First Aid Kit - do you carry one and can you use it?

[Woody]

I re-took my Emergency First Aid At Work cert the other day and realised I hadn't seen this subject discussed for a while so thought I'd just give people a prompt as we're approaching 'awesome biking weather' period of the year...

Always a good idea to carry a First Aid kit - and always handy to know how to use it.

And even if you don't know how to use it always good to carry one as someone in your group/bystander might know how to use it.

After a bit of a 'faux par' last year with my daughter I decided to upgrade my First Aid Kit.

She had a rather nasty OTB and suffered a fair bit of gravel rash - no problem, First Aid Dad to the rescue!! - or not, as it turned out... my kit had been used a couple of weeks before helping out a mate on a ride and guess who'd forgot to re-stock his kit. Yep that'll be me then... I had 1 sterile wipe and not much else of use in my kit. So resorted to using water bottles and camelback to irrigate the cuts and patched her up as best I could until we got back to civilisation.....

Out of the 4 adults in our group that day I was the only one with a First Aid Kit.

So anyway - back to the subject.

I've upgraded my kit to one of these which I picked up from the SJA training last week:

Home/Sport universal First Aid Kit

And after reading THIS ARTICLE posted last year I have added a couple of extras (which I had in my small previous kit) in the form of a set of extra dressings, some more wipes, steri-strips and a space blanket.

I also came across a couple of other interesting articles on line from BIKE RADAR - First Aid on the trail and British Cycling - What to carry on an MTB ride

I'm quite lucky that I get my First Aid training through work (and can also 'borrow' the slightly out of date dressings etc. to top my kit up), but I think even if you do a basic First Aid course it's worth while - even if just knowing how to dress a wound properly, keep airway clear and put someone in the recovery position.

I'm contemplating paying for myself to go on an Outdoor Remote First Aid Course later in the year to keep my skills up and hopefully learn a bit more.

Hopefully you'll find the above info and links useful.

I've also added a poll just to see who does/doesn't carry and who has training of some sort.

Stay safe!

[loudlashadjuster]

As an aside St John's Ambulance are happy to offer to clubs a first aid course aimed specifically at the kinds of injuries cyclists are likely to face.

They do this for free but we always have a suggested £5 contribution to cover their costs and provide a small donation.

Edit: I forgot, they also have free first aid apps for cyclists.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/first-aid-for-cycl...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ani....

Edited by loudlashadjuster on Wednesday 11th May 22:44

[Celtic Dragon]

I carry a small one that would cover light injurys when on my MTB as it lives in my backpack. Iits a more of keep you going type thing. If I were to up this to the one where I was intending to try and keep someone alive becuase of their injuries, I'd need a pack just for the FAK.

Saying that, I don't carry one when on the road bike.


Thank you for the reminder, I probably should get a couple of small packs of Quickclot.

[SteveSteveson]

I have first aid training but I don't carry a kit when cycling. No room. I do in the car and I have one at home.

[Watchman]

I have no training but I'm not sure I have enough confidence to deal with medical emergencies beyond cleaning cuts and applying something to stop the bleeding. I'm not squeamish in the slightest but I just lack that confidence to get stuck-in. It's the same with languages.

If there was a mechanical breakdown, I will be the one who can lash-up something to get you home.

Thank you for raising the awareness of this. I have a few "freebie" first aid kits that come with hire cars. I shall take the bag from one of those now and make sure it's equipped with plasters, wipes and other cut-arresting kit, and I'll take it with me in future.

[matt-ITR]

I've got an Outdoor First Aid certificate and leadership qualification, but only carry a first aid kit if I am guiding or out with a big group.
I think smaller kits are pretty useless for big injuries and you can usually fashion something out of what you have already - even if you just have the clothes you are wearing.

The first aid course was brilliant though and I learnt a lot about different injuries/conditions and what to look for and how to treat them.
That is much more important that a few plasters and a bandage.

[Laurel Green]

I voted Basic kit as only carry plasters.

[yellowjack]

SteveSteveson said:

I have first aid training but I don't carry a kit when cycling. No room. I do in the car and I have one at home.

This, really.

Formerly an army 'Team Medic' but that qualification lapses after two years if not 'refreshed'. That was about 8 years ago. Having said that, though, basic first aid (battlefield type) was an annual test so the basics will pretty much never leave me.

There are kits at home in the garage and in the kitchen, the little green 'briefcase' type. As my wife is a nurse, there's another workplace sized kit in the car, along with a smaller, lighter "cuts, bites, and stings" type pack for days out in the sun. If I were to be off on an all-day off road epic, I might well pack a small kit as I'd likely have a backpack on anyway. Otherwise I don't carry one, but I probably ought to. Lots of those kits and out of date dressings, etc, came from work where whole kits were replaced rather than just the out-of date portion of the contents, so I've not spent that much money on them save for a few top-ups.

As someone else mentioned, it's possible to improvise with your clothing, or the casualties, if you're in desperate need. Or knock on the door of a cottage if you're in rural Hampshire, ask for some water to wash grit out of your knee and get invited in to wash it properly in the bathroom, and patch it with plasters, antiseptic, etc, from the author who lives there. Which actually happened to me when I tore a flap of skin off my knee near Alton a few years back in a silly 'unclip fail' event on a tiny road covered on gravel.

[raceboy]

When I used to race we had St Johns on standby but my bike tool kit does contain a few plasters, and the all important Tramadol, essential kit if you have a tumble in the first race of the day and need to carry on, or a 'get you to A&E' type scenario, a few times I've presented myself at A&E after driving 40 miles home with 2 broken arms, I got someone else to drive though when I shattered my ankle and was looking at 100 miles in a manual car. The St Johns are limited to what they can give you, I'm sure their gas & air was more 'air', it didn't really hit the mark.

[loudlashadjuster]

Another thing we should all have is an ICE (In Case of Emergency) tag. This is stuck unobtrusively to your helmet (easy now...) and provides contact details for next of kin, blood type etc.

Not so critical when out with a club or in a race where others might have this anyway, but a pretty good idea for riding on your own.

I know mobile phones have the capability of displaying some of this information to the emergency services but that assumes it is present and working after a crash, by no means guaranteed.

[raceboy]

Slightly more sophisticated version, ideal if you ride 'off piste' a bit more often and are less likely to be found.

https://crash-sensor.eu/

[Craikeybaby]

I always used to carry some spray plaster and a spaceblanket, but after my mate OTBd, and broke his jaw last year - with none of our group having a proper first aid kit, I decided to invest in a small one for my rucksack.

On the subject of ICE tags - those of you with iPhones should make sure the "Emergency contact details" section of the health app is activated. This means that any key medical info and emercency contact details are available even if the phone is locked.

[Pickled Piper]

Yes, I carry one in my rucksack and yes First Aid trained.

[Davie]

Timely thread.

I've never really bothered and thus far I'm my years of MTB, I've had a few offs but luckily never drawn blood or broken anything. Had plenty "Ooh... fk!" close calls though.

However, I'm now armed with an eMTB and it feels like it does everything dialled up to 11. Including crashing. Had a few minor incidents and collected at tree with my shoulder, how I got away with that is beyond me.

My own preservation falls down my priority list but I've been taking my little boy out for the past year and he's now getting pretty quick... quick enough down stuff that leaves me chasing and finding myself doing that scared laughing stuff whilst thinking "He's going to have a massive off soon"

So on that note I've started ramping up what I take and what he wears. Much more protective gear but I should really take a first aid kit, though as has been said with MTB a first aid kit seems a bit futile... you're not going to bother with a sticky plaster and you basic kit won't cope with broken wrists or collar bones.

One thing I have become more attentive with is emergency contacts. My wife can track my phone and Strava can send an SMS and my little boy has a SpaceTalk watch and strict instructions what to do if I knock myself out. However I fear prevention is better than cure with MTB injuries, hence I try and dial it back and teach him to go well within his limits more do if we're further afield

Then irony is, I go prepped for bigger rides and trail centres but sods law, injuries will probably happen when we're just mucking about in the woods about 250yds from the house!

[BoRED S2upid]

Only things I carry are energy gell, water, phone and iwatch. The latter will call 999 if I come a cropper and unconscious in a ditch. If I am unconscious in a ditch the first aid kit isn’t going to be much use.

[Craikeybaby]

In the 8 years since I last posted to this thread, I don't think I've had to use the first aid kit. I should probably check that everything in it is still in date. The one time I would have needed it was when my son went OTB on a pump track, the one time he wasn't wearing a full face helmet (it was 35ºc, so we agreed to wear normal helmets and to take it easy), so I now also keep a small first aid kit in the van, for those rides where I don't take my riding pack.

[C n C]

Although I don't do much cycling these days, I recently went on a REC2 - 2 day first aid course linked to my kayak club. The aim of the course is about dealing with first aid in remote/exposed locations, which is very applicable to mountain biking as well as whitewater kayaking.

It had been 30+ years since I last did a first aid course, and I'd highly recommend doing one. It covered a lot about dealing with incidents where you are far from civilisation. It's ok to say "don't move the casualty" as they might have a neck/spine injury, but if you have them in an exposed location and hours from professional help arriving, then learning some techniques for moving them/protecting them from hypothermia if in an exposed environment could be invaluable.

Whilst reading about first aid, and maybe doing a basic work first aid course is useful, what really made the REC2 course worthwhile was the multiple simulated incidents we had to deal with. It's one thing knowing the basics, but when confronted with a casualty and having to work out what is wrong with them, how to deal with it, and simulated conversations with the emergency services, it really brings it home how difficult it is to put it all into action.

I've since ensured that I've upgraded basic first aid kits in both cars, and also my kayaking first aid kit, but more importantly, have a better idea of what to do if confronted with a real situation - which I obviously hope never to have to put into practice.

Thanks partly to this thread, but mainly from the course, I now review all my notes from the course, and have scheduled in doing so on a regular basis in my diary.

[Pickled Piper]

BoRED S2upid said:

Only things I carry are energy gell, water, phone and iwatch. The latter will call 999 if I come a cropper and unconscious in a ditch. If I am unconscious in a ditch the first aid kit isn’t going to be much use.

Most people carry them in order to able to assist others, rather than to use on themselves.

If you are unconscious in a ditch, let's hope the first person to find you is First Aid trained.

[BlindedByTheLights]

I keep a couple of foil blankets in mine, I always think they’d be good in keeping myself or someone warm and dry if stuck. Pennies on Amazon.

[BoRED S2upid]

Pickled Piper said:

BoRED S2upid said:

Only things I carry are energy gell, water, phone and iwatch. The latter will call 999 if I come a cropper and unconscious in a ditch. If I am unconscious in a ditch the first aid kit isn’t going to be much use.

Most people carry them in order to able to assist others, rather than to use on themselves.

If you are unconscious in a ditch, let's hope the first person to find you is First Aid trained.

I hope it’s the air ambulance they should have a bit if kit on board. See them a lot around here saving walkers.