The Carry On Your Person, Everyday Emergency Kit.

The Carry on Your Person, Everyday Emergency /First Aid/Survival Kit.

First of all, what is First Aid? 
What is or are your most important tool/tools?

The following is a quote from a PROFFESSIONAL SURVIVOR: “Which survival tool is the most necessary? It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that a bushcraft knife is at the top of my list!  Knives generate strong opinions, even amongst outdoors people.  Many have a view on which knife is ‘best’ and almost everyone involved in bushcraft or survival has their favourite.  I think most would agree, in general, a knife for wilderness use should be strong and safe to use, it should hold its edge well and be relatively easy to sharpen.  To me, though, what’s more important than the knife itself is your skill in using it. In the hands of someone skilled in bushcraft, a good quality knife is an invaluable tool.  The more skilful you are, the more you can achieve in a given period of time.  If you can complete tasks and make items quickly and efficiently using your knife, then more becomes possible with only a knife. There is an old adage–your knife is your life”. 

In the REAL WORLD, where and when one is not trying to promote and/or sell high priced survival products this guy isn’t even close.
Think about it yourself; man survived for thousands of years, without any kind of knife. He could not have survived, even one day, without Aid-First.

TheHierarchy of Bushcraft/Survival Tools and Needs.

ALWAYS BE PREPARED, I WAS NOT:

 April 27, 2013, while on a fishing trip on the Chilliwack (Vedder) River I suffered a fall, causing a separation and minor fracture of the left shoulder. At the time of the accident, I was about 3/4 of a mile off the main road, on a dyke, it was raining heavily, and there was absolutely no one else around. Fortunately for me, I was able to get up, and did manage to drive myself back to the main road; where Corin and Jesse, two young people, young enough to be my grandchildren, (to whom I am forever grateful), not only offered their assistance but DID drive me to the hospital. Then, seven or eight hours later, they Did drive me home, in my own vehicle (Jesse drove my vehicle, while Corin followed in theirs-they still had to drive themselves back to Chilliwack) to my residence in Vancouver, after the shoulder had been treated in emergency. They DID NOT expect any remuneration; in fact, they balked at the very suggestion of such.

The point I wish to get across, through relating this, is that I was not adequately prepared. MY personal survival Kit was not complete. I WAS NOT CARRYING A MOBILE PHONE; ON MY PERSON. I was able to get up and was still fairly ambulatory.  But, suppose I had not been. I might well still be there, still requiring assistance- if indeed, that is; I still required anything at all.

The carry on your person, every day Emergency/ First Aid kit should  consist of those most essential and most often used supplies which are the often also the hardest to improvise or replace. A personal first aid/survival kit is intended to be carried along all the time, not just when you venture out on your WEEKEND survival AD--VENTURE and is usually designed to complement other larger, more complete, survival kits that are intended for use in longer disaster/emergency/survival situations.

Many items included in the personal kit are difficult, if not impossible, to manufacture, or obtain in the REAL WORLD, of survival situations.

A personal survival kit is intended to remain on one’s person always, to be appropriate to all environments, and be a comprehensive kit, without being too large. Other personal gear will primarily offer only additional serviceability and ease of use, but the personal survival kit should provide for the basic needs followed by self-rescue, outside assistance, or a return to normalcy, in optimum situations.

The survival tools and supplies found in a personal survival kit are generally kept in some sort a container that is small enough to fit in a pocket, in a waist/belt pouch, on a key ring or neck chain, or in no container at all. 

It is my personal belief that Saint John Ambulance provides, by far , the best First aid Course available; so it would reasonably follow that their pre-assembled survival kits also rank among the best available. 

Their pre-assembled wallet size first -aid kit kit consists of 2 Adhesive Fabric Bandages (25mm x 72mm), 1 Adhesive Fabric Bandages (50mm x 72mm), 5 Adhesive Plastic Bandages (19mm x 72mm), 3 Alcohol Wipes, 1 Fingertip Fabric Bandages (small), 1 Knuckle Fabric Bandages. They also have a key-chain CPR mask.

However, a personal first aid kit is just that – personal. The choice of equipment to include in your kit is also a personal one, based on your training, experience, where you are going and the specific risks you might face.

I do not really approve of the “Swiss Army “or "Leatherman" type utility tool, which is included in the Saint John Ambulance Survival Emergency Preparedness KIt (See Post). They do have a lot of gadgets, all conveniently located in the one tool (most of which will never be used in a real survival situation-remember, what you have is what you carry on your person-it is very unlikely that you will have conveniences; such as firearms or fishing rods and reels available); but either knife, can be very awkward and inconvenient to use, in any instance where you actually require a versatile, serviceable knife.

However, the wise man or woman always carries at least a fully charged mobile telephone (not to be constantly used for texting or socializing), a top quality "stock-man" or other knife; (preferably folding, without a lot of cumbersome gadgets and not designed for easy conversion into a spear point--a knife is meant for cutting, puncturing, or slicing--you do not CHOP--even meat or vegetables-- and you do not ever, ever, ever, throw them.) on their person at all times and they keep it razor sharp.

They also carry a few candies, lighter (preferably a mini-torch), mini-flash light, a pair of folding scissors, a few adhesive bandages, and possibly a button compass. Usually this is enough, under normal conditions and to carry ON YOUR PERSON.

You should have other, more extensive kits, in your home, and always for, and in, any vehicle in which you might be travelling. Often they will duplicate or add to what you have in your "Carry on Your Person kit, don't over concern yourself about it. But, don’t rely solely on ANY KIT and don’t get lost in the wilderness on purpose—thereby putting other people’s lives at risk—just to try out your “cool” new survival kits. The kits are just in case you do get lost or encounter a disaster/emergency situation—A SURVIVAL KIT IS NOT COOL--it is no more,also no less, than a backup tool-- in an EMERGENCY.

Why Assemble Your Own Disaster/Emergency/First Aid Kit?

While there are some good Disaster/Emergency/First Aid Kits on the market, they are never anywhere near to being complete-they are not intended to be. Consequently, there is great value in putting together your own kit—kits

In the process of assembling your kits, you will have to think carefully about what to include and how you might use the included items. You should also consider how to pack your kit so you can access the items you need, in the order you might need them. By the time you have completed all your Disaster/Emergency/First Aid Kits, you should know the kits intimately. You will know exactly what is in each kit and be able to find any of the contents quickly.

My experience is mostly all in Canada; my postings relate best to Canada and Canadian Survival situations. Continue on to read about other survival kits in my older posts. ©Al (Alex, Alexander) D Girvan, 2012