First Aid Kit while out in the woods (hobbyist)

[BarnSmokeStudio]

I have been out salvaging storm blown trees on my uncles land lately and was thinking something small that can be carried on me would be a good idea.  This is just fun in the woods for me on the weekends so I am guess those that do this for a living would have some good advise on what is good to have. 

Thanks in advance for the responses, this forum has been really helpful for me as a hobbyist to heard from those that have been doing these things for years

[Raider Bill]

A Israeli Battle dressing and a tourniquet would be high on my list to keep around.

[Old Greenhorn]

We had a pretty good thread on this subject maybe 2018-2019 or so. Try doing a little searching, that should give you a bunch of useful info.

[Old Greenhorn]

Found one of them: https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=97911.0https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=97911.0

[mudfarmer]

I work alone in the woods, there is one of these on the belt of my chaps https://forest-safety.com/collections/chainsaw-trauma-kits/products/chainsaw-trauma-kit and then a more normal first aid kit in the truck 

[BarnSmokeStudio]

Thanks for the info and the link to the old post.

[SwampDonkey]

I get mine from St John Ambulance. A personal kit on my saw harness and a big kit in the truck. Compression bandages are a 'must have' in the kits.

[thecfarm]

cellphone.
That is really the only reason I have one, so I can call the wife if I get hurt.

[John Mc]

cellphone.
That is really the only reason I have one, so I can call the wife if I get hurt.

Now if I could just figure out how to carry it without cracking the screen or loading the speaker and microphone holes up with sawdust.

[Magicman]

I carry my phone in one of these:  NiteIze

[thecfarm]

John Mc, that's why I have a cheapy flip phone. 
Seem like a phone will last me about a year.

[longtime lurker]

Spare starter cord with an eye splice one end hanging from a belt loop. You can use it to start a saw, but it's also a very effective one handed tourniquet.

I carry an abbreviated first aid kit - couple wound dressings and compression bandages and an EpiPen - in my dilly bag with my files and stuff but that's usually on the machine or at the base of the tree if I'm working on foot. And there's a serious first aid kit in the vehicle or camp depending on location. But that starter cord is on me from start to finish because if I need it then a tree length away might be too far.

Getting pinned by a log a couple years back made me think a few things over. And one of the thoughts at the time was I wasn't going to die from this but by the time someone found me I was going to be awful thirsty, cuz that big blue water bottle was 30 yards out of reach and I couldn't expect help for possibly up to 24 hours. Then I got lucky and cut my way out of bother myself ( just barely) but that lesson is important.... anything not in arms reach may as well not exist if it all goes to hell in a hand basket.

[charles mann]

I bought an ifak off amazon bc iv raided my mil issued ifaks over the past 14 yrs after getting out. It is about the same size with a lil more content than the mil issue. It can be secured to a normal or felling belt so its on the person, unlike me, leaving it with my saw bag, oil and gas jugs. But usually im nmt 50 yds from my tck and if further, i move my bag, ifak and jugs to within 50 or less. I should carry it on me, since i cut 99.99% by myself and it doesnt do no good if i bleed out before i can get to it. 

[gaspasser]

Anesthesiologist here with my 2 cents. To my way of thinking, there are 2 levels of first aid kits. The first is for minor cuts, lacs, scrapes and small puncture wounds. You can probably make up a zip lock bag from items found in your household/medicine cabinet. If sutures are needed, keeping the wound clean and covered with a sterile dressing will suffice until getting seen in emergency room. For larger trauma (think chain saw,  ax , wood splitter, etc) with severe bleeding with vigorous blood flow, clotting dressings are essentially useless. Use clean, large abd pads, feminine hygiene pads, 4x4's with direct pressure first. Do not change dressings if they become blood soaked, just apply additional on top. If bleeding continues, occluding pressure on brachial or femoral artery ( if an extremity wound) should be added in addition to the direct pressure. Raising  extremity may help.  Finally, if bleeding is not stopped by these methods, apply tourniquet and note the time of application. Limbs can survive for 90-120  minutes of occlusion in emergencies. Get to closest ER. Do not eat or drink anything to lower aspiration risk if surgery is needed.

Best medicine is prevention. Avoid working alone if possible. Work carefully with proper gear. Stop when tired. Be up to date on tetanus shots and keep cell phone or emergency locator device on your person.

[Ron Scott]

It's always a good idea for woods workers to have formal first aid training and I would recommend taking the training for an advanced red cross certificate as a minimum; especially if you are working alone.

[Old Greenhorn]

Ron, you make a great point and we should all repeat this from time to time in these threads. I am wondering though does the RC even offer their advanced course anymore? Out local chapter does not. In addition I would suggest that forestry type folks tale a class that is sponsored by their local loggers association, organization or whatever. These are offered regionally or by state districts. Point being those classes will be filled with others doing similar work and hopefully taught by someone who understands their needs. Taking a course at your closest small city will likely get you an urban instructor who has no idea the issues woods workers face and self treatment is not really in their curriculum. Not a dig on those folks, just pointing out that it might be of limited help. As a former instructor who has taken many courses I can say that the urban RC instructors knew what they had to teach and how to teach it, but most had little or no field experience. However the very best classes I took were put on by folks with a lot of field experience, one being a NOLS Wilderness first aid Class done over a very full day, with field exercises and critiques, in other words 'practice'. That class was put on by EMT's, Paramedics, and a couple of Combat medics between deployments. After that I got my Certified First Responder and started volunteering on a rescue Squad, which led to getting my EMT and eventually an EMS Captain. All this led to a lot of field experience which put me in very good shape to handle almost anything that came my way.
 No I don't think everybody should do that, but knowledge is power and gives one confidence. The main thing is to be able to help yourself or someone else in those first critical minutes and stay calm. What drove all this for me was watching a friend die in front of me in the woods while I had no idea what to do. Fortunately others were there and I watched them work hard as a crew to save our friend. None of them had worked together before yet it was as seamless as if they did it everyday. I was in awe and also ashamed of myself. I set out on a personal quest to make sure I never felt helpless again. I pray others never go through a night like the one I went through when my friend lost his life before they learn that the 'boring time' spent in a classroom is not a waste of their time.
 Sorry, I got a little over the edge here, I was just trying to make a point. I probably overdid it. But Yeah Ron, you are right, take a class from good instructors and pay attention please.

[SwampDonkey]

We take First Aid up here every 1-3 years. On work sites it's 1 first aider required for every three workers. COVID hysteria disrupted that.

[John Mc]

It's been many years since I took a first aid class. I've started looking for a wilderness first aid type class in my area. I remember seeing one mentioned several years ago, but can't recall who offered it.

[Old Greenhorn]

John, you are in a lucky region of the Country. Solo schools, who I took a most outstanding WFA course with is based in New England. Top notch instruction. Here's a link to their course listing LINK They have many course offerings. I highly recommend their programs.. You may have to wait a while for a class close to you, but it's worth it. I was planning on taking my WEMT with them but NYS does not recgonize WEMT's.

[oldgraysawyer]

I agree with everybody. Any first aide training or supplies is a plus. You never know who or when it will be needed. Over the years I've been both the giver and receiver of it. Anything as serious as death to just the small cut needing attention. I've been there when buddies die and a small cut wasn't given the proper attention and a serious infection caused a lot of issues. If you can find a qualified place to get at the least basic first aide and CPR to whatever you feel comfortable taking with the time and resources available to you it is always worth the investment.

The deaths were preventable and sadly a lack of respect for the danger or folks that have been there in the game their whole life try to intimidate others by saying things to belittle the newbies often result in bad outcomes. Didn't mean to get to sappy or harsh but it's not fun watching your friends die because of stupid things like not using PPE that they had in their possession or ignoring the safety training we all had by acting big and tough. Yep, sometimes you can slide by, sometimes play stupid games win stupid prizes.

[DDW_OR]

be careful of blowdowns
when the root ball breaks this could happen

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=16063.msg1929662#msg1929662


[url="https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=207694"][/url]

[Ianab]

cellphone.
That is really the only reason I have one, so I can call the wife if I get hurt.

If you are in a poor cell coverage area, there are also Personal Locator Beacons. Trigger it and it sends a signal to a satellite with your location. No other info, it's just an SOS with your location. They don't know if your boat is sinking, your plane has crashed, our you have simply broken your leg, but someone will come and investigate, usually in a helicopter. 

If you have cellphone coverage, then that's going to be cheaper. Suggestion for boaties is to put the phone in a zip lock plastic bag. That way it doesn't get wet when you abandon ship or full of dust when you are sawing. So you could bag a flip phone, and put that in a pouch on your belt. Personally I use a smartphone, because it has the camera, GPS, Forum access etc. There are "rugged" phones, look up the CAT ones. They are bulky and not cheap, but you can drop them in the mud and they still work. 

[DJake]

Fwiw, I always carry a small pouch on my wedge,tape belt with a 4 and 1 cedderoth mini blood stopper as well as several hygiene pads (and more in the skidder toolbox).

[John Mc]

Didn't mean to get to sappy or harsh but it's not fun watching your friends die because of stupid things like not using PPE that they had in their possession or ignoring the safety training we all had by acting big and tough. Yep, sometimes you can slide by, sometimes play stupid games win stupid prizes.

I've got no patience for the sort of macho BS that seems to drive some people to make those sorts of dumb decisions.

[oldgraysawyer]

I agree 110%