Monthly Archives: April 2012

What We Did This Week To Prep 4/6/12

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The greenhouse project continues forward, not nearly as fast as we had hoped or planned (my projects are never as fast as planned), but forward. At this point it’s all framed and ready for it’s plastic coating. This weekend Sarah and I will select what plastic to use, borrow a friend’s truck (can’t wait to get our own) and HOPEFULLY finish it and move plants in early next week. It has been a good learning experience. We’re pleased with how it came out and excited about the options it will provide for us. Next building project: rabbit hutch.

I say “move plants” because Sarah planted the ones that needed to grow the longest, and put them in the grow box I made last year. It doesn’t fit a lot, but they’ve sprouted and are on schedule to be the size they need by mid-June when they’ll go into the ground.

This week was our kids’ spring break, so taking advantage of the lack of school and sports practices, Ryan and Brynn had all four of their wisdom teeth pulled last Friday. Not an especially fun week for them (and us by association), but now it’s done. This got me to thinking how miserable it would be to have impacted, painful wisdom teeth in a collapse world. Even if you could get them out, what a horrible experience it would be without any/or only minimal pain control during and after the procedure. I then thought about other surgical procedures that maybe we’ve been thinking about and/or know we ought to get done – but have been putting off. Perhaps it’s time to get them done. Things like root canals and other dental work, knee/joint repairs (surgical or non-surgical), even Lasik eye surgery. There have been discussions in the comments section about the value of having extra glasses; while nothing surgical can be done for the farsightedness that comes with age, Lasik surgery can completely repair your eyes for life. I had radial keratotomy done on my eyes in ’93 (the surgical precursor to the Lasik laser eye surgery) and it completely corrected my nearsightedness. In this chaotic economic time, when there seem to be very few ‘safe’ investments, maybe it’s time to invest some money to take care of yourself.

As mentioned, when Kate (our Border Collie) and I go for our regular walks, I carry my weighted backpack as part of my workout routine (walking in my hiking boots, off-trail, carrying extra weight). My pack isn’t huge (ia Maxpedition Falcon II, with 1500 cu. in. capacity), and after I put in some good GHB type stuff, I filled the remaining space with large rocks to make it weigh more. I was thinking it weighed about 50-60 pounds. (note: We didn’t own a scale. I’ve never felt like body weight is a good measurement of fitness, so I never bought one.) This week I broke down and bought a scale, so I could weigh my pack. Anyway it only came in at 40 pounds. I was a bit disappointed because I want to be carrying closer to 65 pounds –  which is how much our BOBs weigh (and close to 1/3 of my body weight which is the recommended maximum amount to be carried for any distance). Since I didn’t have room for any more rocks, I took out the rocks and put in three 10 pound weights (they take up less space and are less abusive to my pack) taking the total weight up to about 60 pounds (when the CamelBak is full of water). Yesterday’s walk resulted in some tired muscles, but I was able to keep the same pace. I’m going to keep that weight for a couple of weeks them put in the final plate to take it to 70 pounds; I’m still trying to follow the old military (and hopefully prepper) mantra of “train like you’ll fight, fight like you trained”.

What did you do?

(Monday: Stop The Bleeding)

What’s In Our Personal First Aid Kits

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“Quick Grab The First Aid Kit!”
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There are many pre-packaged first aid kits (FAK*) out there, but I believe you should build your own. To help you do that I’ve included what I do, and don’t, include in my own personal FAK; my choices are based on over 10 years working in emergency medicine as both an Army medic and a civilian paramedic. When it comes to first aid kits (FAK*) I definitely believe in the KISS principle of: keep it simple stupid. My primary goal, for these kits, was to be able to stop bleeding–big or small–quickly and efficiently. Almost all items in the kit are related to that purpose – this is essentially a prepper personal trauma kit.

What is in our Personal Trauma Kits

  • cravat bandages – I believe cravats are the cornerstone to any FAK. I use them as pressure dressings, tourniquets, to dress wounds, and as slings – if one isn’t long enough, tie two together (or three). I prefer white ones so you can see if blood is soaking through, the military type are green which is good for camouflage, but bad to see blood.
  • 3×3 gauze pads (it’s what I had, 4×4 would be fine too)
  • assorted size band-aids – Because common things happen commonly and it’s important to control small bleeding also.
  • Quik-Clot Combat Gauze – A lifesaving product when it comes to bleeding. Applied correctly you can stop almost any bleeding in less than three minutes. (It’s expensive though, about $15 each.)
  • Wet Ones antibacterial wipes – To clean away dirt, grime, and blood.
  • Gorilla Tape (Gorilla Glue’s version of duct tape, without the sticky residue) – We made our own rolls containing about 25 feet of tape. It costs less than medical tape and works better. Always ‘tab‘ the end of any tape to make it easy to find and unroll. (If you already have medical tape, use the two-inch variety.)
  • trauma shears – Heavy-duty scissors to cut away clothing or cut bandages.
  • rubber gloves – I don’t believe gloves are essential, especially when working on family members, but they’re nice to have. They help protect you from blood borne diseases, i.e. HIV or Hepatitis (put in a couple of pairs, they can tear).
  • pouch – I like a clear one so it’s easy to see contents, but any small pouch will work.
  • red carabiner – (This is a ‘Trace original’). You/or someone else will have to be able to quickly find your FAK while blood is flowing. The red carabiner is attached with a cord to the FAK, then it is clipped to the outside of your backpack. When the FAK is needed, find the carabiner, open the closest zipper and pull out the kit attached to the cord. (We also use this on our BOB.)
  • LED keychain flashlight (not pictured) – These things always happen in the dark. Yes you have one on your keys (EDC), but it’s good to be redundant on some things.

That’s it, pretty simple and small; if it’s too big, people won’t carry it. Sarah keeps hers in her work backpack and the kids’ are in their school packs. All our kits are the same, so any family member could easily grab any kit and know what it contains. Could it contain more? Sure. There are even some items that would be nice to have that I didn’t include because of space. There are also many other commonly included items that I didn’t include because I  don’t believe they are necessary.

What’s Not In Our Kits:

  • medications – Though some OTC meds are nice to have available, they don’t belong in here.
  • alcohol or iodine wipes – The antibacterial wet ones are much more effective at cleaning, and less caustic on the sensitive damaged skin.
  • cold or heat packs – They’re useful, but they’re not about stopping bleeding. They also take a lot of space.
  • suture kit (or steri-strips) – Even if you have the knowledge to use them, wounds shouldn’t be closed until they are thoroughly cleaned. They should never be closed in the field.
  • sterile gloves – Why? Yes you should have gloves, no they don’t need to be sterile.
  • first aid manual – When blood is flowing it is not the time to be looking things up. Learn the basic skills required and leave the books at home.
  • CPR mask – We’re focused on stopping bleeding, if they require CPR–and you choose to do it–the mouth-to-mouth method can be used.
  • medical tape – It’s more expensive and other types work just as well.
  • emergency survival blanket – Space blankets sound good in theory, but they’re not so great in practice. They also take up too much space in a small trauma kit.
  • pre-cut eye pads – Overly specific item that can be improvised if needed.
  • abdominal dressing – Too big.
  • antibiotic ointment (i.e. Neosporin) – Clean the wound as best you can with the wet ones, then dress it. Worry about a more thorough cleaning and ointments, if necessary, later.
  • burn cream – Again, nice to have, but not in this kit.
  • Israeli Battle Dressing – I love these things (and have them in my home and BOB FAKs), but they were too big for this kit. I believe a properly applied cravat bandage can achieve the same goal.
  • ACE Bandage – I also like these a lot, but again too big. If you use them, wrap carefully to avoid tourniquet-like pressure – unless that is what you’re trying to do.
  • gauze bandage roll – Nice to have to dress a wound, but takes a lot of space.

Now build your own FAK. Think about what you are preparing for; remember back to injuries you, or others, have had and think what would have helped you treat those wounds. Put in what you want, know why it’s there and know how to use it – through practice, not just in theory. Own your FAK.

(Update: Since putting this list together I have also added a Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT), it’s a true 1-handed tourniquet that can be used on both upper and lower extremities. Also a pair of heavy duty tweezers (Uncle Bill’s Sliver Gripper Tweezers).

(Friday: What We Did This Week To Prep)

*For my list of abbreviations and other information, open the above ‘Check Here…’ page tab.

 

Knowing Your First-Aid Kit & How To Use It

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“I’ll Figure It Out”

Your loved one is hurt. Blood is flowing, you can’t even tell from where. It’s too dark to see well. It’s cold. You’re alone. They’re scared. You’re scared.

We all know it’s important to have a good first aid kit (FAK*). But even more important is basic, solid first aid knowledge. It’s easy to buy a super-duper, has everything–including field surgery equipment–FAK and think that you are covered when it comes to any first-aid scenario. But buying stuff is easy, you must learn the skills–especially when it comes to first aid.

Fortunately learning basic first aid skills is pretty easy: opening the airway, stopping bleeding, protecting the injury, treating for shock, cleaning wounds, etc. Unfortunately developing the proficiency to be able to quickly react and appropriately deal with these emergencies is much harder. Medical knowledge isn’t like riding a bike, it’s perishable – if you don’t use it, you do forget. That’s why medical professionals, at all levels, are constantly taking continuing education classes, re-certifying, and teaching others. I can show you how to put on a pressure dressing and you can practice a time or two – but a year later, when blood is flowing and must be stopped, you may not remember. You must develop the basic skills needed and then regularly practice them.

Back to the pre-packaged super FAK. Do you even know what’s in that kit? By knowing, I mean, can you identify each item, explain why it’s there, and do you have experience using it? My problem with pre-packaged kits is that everything comes in a nice pretty package, neatly stored in it’s own container, perfectly fit in it’s proper spot. Most of us prepper types–whether we want to admit it or not–are a bit OCD; we like things organized, and neatly put in their proper locations. So when it comes to that pre-packaged kit we do not want to open up all the little packages and see what’s in them, or move them around; we want them left alone, neatly packaged away, for a time we might need it.

But when we do need“it” too many people have the mindset: I’ll figure it out if/when I need to. That thought process implies that you’ll very quickly–under a stress-filled, potentially life-threatening situation–figure out what equipment you have on hand (and what you don’t) and how to skillfully apply it. That’s not the way things work; we don’t rise to the occasion like that. Instead we revert to the level of training we’ve developed proficiency at.

What I recommend, when it comes to your FAK, is to build your own (I differ from some other medical people on this). There are medical people who say that FAKs aren’t like putting together a fire building kit or a BOB; that people don’t really understand what is needed in a medical kit. My response to that is if they don’t understand it, it shouldn’t be in their kits. If it is important to you to have a good FAK, then it’s important to take the time to assemble it and know what each item is and why it is in there.

Also, the side benefit of making your own kit is that you will save money. Anything that is labeled for medical purposes and/or individually packaged costs more. Once you understand what an item is you may not have to buy the medical version of it, ie. a cravat bandage and a bandana are about the same thing. And it’s always cheaper to buy items in bulk.

On Wednesday I’ll write about the FAK my family members carry on a regular basis. What we put in them and why. It’ll be sort of anticlimactic because it’s really just a simple kit. But each of them know where their FAK is, what it contains, and how to use each item in it.

(Wednesday: Quick Grab The First-Aid Kit!)

*For my list of abbreviations and other information, open the above ‘Check Here…’ page tab.