard First Aid Kit. No fancy cases or bags, just a plain gallon size freezer bag. More than enough room, inexpensive, easy to replace and waterproof!

The contents at a glance. Notice a lot of individual smaller zip lock bags. These can be bought cheaply at any craft store. A “bag of bags” should be a familiar concept.

Any of you that has taken First Aid MB with me should remember that I believe your FAK should be geared toward trauma. The most serious and life threatening trauma you would encounter in the field is severe bleeding. An assortment of gauze pads and non-stick “Telfa” pads is a must. I would suggest 3-4 of each size would be a good start.

At least 1 triangular bandage is a must! Good for pressure bandages in severe bleeding, slings for injured arms and shoulders, securing of splints and the optimal item for a tourniquet. If every scout and leader had one in their FAK, there would be more than enough to be able to splint several fractures. This one cost only a dollar.

One or two rolls of roller gauze for bandaging. Not very good for controlling of severe bleeding, but will keep a wound clean until you can get medical attention.

An absolute must for all FAK! My first rule in First Aid is “Protect Yourself”. If treating victims with open wounds (especially people you do not know), these are vital to protect yourself from blood-borne pathogens (bad things in the blood that can make you really sick) such as HIV or Hepatitis. It also helps your patient avoid infection from your hands. These should be non- latex gloves since there are many people that are sensitive to latex products.

Latex free Band-Aids are an absolute must have. I have found a nice assorted size box of Fabric Latex Free Band-Aids made by Curad at Wal- Mart that is very inexpensive and gives you a lot for your money. LEADERS: I also carry some Steri-strips of assorted width for larger wound closure.

These are Beta-dyne wipes. It is the same “brown soap” that doctors use to clean the skin before surgery. This is very effective to clean wounds in the field before dressing and bandaging. You can usually find these at a medical supply store, but even a drug store may carry them.

Inside the “Wound Cleanse” bag is the antibiotic ointment. You can usually get these small packets at EMS, but a small tube from any other store is just fine as well. It really doesn’t matter what type you carry (Neosporin, Bacitracin, etc.). A generic store brand will do just fine. Just try to find the smallest tube available.

This is moleskin. It is tough fabric that is soft and fuzzy on one side and very sticky on the other. This is very important in the prevention and treatment of blisters. It is most effective when used before you actually have a blister. If you are hiking and you even think you are developing a blister, applying a patch of moleskin directly over the “hot spot” can prevent the blister from forming.

Of these things, the tape and the tweezers are the most important to have in your FAK. The little flashlight is a “nice to have” but since you would be in the field you probably have a flashlight in your pack. The tape is to hold a dressing over a wound or secure a bandage in place. To save size and weight, I wrapped some tape around a used gift card (this is medical tape but duct tape could be used as well). The tweezers (bought at Wal-Mart) are used for splinters and ticks.

This ends what I would consider a standard, personal FAK. If every scout and leader carried one of these there would be enough first aid supplies available to take care of a lot of injuries. Did you notice that I labeled every item in my kit? That is not so I would know what they are but if I am the injured person, a complete stranger may be using my kit to help me. The next few slides are either “nice to have” or are meant for Leaders.

This is QuikClot! Developed for the military for the control of severe bleeding on the battlefield, it is now available to the civilian population. It is held in, or on top of, a wound via direct pressure for three minutes and then bandaged in place. Again, this use for severe bleeding.

Medications, even over-the-counter drugs, should only be carried by an adult leader. In this bag is Ibuprofen (Motrin), Acetaminophen (Tylenol), Aspirin, Benadryl, Dramamine and Lomotil. Since this is my personal FAK, the two larger bags to each side of the “MEDS” bag contain approximately 7 days of the necessary prescription medication for each of my family members (Be prepared).

Label each medication with the following: Generic and Common brand name amount of medication in each pill or capsule The standard dosage from the original packaging the expiration date

To wrap up….. As you can see, building a personal FAK does not have to be fancy, difficult or expensive! Having a uniform first aid kit maximizes the availability of supplies in an emergency and allows the first aider to know what to expect in each kit. Replace what you use! When buying the supplies you need for a kit, you will often have extra items (you are not going the carry the whole box of band aids, just a few of each size). Keep these “surplus” items to refill your kit. The Troop may also have some supplies available to “re-stock” your kit in the field.