Trauma Bags

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What Makes a Good Trauma Bag?
 What is a Trauma Bag? Thats simple, a First Aid
bag is used by individuals trained in basic care.
A Trauma Bag is used by medical
professionals. These recommendations are for
personal use by a trained Paramedic, EMT, Fire
Fighter or trained Rescuer in off-duty
situations. This is not intended to be used as a
guide for how to pack service bags. As a
Paramedic with 40 years experience, I found that
I still MacGyver my way out of a lot of off duty
situations but there are times I wished I had
more equipment. Buying a kit is a personal
purchase but think with your head. You want a
good warranty, material that will last, and
features that will last beyond the life of the
bag. Think of name brand features like
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Skill Level Paramedics, EMTs and Fire Fighters
can use all the basic equipment on an ambulance.
Police and most rescue personnel can be equally
trained to use that equipment. Equipment we think
of as basic, should be viewed as advanced to
basic first aiders BVMs, oral and nasal
airways, hand suction, etc. Cost How much do you
want to spend on a kit? An empty high quality
trauma kit can run several hundred dollars,
stocked you can double that amount. If you are a
volunteer rescuer and use it quite often, then I
recommend something more durable and larger to
hold all your gear. A trauma kit for an off-duty
medic who wants a good kit for personal use can
get away with something smaller and less
expensive. Ability to use the kit If you live in
a region where you can use your skills off-duty,
then your kits will be more comprehensive. Where
I live, Paramedics are not permitted to perform
advanced skills like administer medications or
intubation when off-duty.  
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BASIC Level Car First Aid Kit
I get asked what makes a good First Aid kit at
least once a week. This is a loaded question
because some people think that the more, the
better. As a Paramedic with 40 years experience,
Ive become a minimalist, I only carry what I
truly need. Over the years, my kit has dwindled
down to a bare bones kit. I am not a fan of
pre-stocked kits. My answer to what makes a good
Car First Aid Kit is simply buy the equipment
you are trained to use and feel comfortable
using. Remember, the idea of a Car First Aid is
to provide basic emergency care until the
Paramedics arrive or you get the patient to the
hospital. The Paramedics will remove the
dressings to inspect the injury and again at the
hospital, the dressings will be removed, the
wound assessed, cleaned and repaired. If its a
minor cut or scrape then take your time to dress
it correctly. A First Aid Kit is different from a
Trauma Kit. We will talk about that later in
another post.
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Travel Medical Monitoring Equipment
I have seen some truly archaic medical facilities
in my travels that were horrifying. Dont expect
North American style health care in some
countries. For this reason, I carry a few items
that some might think is a little overboard, but
I feel safer knowing I have them. You dont need
to have 40 years of Paramedic experience like
myself to use this equipment. If you buy it, use
it at home before travelling so you know how the
products work before you need them.         Wrist
Blood Pressure Cuff keep track of your blood
pressure         Kardiamobile ECG monitor keep
track of heart health, I use the 6 lead
unit         Glucometer anytime someone has a
reduced level of awareness or a
diabetic         Nextemp Thermometer strips
fever         Pulse Oximeter just the small
fingertip unit to monitor SPO2 and pulse
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Store Address
Sands Canada Inc. 300 Central Ave W Box 1752
Brockville, ON K6V 6K8 Call Us Tel
800-563-0911Fax [phone] Store Hours Monday
- Friday 8AM - 4PMSaturday - Sunday
Closed Comments Sands will be closed the
following days calendar year 2022 Christmas
Break - December 23rd, 2021 - January 4th, 2022,
Family Day - February 21st, Good Friday - April
15th, Easter Monday - April 18th, Victoria Day -
May 23rd, Canada Day - July 1st, Civic Holiday -
August 1st , Labour Day - September 5th,
Thanksgiving - October 10th, Christmas Break -
December 23rd, 2022 - January 3, 2023.