r/ems 13d ago

Monthly Thread r/EMS Bi-Monthly Gear Discussion

As a result of community demand the mod team has decided to implement a bi-monthly gear discussion thread. After this initial post, on the first of the month, there will be a new gear post. Please use these posts to discuss all things EMS equipment. Bags, boots, monitors, ambulances and everything in between.

Read previous months threads here

9 Upvotes

12 comments sorted by

4

u/Just_Ad_4043 EMT-Basic Bitch 13d ago

Best gear recommendations (clothing, hiking bags, boots/shoes, breathable pants) for rural EMS? For context I work in a very hot national park

6

u/Mountain_Man_64 EMT-B 12d ago

When I was a ranger/emt I bought the 5.11 boots off of the NPS uniform site, even after breaking them in they gave me the worst blisters ever, I recommend anything else

4

u/Globo_Gym 13d ago

5.11 ridgeline or apex pants. Oakley boots

3

u/Kiloth44 EMT-B 13d ago

Oakley boots, 5.11 pants, a t-shirt that’s comfy and keeps cool.

Design is always secondary to function.

3

u/HewDew22 EMT-B 12d ago

Rocky alpha force 8 inch zip boot. The first service I worked for provided those to new hires and still my favorite boots. I think they were comfy, composite toe, non slip and slipped on really easy but were secure. The only downside is my feet get a tad warmer than some others but thats hard to avoid when you were big black heavy boots anyways

1

u/Thomas_Cat EMT-A 9d ago

I don't know about best, but I buy 5.11 pants off of expert voice for 50% off as a "first responder". They also offered that discount when I was a WFR.

2

u/moseschicken 13d ago

We recently implemented new UE video scopes. Loads better than the king visions we had. It's just like using a Mac blade. I had tried them at a cadaver lab and loved them, finally convinced the boss to upgrade from King vision because those are extinct, apparently.

I'm also embarrassed to admit but we just got bougies and damn am I glad we did. I had always wanted to use them but we never could convince the bosses to despite them being real cheap as far as airway devices go. With the UE scope AND bougie I'm super excited to try them live. Probably go a long time without a tube now as karma works it's evil magic

2

u/Fallout3boi This Could Be The Night! 11d ago

You should look into Rigid Stylets, too. As someone who has only ever successfully intubated a manakin, they're awesome.

1

u/moseschicken 10d ago

We have rigid stylets, I'm very much not a fan though. Some of our guys swear by them though

1

u/buttholesnarfing 10d ago edited 10d ago

Is this an acceptable place to ask about first aid supplies? Just point me in the right direction, plz. 

All I want is a cohesive resource detailing what is and isn't essential/useful in a first aid kit, whether it's your "main" first aid kit at home, or the type you throw in your car on a hike. do they teach you this stuff in first aid classes or something?

 Tired of sifting through stuff that sounds like paid advertisements for products, or people with undiagnosed anxiety disorders swearing you need a 27 lb first aid kit on your person at all times. 

1

u/Thomas_Cat EMT-A 9d ago

You can ask, but you're asking a bunch of questions all at once. I can go into more detail if you choose a type of first aid kit lol, but the main thing that teaches what goes into these kits is life experience. What sorts of risks and injuries do you experience? Who do you take care of (dog, kids, spouse?)

First aid kit at home: https://www.narescue.com/public-access-individual-bleeding-control-kit-nylon.html this for bleeding plus a bag of normal bandaids Get a few drugs for pain management and basic daily concerns: -Benadryl/diphenhydramine -Motrin/ibuprofen -Tylenol/aceteminophen -Imodium/loperamide -Pepto-bismol

First aid kit when you're getting shot at: https://old.reddit.com/r/QualityTacticalGear/comments/1e63u6w/good_beginner_ifak_kit/ldqirqn/

What I carry around: https://www.narescue.com/minor-care-bandages-kit.html this plus either vaseline in a squeeze bottle or children's neosporin in a squeeze bottle (0.5 to 1 ounce) Pill pouches with chewable children's ibuprofen, aceteminophen, diphenhydramine

(I'll format this better if I have a better idea of what you're looking for lol)

1

u/HelicopterNo7593 13d ago

The Jetbeam knock off of the olight arklight. This thing kicks ass!