Med training and kit

[RonMexico]

I have taken a TCCC course, Basic CPR cert, and a TCCC live tissue course 4 years ago, as well as I am currently doing pre-med classes to give myself the leg up on the competition during a 11 month accelerated med program this coming up summer.

I have training, advanced and basic med kits that consist of enough supplies and meds for several families members but I don't own expensive gear- ie AED, C spine boards, emergency airway intubation kits .

I have never worked in a mass causality center or in a natural disaster area so what basics med gear/prep can you never have enough of? Is it worth buying expensive medical equipment like an AED?

[ChunkyMonkey]

Tag.. i am sure Chris will stop by soon

[Great-Kazoo]

An AED is not something you want to be carrying in the field. They are set up in buildings for people who has little or no training for use. When an AED is removed from it's cabinet a 911 call is automatically placed (at least in the business i worked at) giving location etc. The inst walk you through how to use.

[RonMexico]

maybe I should ask if you could pick up a med essential item for around $500, what would it be?

[275RLTW]

a good cell phone. Mass cas events require people with more gear than you can carry. You can stock up on all the latest gear you want but you will not have enough of something. Each is different with a multitude of different problems to be solved. If you're not EMS you cannot do anything more life saving other than following your CPR & First Responder guidelines.

[RonMexico]

Thanks for the suggestion, I think I will buy more basic prep gear and store it in a rubber made storage container for quick deployment. As far as the certification thing, I would rather save a family member or friend and do emergency medial procedures than watch them die but this is also a survival or SHTF thread.

[Great-Kazoo]

Thanks for the suggestion, I think I will buy more basic prep gear and store it in a rubber made storage container for quick deployment. As far as the certification thing, I would rather save a family member or friend and do emergency medial procedures than watch them die but this is also a survival or SHTF thread.

In a civilian scenario, You can only assist so many people before you put yourself in harm's way.

[275RLTW]

Why does everyone assume that SHTF or survival means no laws or accountability? The next event you may need to prepare for is most likely flood, blizzard/snowed in, fire & evac, etc. If you think Red Dawn is going to happen tomorrow then you have too much tin foil on. We should prepare for the most likely and probable events, not alien invasions and other movie plots.

[strm_trpr]

a good cell phone. Mass cas events require people with more gear than you can carry. You can stock up on all the latest gear you want but you will not have enough of something. Each is different with a multitude of different problems to be solved. If you're not EMS you cannot do anything more life saving other than following your CPR & First Responder guidelines.


If it is a mass cas event cell towers will be overloaded. Calls were not going through well around arapahoe highschool on friday.

[RonMexico]

Why does everyone assume that SHTF or survival means no laws or accountability? The next event you may need to prepare for is most likely flood, blizzard/snowed in, fire & evac, etc. If you think Red Dawn is going to happen tomorrow then you have too much tin foil on. We should prepare for the most likely and probable events, not alien invasions and other movie plots.

I said SHTF bc I have no plan of leaving my house unless something crazy happens. Flooding doesn't really apply due to when I live, snow and blizzard is handled buy food, generators, space heaters and other basic prep and 4x4. I also live less than 2 miles away from major hwy, 2 hospital and major streets in southwest metro area, so snow removal is great around here.
I prep for a financial break down in the system. And if the world financial systems crash than rules really won't matter because govt employees won't be getting paid to enforce the rules and regs

[275RLTW]

I said SHTF bc I have no plan of leaving my house unless something crazy happens. Flooding doesn't really apply due to when I live, snow and blizzard is handled buy food, generators, space heaters and other basic prep and 4x4. I also live less than 2 miles away from major hwy, 2 hospital and major streets in southwest metro area, so snow removal is great around here.
I prep for a financial break down in the system. And if the world financial systems crash than rules really won't matter because govt employees won't be getting paid to enforce the rules and regs
Then why are you worried about wasting money on a backboard or AED if you are right near 2 hospitals and you have the city to move snow for you? Sounds like you're looking for the solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

[RonMexico]

Then why are you worried about wasting money on a backboard or AED if you are right near 2 hospitals and you have the city to move snow for you? Sounds like you're looking for the solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

I should add this tidbit: I am looking for a remote site to build a bug out casa. If a financial breakdown was to happen, I would get out of town... Roughly 2-3hr south of Denver. I was wonder about more advanced med equipment bc if you are so far away from a medical facility you have to be able to stabilize The causality for hours. When I worked in Africa our med plan was 8 hrs. That's why I had to take a live tissue TCCC course. It's just a sizable chunk of $$$$ and the Darwinism side of me believes only the strong survive. So if someone needs a AED or does have spinal trauma, are they just shit out of luck?

[cmailliard]

The incidents I have been on from Mass Casualties to NOLA/Katrina vary a great deal. Knowledge is a good start which you have and are continuing to acquire. There are some good books out there for what you are looking at - Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine, Improvised Medicine, and Survival Medicine Handbook are a couple that I have.

Everything you have asked about requires a hospital or higher level medical care at some point. So for the most part yeah they are SOL. Same thing for IV's for bleeding out, people seem to think they are a cure, but if you are dumping fluids into a patient who is bleeding, they need surgery. There are few things we can fix in the field. In true SHTF then prevention is the best thing you can do cause resources (ambulance, hospital, etc.) are gone for after the fact. As you said Darwinism.

Personally I have not put much effort into this because of these issues. It is just not worth it to me right now to put my money into this. If you have the money to spend on it, I say go ahead. Just make sure you are squared away on other things. Just understand for most things all you will be doing is prolonging the problem, not fixing it. Under some situations this may be fine, but not all.

[tmckay2]

for the most part i agree with you, except on the fluids case. certainly if they have major trauma or internal bleeding there isn't much a person with meager supplies can do. but an IV can be life saving in cases of external damage that can be easily repaired with common sense and some suturing. it just depends when you find the person and how long they have been losing fluids.

AED's aren't even close to worth it. great, you bring a person out of cardiac arrest, now what? its not like a person who just experienced cardiac arrest just jumps up and is good to go, they need to get to a hospital and be monitored not to mention you need to diagnose specifically what was the issue. if they had some form of heart attack there isn't anything you can really do for them, they need to be in a hospital and are going to need both acute and long term medications you won't have access to.

besides basic med supplies, and POSSIBLY antibiotics if you know what you are doing and can find a fairly easy way to access them, spending tons of money of medical things is a waste. if things get that bad rule number 1 is going to be don't get seriously injured. might as well put it into food, water, ammo, arms, and if possible setting up your house to be better protected and sustaining.


The incidents I have been on from Mass Casualties to NOLA/Katrina vary a great deal. Knowledge is a good start which you have and are continuing to acquire. There are some good books out there for what you are looking at - Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine, Improvised Medicine, and Survival Medicine Handbook are a couple that I have.

Everything you have asked about requires a hospital or higher level medical care at some point. So for the most part yeah they are SOL. Same thing for IV's for bleeding out, people seem to think they are a cure, but if you are dumping fluids into a patient who is bleeding, they need surgery. There are few things we can fix in the field. In true SHTF then prevention is the best thing you can do cause resources (ambulance, hospital, etc.) are gone for after the fact. As you said Darwinism.

Personally I have not put much effort into this because of these issues. It is just not worth it to me right now to put my money into this. If you have the money to spend on it, I say go ahead. Just make sure you are squared away on other things. Just understand for most things all you will be doing is prolonging the problem, not fixing it. Under some situations this may be fine, but not all.