Do You Have An Adequate First Aid Kit?

[MonacoMike]

Never considered boating to be a dangerous activity, never mind most dangerous. Maybe you can elaborate on exactly what your doing that's so dangerous. Personally I go out to relax.

Are you kidding me? Perhaps the least thought out question I've seen on this site.

MM

 

[MonacoMike]

Seriously. Guess I'm in scoflaw's crowd. I have a basic kit on board to handle very minor injuries but beyond that wouldn't know what to do beyond the boy scout manual anyway. I know how to apply a tourniquet, could use the butt end of a rod for a splint, stuff like that. I wouldn't consider boating to be any more dangerous than any other activity given a little common sense. Yes, a drunk boater could take me out. Could be struck by lightning too but chances are slim and anything I'd carry wouldn't address that kind of catastrophic event.

"Think of all the danger onboard. The falls already mentioned, chemical burns, fire or hot surface burns, cuts from loss of limb to a paper cut, insects stings and bites, heat stroke, and we have not even touched on human sickness." That all sounds a bit dramatic to me. Forty years of boating, never had the need for anything more than some gauze and tape. Hook in a finger and broken toe. Tape and a trip to the ER upon return to port took care of it.

Glad you have been lucky in your 40 years, but your luck does not eliminate the risks nor the need to prepare for those risks. Hope your grandkids never suffer because your vessel lacked a comprehensive first aid kit.

MM

 

[play dough]

Glad you have been lucky in your 40 years, but your luck does not eliminate the risks nor the need to prepare for those risks. Hope your grandkids never suffer because your vessel lacked a comprehensive first aid kit.

MM

Oh please, save the sermon.

You're correct, there's a risk every time I leave my house or for that matter crawl out of bed. Staying safe is not so much about "luck" as it is about going about an activity in a way that reduces peril. I'm adequately prepared for minor injury.

 

[k9medic]

All this mention of first aid kits but no mention of training...

Do you know that a a medical first responder class (like the ones taught to police officers) is generally a 40 hours class that is taught in the evenings?

Training could make the difference between knowing what is truly an emergency and what could maybe just use a bandaid.


I have been fortunate in my 30 years of operating a boat that I have only had to use a few items out of my first aid kit. Although I am not a medic by profession anymore the times I did use them though challenged every bit of my medical training (certified as a medic for 19 years now...)

 

[Four Suns]

I guess it kinda of depends where and how you boat. Some responses on here are just stupid... Working in the engine room or kids tubing on the river are all ways to get hurt easily.

The things I've had to deal with are bad cuts and slivers and being able to deal with that in a timely fashion is critical and also my not require a trip to the ER. I have one of the high-end kits from West Marine and have supplemented it with a few things.

1. Dermabond. http://www.dermabond.com I have a box of this stuff on the boat and have used it many times and avoided going to the ER for a couple of stitches (or they'll use Dermabond). A tube of superglue works the same but some people show irritation to it.

2. A couple big containers of sterile saline solution. This can be found in eye care departments or buy it online. It is what one needs to flush out a wound ASAP with. Also good for flushing eyes if suntan lotion gets in them. Carry some isopropyl alcohol also (for cleaning... not eyes).

3. A Z-pack (Azithromycin 7-day pack). Just in case....

4. A couple big rolls of gauze, pads and medical tape.

5. New addition to our boat this year... An AED... We are now over 50... and people that come with us are over 50... that's the deal.

6. Direct phone lines to the MD's I work with... had worked well in the past when I was traveling this year and had H1N1 flu and infected a couple of plane loads of people before I landed in the hospital. There are some new tele-medicine services out there and if I didn't have the personal access I have, I would sign up for one of those... Nothing like instant "FaceTime" with an MD.

I'll probably never use my life raft or EPIRB either... but I have those as well. I also have fire extinguishers... probably never use them... have flares... probably never use them...

 

[boltman]

Gary AED is that a defibrillator ??? Damn I'd be afraid my wife would use that on me if she got pissed , we have what will take care of most cut scraps and wounds , I once saw a woman catch her leg on a bolt on the dock ripped a 6" gash in her leg , she took a needle and thread and sewed it closed on her own leg , she was an RN it was gross but she stopped the bleeding quickly !!!
Don't have an EPIRB either but we seldom adventure more than a mile from shoreline .


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[Oar Play]

For gads sake, are you guys preparing for a floating zombie apocalypse!

I think any responsible captain has adequate provisions on board to take care of the bug bites and hang nails that happen everyday. If your planning a surgery or hacking off a limb, maybe boating isn't the best hobbie to chose.


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[Four Suns]

So why do you carry so many fire extinguishers on your boat? You planning on it burning to the waterline?

The over reaction by some here is comical. I've impaled my foot on the engine room hatch two times in the 11 years I've had the 480. One time I had blood spewing out so much it looked like someone had been shot on the back of the boat. I've had many cuts on the hands from working in the engine room... and going to the ER for a two stitches is a waste of time.

The idea is to not "hack limbs" but to be able to clean major wounds and stabilize a person before one can get them to a hospital. We travel up and down the east coast on the ocean and sometimes we are 3-4 hours from any inlet let alone a hospital. Not all of us are on a stinky inland lake with 40,000 pontoon boats. Do a search on "heart attack" and "boat" on google and you'll find more stories than boats burning down.

We've had these same discussions about life rafts and EPIRBS. People are delusional if they think they can swim to land because they can see shore. Most of us fat asses can't swim 1000 feet in open water with waves on it. Probably don't wear PFDs either... and good for you. Nothing will probably ever happen to you.

 

[Oar Play]

So why do you carry so many fire extinguishers on your boat? You planning on it burning to the waterline?

Valid point! I have three on a 24' boat. The extinguisher in the engine compartment is needed to buy some time for passengers to abandon, the other 2 are simply to satisfy the law!


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[MonacoMike]

Ok, I'll play along with the snarky folks that equate boating and the "risk every time I leave my house or for that matter crawl out of bed" and try to explain why your swimming pool doesn't have a blender blade or two in it?

Life for humans has always been fraught with risk but we also have worked ceaselessly to minimize those risks and danger. Boating is dangerous. If you are a dock queen or only anchor a mile out you likely will not need much as you can always just call 911. So, tell me, what could you do that you may be an hour or more from away from a first responder? The best answers to that question have been various hikes and treks into mountains, deserts, and forests. Those pursuits lack many dangerous aspects of boating.

High performance engines.

Large battery banks.

Two electrical systems.

Powerful cutting equipment. (How many people a year lose a limb to a prop?)

No home building code would allow you to duplicate the trip hazards, lack of hand rails and more on many of our boats.

If one does not see the differences between being at home and the potential for disaster with all the systems crammed onto a compact pleasure craft on the water it is because they don't want to.

Oh, I know, "It will never happen to me"....

MM

 

[AFD]

AED's are a great tool even for somebody that has never touched one. The new ones talk you through CPR and applying the pads correctly. The nursing home we frequent has a pair of the new ones and we kind of chuckle when we hear it down the hall but nurses who aren't familiar in an actual emergency can be more of a hindrance than help and these really do help. Also any that were built within the last ten or so years will NOT shock somebody that doesn't need to be. There are rhythm identifying algorithms that prevent unnecessary electrocution.

No offense to nurses but ones that work on med/surge floors are great with post op complications and ones that work psych floors can talk someone (slowly) off a ledge but tend to get in the way and/or start CPR on everybody that fainted causing further problems. I have seen a patient shivering with some unknown caused metobolic hypothermia being pumped full of ativan for seizures by a nurse with " the best of intentions" doesn't mean it was right. Also showed up on scene to watch an ICU nurse trying to start compressions on a conscious man because she couldn't find a radial pulse. He was yelling at her to stop, he was extremely hypotensive but very much awake and aware.

I say this with all the love in the world for nurses. My wife is one and knows who is in charge when things go wrong. The medic.



Proper
prior
preparation
prevents
piss
poor
performance

The key here is proper.

 

[Oar Play]

AED's are a great tool even for somebody that has never touched one. The new ones talk you through CPR and applying the pads correctly. The nursing home we frequent has a pair of the new ones and we kind of chuckle when we hear it down the hall but nurses who aren't familiar in an actual emergency can be more of a hindrance than help and these really do help. Also any that were built within the last ten or so years will NOT shock somebody that doesn't need to be. There are rhythm identifying algorithms that prevent unnecessary electrocution.

No offense to nurses but ones that work on med/surge floors are great with post op complications and ones that work psych floors can talk someone (slowly) off a ledge but tend to get in the way and/or start CPR on everybody that fainted causing further problems. I have seen a patient shivering with some unknown caused metobolic hypothermia being pumped full of ativan for seizures by a nurse with " the best of intentions" doesn't mean it was right. Also showed up on scene to watch an ICU nurse trying to start compressions on a conscious man because she couldn't find a radial pulse. He was yelling at her to stop, he was extremely hypotensive but very much awake and aware.

I say this with all the love in the world for nurses. My wife is one and knows who is in charge when things go wrong. The medic.



Proper
prior
preparation
prevents
piss
poor
performance

The key here is proper.

Agreed. Practice "Doesn't" make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.



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[MonacoMike]

I think the AED's are awesome, way cooler than an IUD, and would love to have one soon.

One thing I'd like to have in my kit is an EpiPen but they require a prescription. Any way around that for a first aid kit?

MM

 

[Oar Play]

Even though the IUD prevents unwanted pregnancies, I still prefer the AED, it's easy, it's convenient, it's proven, and doesn't require a Dr. to use.


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[blaster]

One thing I'd like to have in my kit is an EpiPen but they require a prescription. Any way around that for a first aid kit?

MM

Next time you have a rash go to your doctor and tell them you ate some bad clams. They will probably give you a script.

 

[play dough]

Ok, I'll play along with the snarky folks that equate boating and the "risk every time I leave my house or for that matter crawl out of bed" and try to explain why your swimming pool doesn't have a blender blade or two in it?

Life for humans has always been fraught with risk but we also have worked ceaselessly to minimize those risks and danger. Boating is dangerous. If you are a dock queen or only anchor a mile out you likely will not need much as you can always just call 911. So, tell me, what could you do that you may be an hour or more from away from a first responder? The best answers to that question have been various hikes and treks into mountains, deserts, and forests. Those pursuits lack many dangerous aspects of boating.

High performance engines.

Large battery banks.

Two electrical systems.

Powerful cutting equipment. (How many people a year lose a limb to a prop?)

No home building code would allow you to duplicate the trip hazards, lack of hand rails and more on many of our boats.

If one does not see the differences between being at home and the potential for disaster with all the systems crammed onto a compact pleasure craft on the water it is because they don't want to.

Oh, I know, "It will never happen to me"....

MM

There would be no blender blade in my pool because it would render it unsafe. Same goes for the back of the boat when the motor is running to say nothing of it being in gear. I'm really curious what kind of equipment you have on board your 27 Dancer to deal with a severed limb and why you'd allow ANYONE anywhere near the props of your boat that might make that event even possible. I'm not being snarky (whatever that is), just stating a bit of common sense reality.

High Performance Engine...hardly. 5.7L V8 times 2 no superchargers or nitro.
Large Battery Bank...not really. A couple group 27 wet cells.
Two electric systems...yes. AC is inactive anywhere but connected to shore and DC is harmless.
Cutting equipment...covered that.
Trip hazards and hand holds...probably better than in the house although the house is pretty steady in a 30 knot breeze.

You're right there is a potential for disaster. Fire, sinking, cardiac arrest, choking, etc. I'm as prepared as I can be within reason but not to the point of being obsessive about it. Life vests, rings, ditch box, extinguishers, flares, halon, and basic first aid kit. It's all there but to equip like an ER is a little paranoid. Maybe that's my demise someday and I'm OK with that.

BTW, my house has far more potential for catastrophy than anything I do boating beginning with the woodshop but I manage the risk by applying common sense safety practices. Same thing with boating. I tend to boat in good conditions to reduce the risk. A couple hunderd hours all over northern Lake Michigan yearly. Hardly a dock queen.

 

[MonacoMike]

There would be no blender blade in my pool because it would render it unsafe. Same goes for the back of the boat when the motor is running to say nothing of it being in gear. I'm really curious what kind of equipment you have on board your 27 Dancer to deal with a severed limb and why you'd allow ANYONE anywhere near the props of your boat that might make that event even possible. I'm not being snarky (whatever that is), just stating a bit of common sense reality.

High Performance Engine...hardly. 5.7L V8 times 2 no superchargers or nitro.
Large Battery Bank...not really. A couple group 27 wet cells.
Two electric systems...yes. AC is inactive anywhere but connected to shore and DC is harmless.
Cutting equipment...covered that.
Trip hazards and hand holds...probably better than in the house although the house is pretty steady in a 30 knot breeze.

You're right there is a potential for disaster. Fire, sinking, cardiac arrest, choking, etc. I'm as prepared as I can be within reason but not to the point of being obsessive about it. Life vests, rings, ditch box, extinguishers, flares, halon, and basic first aid kit. It's all there but to equip like an ER is a little paranoid. Maybe that's my demise someday and I'm OK with that.

BTW, my house has far more potential for catastrophy than anything I do boating beginning with the woodshop but I manage the risk by applying common sense safety practices. Same thing with boating. I tend to boat in good conditions to reduce the risk. A couple hunderd hours all over northern Lake Michigan yearly. Hardly a dock queen.

For what purpose would you be argumentative with a thread promoting safety? Your "common sense reality" needs some sharpening. Boating is far more dangerous than than most hobbies the public partakes in. Thanks for hijacking a good positive thread.

MM

 

[Four Suns]

High Performance Engine...hardly. 5.7L V8 times 2 no superchargers or nitro.
Large Battery Bank...not really. A couple group 27 wet cells.
Two electric systems...yes. AC is inactive anywhere but connected to shore and DC is harmless.
Cutting equipment...covered that.
Trip hazards and hand holds...probably better than in the house although the house is pretty steady in a 30 knot breeze.

Demonstration that arrogance and ignorance are dangerous. Is your name Paul? DC is harmless? Really? AC is inactive anywhere but connected to shore? Really? A V8 engine can't hurt you? Really?

Here's an old thread on CSR showing how harmless DC is:

http://clubsearay.com/archive/index.php/t-6666.html

 

[SWF340]

[

Originally Posted by scoflaw

Never considered boating to be a dangerous activity, never mind most dangerous. Maybe you can elaborate on exactly what your doing that's so dangerous. Personally I go out to relax.

Are you kidding me? Perhaps the least thought out question I've seen on this site.
MM

I don't see the question you're referring to MM. I'm looking for a question mark, or one of those question -signalling words like who, what, where, when...etc. Still not seeing it.

Thanks for hijacking a good positive thread.

So you're saying then that comments like the one you made above in response to scoflaw's opinion falls under the category of good and / or positive?

I've read a lot of threads here and elsewhere. There's so much good and positive information available. One thing, among many, that I've noticed is sometimes members who have been around a website a long time tend to think their word is gospel, their opinions shouldn't be questioned, and that those who disagree or who offer contrary opinions are worthy of such "good positive" statements such as:

Are you kidding me? Perhaps the least thought out question I've seen on this site.
MM

As for the topic, "adequate" is such a subjective term that to argue over what one person deems adequate versus another person is silliness. I have extensive medical-surgical training but I don't have a scalpel on board. The average guy shouldn't either. You're fooling yourself if you think it's wise for you to use one. But, as I said....to harangue someone because they don't assess risk the way you do is inane.

 

[scoflaw]

Play Dough is right on with his response, and it certainly wasn't thread jacking. You were the one that stuck his neck out with the " most dangerous activity" line. Agree with him 100%. Old people can be frightened and get nervous easily, like driving a car, if you think that your operating a boat is dangerous then take a seat as a passenger, like on the highway it's the elderly that are making things dangerous for everyone around them.