Bush first-aid kit
 

Any thoughts on the content of a lightweight and minimal 1st aid kit to carry while flying around the African bush ? Googling the subject seems to give insanely long lists that drift off into tons of survival kit My thinking is that a messy forced landing could result in significant injuries, but although I might be some hours from help and many hours from competent medical help, the life saving interventions I might make are really limited to controlling blood loss, splinting limbs or clearing airways.

So I thought a kit might include a couple of tourniquets, a couple of splints, some conforming bandage for strapping it all up, and not much else. I don't know what I could do if presented with a smashed-up face and obstructed airway other than traditional clearing with a finger. I am certainly not convinced by kits that include antibiotics, antiseptics, 20 different kinds of bandages, 3 safety pins and the kitchen sink. Those might be good for an offshore sailor for example who is not constrained by weight/bulk of the kit and might be weeks from help, but it seems to me that a pilot could be faced with traumatic injuries, requiring immediate intervention, but is unlikely to be more than perhaps 12 hours from qualified help.


Any thoughts or additions ?

For medical purposes post crash/forced landing a roll of surgical tape would cover a lot of situations.
For survival purposes, a good knife.

Just go for a "standard" kit you think that will cover you is BY FAR the easiest way to start. If you think you need further bits for any likely scenario - if you can do that from adding those other bits....

I've done this from a maintenance / checking / speccing side of things of "Aviation" First Aid Kits over a number of years - and it is a real pain in the @rse.... Anything from Weekly - to Annual - checks on the contents is tedious, and if you are trying to source individual bits that have a shelf life - you are much better off just tamper-proofing the new kit you buy - and then buying a whole new kit when the first lot of items comes up for expiry (IF you are bothered). Unless you are required by your Reg's to have something in particular - don't go overboard....

Depending on what you want (and where you are) a decent "Medium Leisure Kit" from St John's Ambulance (here in 'Straya) is about $75 (AUD), and to have someone you are paying to "check" it periodically is going to be vastly more expensive than a complete replacement every couple of years....

Just sayin'....

A foil blanket for yourself and whoever else is travelling in the aircraft

At least they printed a warning on the back of Claymore mines:
Of course, no mention about the main hazard of a Claymore mine, although they helpfully printed on the other side:
An essential item to add to a survival kit is a roll of duct/gaffer/gorilla tape and a Leatherman multi-tool or equivalent - don't buy cheap knock-offs.

Don't omit GOOOD Painkillers either.
After you've patched yourself up you'll need to stop yourself screaming in agony too.
Liquid Morphine will hit the worst pain and turn it in to a soft puppy so you can rest and recuperate.
Water Purification Tablets should be a part of any Bush Survival Kit. (For cleaning wounds, drinking, etc)

Whilst I have no personal experience of them, the Doug Ritter kits are well thought of in the US

DB,over on `Aviation History/nostalgia`,our friend` India 42` has found a RCAF Survival film that should be of interest in case you find yourself in difficult circumstances...I commend you to watch it....;)

There is no single answer but here are a few pointers:

1 do you want a medical kit or a survival kit???? totally different

2 if you want a medical kit a) who might be able to use it - a doctor, nurse, EMT, first aider, pilot
b) how many casualties might you have
c) how long do you need to treat between accident and rescue
d) what legislation is there to prevent certain items

Now you can start putting it together, but the basic areas are:

ABC resuscitation
Trauma management
Pain management
Burn management
Cardiac management (if in flight)
Medical management (if in flight)

and for each you have a list as follows

Equipment
disposables
drugs
storage

Many so called experts will give you advice, but caveat emptor

Which part of Africa? There are many creatures large and small that will see you as lunch.

Biggest risk is helpful locals whose 1st instinct is to pick up a casualty by arms and legs and then run around in circles shouting.

I have literally seen exactly that following a road crash. When I attempted to tell them to stop, put him down and take a look, they thought I was insane.

I once had to use "reasonable" force to stop a first aider in the UK interfering in dangerous ways.

Ignoring the survival.kit bits, you should probably have
Painkillers, non prescription
Some simple plasters and dressings to cover the sort of minor injury you may pick up a any land away
For bigger things you can stop.bleeding and reduce pain fairly easily

Tourniquet
British type.modern first field dressing
splints of some sort

If you're in the Bush and not an expert with more equipment and drugs I wouldn't suggest airway devices as you either don't need them or the casualty won't benefit.

I should add that a tourniquet when you are more than an hour or two from definitive care will mean an amputation and possibly death, so best used with caution. But might be the least bad option.

First Aid
 

Hey buddy.

The primary objective is to keep them breathing and stop them bleeding while you can get them to help, or help to them. A big bleed or blocked airway will kill first. The next biggest threat is shock. Keep a cellphone in a zipped inner pocket to increase the chance of being able to communicate - if there's signal where you come to earth. Be prepared to triage casualties. Do a HEST/HEFAT trauma first aid course, with a strong Remote Areas component.

My kit contains:

• CAT Tourniquet (mil type for 'single handed' operation)
• Pressure bandage with lever (generally known as 'Israeli' bandages - remove the 'Made in Israel' sticker if you're travelling in some areas)
• Celox or Kwikclot or similar haemostatic agent.
• SamSplint
• The most powerful painkillers that won't get you arrested (so no morphine unless you have a friendly doc who can get it for you, then make sure you carry the prescription)
• Gaffer tape (I've seen gaffer tape and superglue used to hold together traumatic injuries in the short term)
• Leatherman (which you'll lose if you try to check in on a flight from any commercial airport, of course!)
• Cling-film is good for covering burns
• Aluminium survival blanket

Add

• a compass
• all-weather matches
• 5mt loop of paracord
• water purification tabs,
• emergency cell phone with good battery life and strong signal - I use a Nokia 3310 with a TravelSim SIM card
• signalling mirror

and you have a decent emergency travel kit that should weigh in under a kilo. Put it in a 'grab bag' that is never out of reach.

Celox is better and safer than Kwikclot and I would definitely recommend it but check whether in the country you are in it is legal for you to use.

Is a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) useful in Africa? Does anyone come if one is activated? New ones are small and lightweight.

Why not ask MAF?
 

Hi Dubbs,
If the excellent advice already given isn't enough, may I suggest that it may be worth contacting 'Mission Aviation Fellowship' to pick their brains about what you need: I'm sure they'll help if asked nicely.
MAF is a Christian missionary bush pilot service providing services to the poor of the Earth in all sorts of rough and inhospitable places. They operate a large fleet of small aeroplanes in developing countries and probably have exactly the sort of experience you need to access. My guess is that they are probably already flying in the area you wish to operate in and will be able to give good advice. Their web-address is https://www.maf-uk.org › contact-us
Good luck.
BP.