First Aid Kit

[Kacey]

If you are an instructor, do you have a first aid kit for your class? If you are a student, do you know if your instructor has a first aid kit, or do you carry any first aid supplies with you?

What do you think should be in your first aid kit? I found out (the hard way) that the YMCA where I teach has nothing beyond band-aids, even though they told me that they had a first aid kit - it turned out that all the contents had been used, and had been replaced by a box of cheap band-aids... I found this out after one of my students slipped on the stairs, hit his head on the metal doorframe, and split his forehead open. Luckily, my assistant instructor carries a selection of first aid supplies with him, including gauze and alcohol wipes.

I am in the process of building a first aid kit for my class that I can carry in my gym bag, as my class meets in 2 different rooms, and one has no secure storage, and things have gone missing before. I've looked at the premade ones, and they seem to be charging an awful lot for the contents and a plastic box. Here's what I've got so far to put in it:

- ace bandages, in a couple of standard sizes
- fabric bandaids, the standard variety box
- gauze pads
- first aid tape
- alcohol wipes
- gel ice pack (the kind you puncture to get them cold)

What else would you put in your kit?

 

[Drac]

Tounge depressors make great finger splints..Ammonia caps..Rubber gloves (and not the cheap ones) the better ones that the EMT's use as a barrier against blood born pathogens.Some sissors to cut the athletic tape..A bottle of Tylenol or its generic equal..Any non-asperin would do..Also a bottle of Rolaids..

 

[stickarts]

We have a first aid kit and it is located in a cabinet in the dojo and the cabinet actually has a sign on it that says "first aid" so it is visible to anyone that may need it. It has all the typical first aid stuff such as bandages, ice packs, gauze, gloves, pads, tapes, etc...
We also have periodic first aid classes.

 

[Drac]

We have a first aid kit and it is located in a cabinet in the dojo and the cabinet actually has a sign on it that says "first aid" so it is visible to anyone that may need it. It has all the typical first aid stuff such as bandages, ice packs, gauze, gloves, pads, tapes, etc...
We also have periodic first aid classes.

An EXCELLENT idea..Basic first aid and CPR classes...Every instructor and assistant should be well versed in those....

 

[tellner]

There's a paramedic, a PA and a former Green Beret Combat Surgeon, so we're pretty well set up for skills. They both bring their backpacks full of supplies, so that's good, too. When we had classes of our own we had the Deluxe Red Cross First Aid kit available and the background to use it.

 

[jks9199]

Good advice from others. I'm not going to dig into what you should carry too much, since others are better versed than I am. I would suggest adding a small bottle of chlorine bleach, that you can add to water to make a disinfectant solution. Bloodborne pathogens are a serious concern today, and you can't always find the facility's supplies when you need them. Also, think about the particular risks of your martial art as you select items.

And I'd suggest you buy a tackle box or tool box that you can carry your kit in, instead of just shoving it into a gym bag. They're inexpensive, they have places you can put different things so that you can actually find them, and they're sturdier so they'll protect them.

 

[jks9199]

There's a paramedic, a PA and a former Green Beret Combat Surgeon, so we're pretty well set up for skills. They both bring their backpacks full of supplies, so that's good, too. When we had classes of our own we had the Deluxe Red Cross First Aid kit available and the background to use it.

Just a note... the instructor shouldn't rely on having students with first aid skills. Murphy's Law will strike, and it'll either be that guy who needs first aid --or he'll be out, or not have his kit with him...

And, anyway, EVERYONE can benefit from learning basic first aid, in life and not just the dojo.

 

[Drac]

I would suggest adding a small bottle of chlorine bleach, that you can add to water to make a disinfectant solution. Bloodborne pathogens are a serious concern today, and you can't always find the facility's supplies when you need them. Also, think about the particular risks of your martial art as you select items.

And I'd suggest you buy a tackle box or tool box that you can carry your kit in, instead of just shoving it into a gym bag. They're inexpensive, they have places you can put different things so that you can actually find them, and they're sturdier so they'll protect them.

Great ideas jks....I forgot about the bleach..An EXCELLENT idea, we carry it in our cruisers...

 

[Kacey]

I'm first aid and CPR trained myself, so that's not really a problem.

Bleach is the one thing that the Y actually had when this happened, so I don't really think I want to carry it with me.

If I were in the same room all the time, I'd get a tackle box - but my gym bag just isn't that big, and while I have a locking container in one room, in the other room (which is in another building about a block away) I don't have access to anything that locks... and as I say, things walk from the unlocked storage room; I've had to replace the US flag 3 times because someone in the Y "borrowed it" and forgot where it came from, so they didn't bring it back.

Thanks for the ideas, all - keep 'em coming!

 

[tellner]

Just a note... the instructor shouldn't rely on having students with first aid skills. Murphy's Law will strike, and it'll either be that guy who needs first aid --or he'll be out, or not have his kit with him...

And, anyway, EVERYONE can benefit from learning basic first aid, in life and not just the dojo.

The Combat Surgeon is the teacher. And since the class is usually at his home we're pretty well set. When we ran our own class we both had current Red Cross Advanced First Aid certificates and our own kit. I never leave the house without (pick two out of three) QuikClot, a field dressing, compressed gauze, a Leatherman tool and a flashlight. You'd be amazed how much emergency first aid you can do with those.

 

[Jai]

We have two at our school. One is a Johnson and Johnson one you can pick up at any wal-mart or target with a few extras added in. The other has any special meds that students may need in an emergency.