who carries a first aid kit ??

[Feathers]

I have a first aid kit in the boot, and a pretty comprehensive tool kit with jumper leads and spare fluids, but not an extinguisher.
Really need to sort out all the crud in the boot into some sort of order, then I will add an extinguisher.

[dave351cid]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

1st things first, 2 thumbs up for stopping to help

I have used the kit in my every day car on a number of occasions on my kids and our friends, usually just for minor cuts and so forth. And I have to say I don’t find it confronting to do this. The only time I found any first aid treatment confronting was when I tried to resuscitate my dad last year. I couldn’t get him started, but I tell you what faced with that situation again and even with a stranger, it’s a no brainer I’d give it my all

thanks Yeti,

maybe confronting wasnt the best word to use ?? its just that even when watching tv i have to look away when there is lots of blood and exposed flesh. actually i think seeing it on tv is worse then the real thing, but when the other people that were already there said "great, you`ve got a first aid kit, can you put something on that cut in her leg" i wasnt expecting to see such a deep gash considering it wasnt bleeding that much. the poor girl had somehow just climbed out of her car (through the broken window?) and up about a 15ft embankment. i think that the window winder handle is what had cut into her leg.

but as you would well know , when something needs to be done you sometimes just ignore the unpleasantness and get on with the job.

[sudszy]

would be good(fire extinguisher if they became part of the adrs, then where the unit is mounted(inside the car) could be done a lot more unobtrusively and safely(meet crash testing standards etc)and we'd all eventually end up with one without having to firstly buy one, and find a spot to put it and ensure that mount is safe.

I couldnt really see where I could mount one in our current vehicle so it could be accessible to the driver, floor in front of the seat is good if there is only one driver or the drivers never have to move the seat. I bolted them in on older cars where you could be sure there wasnt any problem(on the side of the tranny tunnel, passenger kick panel, but on newer cars with all the plastic and hidden stuff, a little bit of a mine field for the home handyman.

Possibly arguments against are that the little 1kg extinguishers are next to useless in putting out fires, yada,yada and they would need to be much bigger, people would need to be trained to use them or they could injure themselves, very few people could have been saved(I have no idea on any stats here) if they had one(as opposed to engine fires where only the car gets totalled), and all the other regs to see that the extinguishers are inspected on a regular basis.

[Mr Brooksy]

My BA came with a kit. Its been invaluable! I work with teens and do camps etc so I need one on me all the time. Great idea Ford!

[jrfttf]

Both my vehicles carry first aid kits and fire extinguishers onboard!

I don't expect to put out a full blown car fire with what i have, but i have it to give someone who may be stuck a better chance of getting out alive
I was inspired by someone to get fire extinguishers, after the horror their family endured! My friends family lost a small child in a car fire due to the child been stuck and no fire extinguishers been available! It was hard for the friend in question to tell me what happened but since what they told me it had me out the next day buying them for my cars!

I cop **** off some people for having them but when they hear of why i carry them, they laughing stops extremely quickly

End of the day the stuff is not that dear, as people said above they have spend more on a 6-10 pack of **** or fancy food! end of the day if it doesn't help someone else it just might save your or a loved ones ****!!!!!

[Giant Cranium]

what jerk would sledge you for having a fire extinguisher in your car?
i have one in the cab and one on the inside of my canopy at the back door and a very large first aid kit (took the last 3 company cars kits as they went back to the lease company). very handy but i only seem to use the kits at soccer

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by dave351cid

i wasnt expecting to see such a deep gash considering it wasnt bleeding that much.

Alot of deep cuts wont bleed much it just depends on the vessel damage,

1 thing though people it doesn’t matter how simple your first aid kit is make sure there’s a few pairs of gloves, on the Big red truck I wear 2 pairs at once when doing emt stuff, this way its easy to drop the first pair when moving to a second person, and it only takes a fraction longer to double bag again for moving on, and Ambo showed me this and it was also suggested at the last BLS refresher I did

It’s easy to let the emotion of it all take over and jump right in, but you never know what the person you are treating has and well, I don’t plan on taking it home to my wife and kids

Its great that so many people are getting them self’s trained and making sure they are equipped, but always remember the most important person on the incident site is YOU the person your treating is already sick or injured, no need to add to the count

[TUF_302]

No I don't, but i defiantly should

[blackf6]

yep always have one in my or the missus vehicles. just incase the kids get hurt.

[dave351cid]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

1 thing though people it doesn’t matter how simple your first aid kit is make sure there’s a few pairs of gloves,

ahhh yes... that is something that we found out the other day.
my kit only had one pair of gloves which i put on, then another guy stopped who was a senior fireman and was helping but as we had no more gloves he had to get me to do all the touching jobs.

i will be restocking my kit with several pairs of gloves.

[jrfttf]

Originally Posted by captain awesome

what jerk would sledge you for having a fire extinguisher in your car?
i have one in the cab and one on the inside of my canopy at the back door and a very large first aid kit (took the last 3 company cars kits as they went back to the lease company). very handy but i only seem to use the kits at soccer

Trust me there been a couple! Some people have the issue of engaging mouth before brain!

[Keepleft]

Originally Posted by dave351cid

today i had a reminder of why everyone should carry a simple first aid kit in their car.
So, who has a first aid kit and or fire extinguisher in their car???

Buy FORDS new warning triangle, they have dramatically reduced the price $53 to $35.95 recently. See Sig.

Those of you with a Mondeo, Fiesta, Focus et al, will note that the boot area contains two straps on the passenger side, they are velcro - open them up and the triangle (standard in these cars OS) fits directly in the spot. On the other side of the boot area; these straps wrap around the first aid kit that you can buy from Ford, etc. Falcons - fit em - where you can.

Fit Fords fire extinguisher - where you can.

FORDS SAFETY ITEMS:-
http://www.ford.com.au/servlet/Satel...apper&site=FOA

Buy two high-vis safety vests to AS or EN471, mandatory to carry INSIDE THE CABIN in all cars in EU, these vests cost as little as $4.50 here in OZ.

AUS will set about mandating the triangle and vest (on new market cars) per an amendment to the UN Convention on Road Traffic. Am pushing the first aid kit as part of that. Fire extinguishers will probably be left optional, we'll see.

Originally Posted by captain awesome

what jerk would sledge you for having a fire extinguisher in your car?

The same kind of loons that wonder why the triangle, vest, first aid kit.

[BlueFG2]

i have two kits in the car and i know first aid, seeing as i am a vinyl layer i work with sharp tools, grinders, heavy objects, gas torches and other hot works. so it makes sense that i know how to fix myself up when things go south

[2011G6E]

Always. A compact one on the bike too.

There was a comment on expiry dates on bandages...don't worry about it. As a first aid trainer said in a course I did some years back when renewing my certificate, if someone is bleeding out through a large wound on, say, thier arm, just grab any old cloth and hold it shut...doesn't matter if it's dirty or greasy...infections they can worry about later, but if they bleed to death while you're trying to find a nice clean sterile cloth, there's not a lot they can do...

I'll also take the opportunity to knock on the head any suggestion that first aid help mightn't be a good idea as "you could get sued". No you won't. There hasn't been one successful case anywhere in the world of a person suing a first aider who has even the most basic first aid certificate. The main point is to help to the limit of your training...don't try and do a tracheotomy unless you are a doctor. I know how to do one, but there's no way in the world I'd try it unless I was hundreds of k's from anywhere and someones life really depended on it. If you get it even slightly wrong, they're dead.
Back to the lawsuits, they're not successful for one very good reason...the first time one is successful, everyone in the world with a first aid certificate will burn it and no one will dare help anyone who's even grazed their knee...people would be dying all over the place for lack of basic medical treatment.

Don't sweat it...and keep a good first aid kit handy...and do a course. They're not expensive and will be the best thing you can do. It might not be some stranger, it could be your significant other or one of your kids who hurts themselves, and that's not when you want to be standing around helplessly not knowing what to do.

[BPXR6T]

7 cars, 1 fire ext, 1 first aid kit. Not good...

[CFOUR]

i have 2 first aid kits in my ute, one for nicks and cust and another for light trauma.

[kinksta]

This could be a generalisation (or way off), but I feel the majority have a First Aid Kit / fire extinguisher on the forums because they are car enthusiasts, where as the everyday Joe wouldn't have one.

I don't have one, but have a few band aids. Out of every mate of mine, no one has one. Dad has one (FAK) , but it came from the factory like that... I am quite surprised by these results. Should I be?

[dave351cid]

i dont know if being a car enthusiast would have a lot to do with it....?

more like being an enthusiast of staying alive.
and having a little bit of care and respect for those around us.

[AndrewR_AUII]

Concern with compulsory fire extinguisher... small engine fire, person in panic lifts up bonnet.... small engine fire suddenly isn't small any more.
With the fire extinguisher, people also need to know how to use them properly (and safely).

[kinksta]

Originally Posted by dave351cid

i dont know if being a car enthusiast would have a lot to do with it....?

more like being an enthusiast of staying alive.
and having a little bit of care and respect for those around us.

I meant that the majority of people here are car enthusiasts that is why the poll suggests most people do. Where as if there was a poll taken with the general public, it would be a completely different result.

Maybe I didn't word it correctly sorry.

[EB#]

Good thread.
It has prompted me to get a simple first aid kit for my car,
so I just got this small travel type one.
(Note, there are plenty to choose from)

[GT-E]

Any of the first aid kits should have gloves and a thermal blanket in addition to the normal bandages. The thermal blanket (silver foil one) can protect and warm someone who is in shock. Just do not go overboard with the first aid kit, you are not an paramedic, you only need to stop bleeding and comfort a casualty until help arrives. I wonder how many of us with first aid equipped cars have done first aid training ? I do mine every 2 years as I am my companies first aid officer. Only used it once to save an baby chocking, was nice to have the knowledge on how to save the babies life, when everyone else was panicking.

[jrfttf]

Other thing is guys and girls, who says the kit has to be for a road incident, could be out with the family say at a park and need it there, or any incident, cause lets be honest when we are out somewhere the car isn't usually isn't far away.

[The Yeti]

It happend again :(

Yesterday afternoon I was working away happily in my office when I heard what sounded like someone throwing boxes down the stairs out in reception. Then I heard the receptionist yell **** (insert my boss’s name here). And left my office to find my boss un conscious and un responsive on the floor at the bottom of the steps. He was breathing but bleeding heavily from the ear.

I tell ya what if you’re a male in your 60’s I’m probably not the best bloke to know, I have a habit of finding them on the floor and unresponsive.

He’s not doing great ATM

But the reason I post this again is, guys although I might be the black curse and you don’t want me to be in your work place if you’re in your 60’s because this has happened both at my dad’s work shop and here (Though my boss is doing better than my Dad) First aid training is what let me know what to do while we waited for the ambulance, they were here in under 10 mins, but that 10 mins like last time felt like days.

I’ve said it before I’ll say it again, if you don’t have first aid training get it, if its expired get it. A lot of work places will pay for it, in a lot of cases you can claim it on your tax.

[2011G6E]

They gave us some at work a while back...nice compact ones. As I said before...I carry it on the bike or in the car.

Just got the notice from St Johns to renew my certificate as well...must do that.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by jrfttf

Other thing is guys and girls, who says the kit has to be for a road incident, could be out with the family say at a park and need it there, or any incident, cause lets be honest when we are out somewhere the car isn't usually isn't far away.

That's it.
Last year I kicked my toenail off at a motel late at night. Hobbled out to the car and fixed myself up nicely.
If there wasn't a first aid kit in the car I don't know what I would of done. Probably banged on the door of the motel owner or something.
Point being I always carry one in my car.

It helps that work gave us all a first aid kit.

[Burnout]

I've gota First aid kit....... I carry an extra large wheel brace.

[MattsDisturbed]

I've always had one, the car belonged to my dad and he carried it in the car wherever he went.