Suggestions for a better First Aid Kit..........

Yes there is, I brought this up earlier this yr about 1st aid kits

There was about 20+ post thread on it. have a dig see what you find.

A small plastic tool box/fishing tackle will do the job. Just make sure you don't get the wrong box and squirt WD40 in your eyes.

I know this might sound a bit smartarse-ish Willem but why not give St Johns a call and get suggestions from them after all they are the experts or your local Ambo station.
The kit that comes in a fishing tackle box is good though being a firstaid person myself i know, well i think i know i hope. Well my family trust me if that helps.

Baz.

If you look at the St John's officers that attend shows and events they are usually carrying their kit in what looks like a Plano Fishing Tackle box. With the cantilevered trays everything is there and accessible as soon as you open it.

Judging from the other responses above, this seems to be the way to go.

I have a small bag kit but I might look for a small tackle box to put the stuff in so it is better organised and easier to find stuff quickly.

Cheers
Muddy 'doe

Dear Wilem
The active ingredient in Sinex is Phenylephrine HCl 0.5% this will cause some dilation (enlargment) of your pupil and may also cause some blurred vision lasting for several hours, but it unlikely to do any harm. However the effects of any none ophthalmic medication is unpredictale and an eye exam would be a good idea. If you have any pain redness or see coloured halos around lights make it ASAP.
You did the right thing rinsing you eye out with water but most people dont do this for long enough (It needs to be for 45 mins with more dangerous chemicals) If in doubt rinse for longer.
One of the best drops you can have in your first aid kit is one of the lubrcating drops like "Refresh". These will help most eye problems and inportantly will almost never do any harm.
Cheers John

hello Willem

I bought a St Johns Outdoors kit - fishing box style. I did a bit of research and this seemed to be the most comprehensive for the price. It is probably bigger than ideal but to get everything in you need the space. have a look at www.stjohn.org.au for the different types they have. their web site lists the contents of each kit. they also sell "bagged" kits where you can have your own container.

Cheers

willem, how could you mistake a sinex conatainer to irrigation tubes used for eye flushing?
they are not even similar!

what was it you thought you were putting in your eyes!

I suggest you put on glasses so you can see what your supossed to be doing and taking.....god help you if you mistakenly took a viagra for a head ache mmmm ?..........

William, this is a bit of a reversial of rolls to be able to give advice to you rather than receive it.
We have built up out own kit using a large type bum bag. We find this works well as it has 4 pockets as well as 1 big camber for the bandages etc.
Picked it up at the local Rebel Sports and got a sew on patch from St Johns.
Find it handy if you want ot carry it any distance as well.
I hope this has helped
Vince

In the work ute at my last job i had a 'tackle box' job about a foot long by 8x8 , got it at a safety store, it was a 'contractors kit' , a step before the wall mounted jobs. Very similar to the StJohns ones and it didn't cost the earth, And bugger me if it accidently fall into my jackaroo when i left !!! hehehe.. Have used it a few times and it is great, but i will add some extras as well, tough as well so it protects the contents.

Mate check the St Johns versions out, you might be able to order over the web, or scope out some safety stores over the web and get one delivered up your way from Adelaide.

cheers

Hey Willem,

Our guys in the Queensland Ambulance Service are going away from fishing tackle style boxes and moving more into soft pack bags. In addition to the soft packs a lot of them now carry their gear such as gloves etc on belt pouches and are starting to look like Batman but it is practical when you are using them every day.

We found hard boxes a bit of a problem in the ambulance vehicles especially in collision testing however they pack in pretty well in a 4wd. The big positive I see in the tackle box style is that you can keep all of your contents in specific areas as at times in a softpack it can get muddled up.

The other big area where peole go wrong is the gear they actually carry but people can get some good solid advice from either their state ambulance service or St Johns on this.

Hope the eyes are OK.

Cheers

Willem my local GP is a keen 4WD'er as does a lot of remote trips with a Dr mate of his, they reckon they could preform a major opp in the bush but are flat out changing a tyre.

Point is I go to him before a big trip and he sets up a fairly comprehensive kit, knowing our requirements (wife needs to carry self injectors) what it means is everything is in date. I pack it all into a flat tupperware box and it goes under the seat. I also carry a walking kit when I leave the vehicle.

what about zip bags? willem....also help with keeping out the dirt and dust!
would not matter then if in soft pack or hard box

goodday willem
we have a tackle box type xmas gift from kids bought from RACV shop 4x4 pack its great but will change in near future to a soft pack as 1 catch is broken and if you dont hang on properly the other 1 comes open and you have to pick it all up
there are some good ones around now st johns but also some of the safety places
show special at melb for soft pack outback job was about $200 but its worth looking around

steve

Willie, you just had one mistake, that's all. No need to change furniture yet.

I too used to look at compartmentising everything, then you get a new addition, and bugger.......... doesn't fit. I'm sure you know where I'm coming from.

Nowadays, I just dump everything into one big box, big enough that I don't have to hold a wool pressers certificate to close the lid. At work, we have a large first aid kit. It's just one big weapon white case. Having compartments is okay, but it seems to me that you may be relying on memory on where your medicines are, not a good thing to do. You should simply be able to identify the container at all costs. As I said, you simply made a mistake, and yes, your eyes were burning, but you should still be able to identify eye drops from supa glue.

The other thing with the fishing cases, all your stuff rattles around heaps. I think things like your regular drugs, and perhaps Visine & Stingose should not be in an emergency kit, but in your personal effects.

Just my humble opinion.

Wolfie

Willem,

Assuming you have an existing collection of first aid items, all you really need is a fishing box style.

I use a brand called Rubber Maid. A very sturdy box with some compartments in the lid and an internal removable case, as well as the larger storage compartment.

Thanks for all the replies. I will sort them out and take all info on board and will also go and look at a St Johns kit.

Here's another source for kits and you can tailor them to your needs.

http://www.equip.com.au/Products/yproduct.asp

Hate it when the link doesn't work

http://www.equip.com.au/Products/yproduct.asp

Forget buying a first aid kit make up your own, far cheaper and you can put more of the things you will need and less of the ones you don't. purchase a tackle box or similar plus a qaulity first aid book ( remote first aid if possible ) and the go to your local chemist to purchase the contents.your chemist will be able to give you some advise as to what you should take plus your book ( if it is a good one ) will have a few suggestion and you can get some ideas from those over priced kits that are avaliable to buy. Don't forget to also do a first aid course, no good having the kit and not the knowledge to go with it. good idea too is to have a small bum bag to take on those treks with a few vitals in it, eg ventolin if needed, snake bit bandage and the like.
This is just my opinion not gospel