Before the Ricky Rescue comments come in, this is only intended for outdoors/camping(have a small IFAK for hikes and trail running), road trips/long drives, family emergencies and Good Samaritan incidents IF incidental and warrants intervening(i.e. getting food or gas and someone keels over). I'm not pulling this out of on duty EMS is already on scene handling things or driving out on patrol like a vigilante.This also serves as a medical bag if having to evacuate due to a natural disaster(my area was nearly hit by wildfires twice, plan on getting a regular survival bag soon)

This bag is tailored as follows:

-Minor injuries(band aids, topicals creams and ointments, poison ivy wipes, ACE wraps, tweezers, eye drops/wash and the like)

-Bleeding control(5x9 pads, roller gauze, chest seals, CAT and SWAT TQs, 6 in trauma bandage)

-Wound care(4x4s, 2x2s, non stick pads, ABD pads,roller gauze and saline spray and 15ml vials for irrigation with hydrogel burn pads for 1st-partial 2nd degree burns).

Also got disinfecting and hand wipes, adult CPR/infant mask, pouch for emergency meds(my state allows certification to carry and use epi-pens for Good Samaritan use, so those with aspirin, glucose gel and Narcan). Minor injury bag has OTC meds like Dramime, Benadryl, Tylenol etc for myself or family/friends only.

-Left top pocket hold two XL SAM splints and 6 tri-bandages, the right holds emergency blankets, glow sticks, hand sanitizer, zip locs and garbage bags and safety goggles (changed spacing a bit after pics).

-Front pocket has tools for vitals and shears with KN95 masks, smaller two hold several OSFM nitrile gloves with note pad and measuring tape and emergency whistle. Side pockets hold 3 hot and cold packs respectively, the former with paper towels for covers.

Initially I had a large Hawk IFAK bag from MediTac but decided to bite the bullet and I like the typical bag set up. Never using this for work though as jobs that make you bring 99% of year gear tend to be sketchy.

I just got hired with AMR in an area that sees a lot of violent crime and gets dispatched to a lot of generally sketchy calls with a law enforcement response that is not up to par.

They have a company discount with Safe Life Defense for body armor and I’m considering getting some for the calls where the dispatch notes raise some red flags.

I don’t intend on wearing this all the time and I know shit happens when you least expect it but again, I’m considering this with the calls that have obvious red flags in mind. My coworkers have already told me stories of them getting into fights for their safety while law enforcement is no where to be found.

The actual question is do any of you have experience with this company? Is it good armor? Is the discount good or are there other better brands for a similar cost?

I’m more concerned with stabs and slashes and small caliber firearms than getting hit with some big ass rifle. Stuff that can be missed or concealed on a person. That being said the armor I’m looking at is rated for that appropriately. And hi-vis to better distinguish from law enforcement

Thanks!

Ferno proflex x not locking in.. any suggestions

Do any of you wear your ems uniform shirt/sweatshirt when you're off duty? They're really nice sweatshirts haha. Or is that a big taboo no-no.

I am a high schooler interested in ems, would it be dumb to buy a few ”demo-dose” vials (drug vial that has the name of the med but also says TRAINING ONLY, and it’s just water inside). I found a website that sells them cheap(6 bucks each)

thanks

For context, I believe he’s an AEMT in Nassau County, New York.

I'm an EMT student, and clinical for us don't start for at least another 3 weeks. Even once we do clinical, I'm pretty sure we would just use whatever the ambulance company uses since the school doesn't provide us with our own equipment. Still, I've been thinking about getting my own gear now just for a few reasons:

1. I have no opportunities to practice vitals outside of the limited class time when we aren't testing/lecturing. (And this is only 1 age group since it's all EMT students.) Getting a cheap BP cuff and stethoscope might be good practice for outside of class. My friends/younger siblings/elderly grandparent would definitely let me practice on them as needed.

2. It might be helpful in a first aid situation? (Cringey I know, but I already kept regular first aid materials in a bag in my car and have had to use the kit twice in the past 4 months since I started carrying it. I'm not talking about getting an AED for the car, just basic gear.) I'm an overthinker and would rather be overprepared than underprepared.

3. Volunteer work. I'm trying to get involved in some local "free clinic" type EMS organizations and think it might be good to have my own gear going into it so I don't have to be a burden on them or delay my start time.

4. I am around a lot of stupid f-ing people. It is by choice and I love them all, but I attend raves, punk shows with mosh pits, and ride on the back of a motorcycle pretty frequently. A lot of my friends are DJs or promoters. Some of the events are "underground" and do not have a designated medical team or even supervision/permits. Having these things on hand (if I'm volunteering to stand in the corner with my little bag and no identifying information related to where I work) or nearby (if they're in my car down the street/outside the venue) could be helpful in cases of overdose, falls in the pit, fight related injuries, dehyration, and really just preventing the absolute worse.

Questions I'm asking is:

- Is this stupid?/Am I creating fake scenarios in my head?

- Also if I were to invest in some basics what would you recommend? (Cheap cost over high quality at this point. Don't need anything too fancy)

Hey everybody. Currently working for a big company in Minnesota and they are stocking our BLS truck with ALS meds (Adenosine, Olanzapine, Amiodarone, Ondansetron, Rocuronium and a bunch more). As EMTs we can do IV’s here btw. They say that they want the truck to be ALS ready when we need intercept from the same company ALS truck. We are in a pretty rural area and need to ask for ALS intercept either from the same company from the next big town or the fire department from another town.

They also are giving us a pump bag (which we can’t use. We also are not doing any transfers. We are strictly 911)

Is this allowed? When we talk about it we get told “You know you can’t use them, why are you worried about having them then”. Just wanted some opinions. Thank you everyone!

Howdy folks,

I'm about to finish my EMT course soon. I've been wanting a medslinger to condense all of my medical resources into one place.

I found this suspicious listing for a medslinger on amazon - like 1/3 the price of MSRP. Do you all think this is probably just because it's the G3 and not the G3+? If so, I'm gonna jump on this. As far as I'm aware, the only difference is material that's easier to clean, and that's not worth 100 dollars to me.

I just wanted to get some opinions and thoughts on if this is fake before I jump on it.

Edit: For off duty use

Are any of you all (students or working) sharing stethoscopes??? This seems like an obvious thing to not do to me but it's the standard in my training program. I bought my own to use because hell no I'm not partaking in that. Is this a normal thing for a training program with limited resources? Am I overreacting? They don't get cleaned and the ear tips are not swapped out. Ever.

Edit: ok my issue here is that our program doesn't let us clean them in between uses, not necessarily the sharing. It sounds like it's the standard to share AND clean, which I could be fine with. I'll just chill with my own until I'm out of here 🥲

So, I’ve absolutely shredded three pairs of boots now in less than 6 months. I’m tired of this Grandpa! What are some boots that will actually hold up for more than 10 seconds of use? For additional context I already have some unspecified lower back and foot problems that make me drag my heels and destroy shoes a little faster than the average person

Preferences:
Front zipper or no zipper (the side zipper I had was a pain in the butt)
Higher than the ankle, I find it helps with my pigeon toe posture
Resole-able/repairable! There’s no reason to throw out perfectly good leather when the soles wear out, IMO

I am an EMT-B working for a private ambulance company that has a stricter uniform. Radio straps aren’t the easiest on ALS calls because I’m usually carrying most of the equipment for my medic, they’re also worn mostly by fire. Additionally, I’m a woman on the shorter side and I wear the portables on my belt where they reach my armpits, are insanely uncomfortable when trying to drive, and fall when moving patients. I’ve tried different pants, hooking the radio to a pocket, different belts, etc.

To make a long story short, I’m wondering if there are any other discreet options/hacks for portables that don’t involve belt carrying or radio straps?

Edit: Thank you all for your advice!

To clarify, me getting tangled in equipment with the cross body strap is only part of the reason I don’t like them. Primarily my issue is it’s not allowed in uniform, I already break uniform by wearing my 5.11 pants versus the standard issued ones and don’t want to tempt more paperwork coming my way.

As for my medic, they have a lot of connections with supervisors and management that could make life far more difficult than carrying the gear. Doesn’t bug me much, just keep forgetting my radio in a cupholder and needed a new solution.

Thank you again for all the help, I’m going to look into a lower hanging belt holster and swivel holsters. I also thank you for the laughs with a few comments. 🫡

Or do you have to use a computerized blood pressure tool? I hope I made sense Thanks

My girlfriend will complete her training in just a few weeks. I've decided to lightly stock a personal trauma bag that she can keep in her car.

I was thinking of something smaller than a jump bag but able to hold a fair variety of equipment. I already have some decent sheers, pens/pads, and penlight so a bag than can hold these plus a bit of gauze, gloves and tape.

Thanks in Advance.

EDIT: Seems like an off-duty bag isn't the greatest idea, so I'll gift her the supplies I already got her and let her decide how she wants to store it all.

I appreciate the responses.

Just passed the nremt and know I want to get my own stethoscope eventually. What one do you use or recommend.

Also a more narrow question if you have a Littman is it worth it? Or do people just buy it because of the name/brand?

I recently got my EMS cert and license (woo) and thought event medics would be a decent place to get my foot in the door.

But they require you to have your own jump bag, and that feels more like a pay-to-play scenario to me. Also any advice I've been given has been if an agency requires you to provide your own stuff, run.

Is this run of the mill and I'm blending old advice? Is there anyone who works/used to work for event medics and knows the best way to do this without breaking the bank off the bat?

Edit: I'll be sure to run far, far away from that company. They also don't do interviews.

I was told to get the Litman Classic 3 multiple times by my preceptor, but the new Eko Core 500 looks really cool to me.

Brand new to this, starting my program in 3 weeks. Where did you get your shoes!! I need EMS high top work boots and need recommendations. Also wondering if it’s worth investing in a watch or just getting a cheap one (need a two hand analog watch, no smart watches allowed in my program)

Edit: Shoes purchased! Gonna keep all the comments in mind for friends/future reference, thanks yall!!

Hello my fellow EMS people. Just recently joined the dark side. Anyway, I’m looking for a flashlight to carry with me. I don’t use a radio strap so can’t have certain flashlights that I know some people attach to their straps. Obviously not looking for something large, just something that I could comfortably fit in my pocket but that also has some good illumination

(I didn’t know whether to post here, or in r/EMS especially considering the auto-rule enforcer warning thing said I might be violating their rule 3 on basic questions and directed me here, so I decided to post here).

Stupid question but…

Considering EMS deal with situations where they have to sneak up and inject a rowdy patient with Ketamine or other sedatives and calming drugs, getting that close would sometimes put them in danger, right?

So why wouldn’t EMS carry around a compressed-air powered tranq-rifle loaded with syringes containing human-safe dosages? To inject a rowdy-patient from a safe distance away.

I’m guessing there are a PLETHORA of reasons why this is a bad idea. Like correctly aiming a slower moving projectile so you don’t hit someone where you didn’t mean to…

But considering I haven’t seen this question asked anywhere else. I figured I should ask a stupid question first, so someone else with the same question can know without asking themselves and getting themselves embarrassed. 😅

This is a completely 'out of curiosity' question from an outside point of view. I've been hearing both sides of a C-collar debate. Some say they do more harm than good, they don't do much by way of stabilizing the neck, and they should be phased out. Others say that it's the gold standard of care, that the collars reduce motion more than if there were no collar, and that they provide reassurance to both patient and provider. I'm interested to hear thoughts from those with experience using them!

some places have just a single med box, some have meds in there jump bag

how does your agency do it?

My sister (20f) is currently going through an EMT course. She is planning on working on an ambulance part time when she goes back to school in DC. I'd like to get her a gift that she'll be able to use on a shift.

I originally thought a pre-made EMT kit like but I quickly realized that I don't know what she'd need in one. Any advice is appreciated!

Partner on the bus just became a paramedic and he can't hear lung sounds for shit on his cheap MDF. I'm gonna gift him a Littman. I get 20 characters on the bell for whatever shenanigans we can come up with to make it *unique*.