Hey everyone!! I have been in charge of Making a troop fAk. We need it to be portable. We usually have doctors with us on every campout (LUCK) and so we can have some more advanced stuff. We have 20+ scouts and a budget of $120 ( to around $150)

-Jace

One question you need to ask is how long will you need the kit for? If you need it for one night, then it can be smaller. If you need it for a week, you'll need more of each item.

If you search this forum for 'first aid kit' and/or 'FAK' you're going to get a ton of information.

Our troop had a few approaches.

On "small" trips (overnighters, day hikes, etc.), the scouts each had their own PSK. The creation of these was part of their training. Our older boys were formed into a high-adventure patrol so there skills and attitude filtered down to the younger boys. Most carried a store bought kit.

For bigger trips, the troop had a large first kit that was in a tackle box-like container. We had a large troop trailer, so carrying it wasn't a problem.

Our troop carries a fairly large commercial first aid kit in our troop trailer. It is kept restocked by one of our assistant Scoutmasters who is a firefighter paramedic. Quite honestly the only thing used from the kit is adhesive bandages of one size or another. We might have also used some antibiotic cream.

Each Scout who is of Second Class is "supposed" to be carrying a personal first aid kit that was put together as one of the second class rank requirements. Some probably actually carry them, but many probably don't. That would be a great inspection item for one of our next campouts.

That is not to say that nasties don't happen. A few years back my son - of all the boys in the pack - broke his collarbone while at a council-wide event event at the summer camp property. That required a ton of elastic bandages to immobilize his arm until the ambulance arrived for transport to the local hospital (a fun night that was).

At this year's summer camp a boy in the next camp site over sliced a good length of skin off the outside of his thumb. I guess it bleed like crazy. Lots of gauze needed while on the way to the very same hospital.

So, the list should include at the very least:
Protective gloves (latex or other)
Eye protection
Adhesive bandages of all sizes, and lots of them
Large gauze pads, for bigger cuts
Adhesive tape
Elastic bandages, and lots of them
Gauze wrap
Triangular bandages
Scissors
GOOD Tweezers
Soap
Antibiotic ointment
CPR barrier
Fever Thermometer
Ice packs
Diarrhea medicine
Antihistamine

I was a lifeguard at summer camp one year and we had contingencies for all sorts of stuff. Make sure one of your leaders coordinates with the people running the camp or event. This helps get the right people to the scene if something happens. For weekend events they use to hand out pamphlets to the unit leaders with the POC for emergencies as well as locations for first aid stations. If this isn't in place it would be a good idea to reccomend starting it.

A nice start might be something like the "Comprehensive" kit from AMK. That's what we currently take with us on troop trips, augmented with some extra stuff. The key thing is to have people properly trained, and to regularly inventory the kit and restock it. I think the retail price for the kit is under $200.
They have a couple smaller kits that may fit your budget better, but, be sure you know what capabilities you're trading off.

Make sure you incorporate current med-forms on the boys and adults on the trip. We usually ask parents if it's ok to keep the most recent summer camp med form on file when we take trips, and nobody has ever said no. I'm sure there's some HIPA law we're getting in trouble with...

Also, it's great that you have a doctor with you on your trips sometimes, but, spending money on at least WFA level training for your other adult leaders is always worthwhile. In addition to whatever money you spend on the FAK, make sure you budget annual restock money for the FAK, it's not a one shot purchase, and recertification training money for CPR and whatever level of First Aid training the leaders need to hold.

I have to agree. Remember that medical school does NOT cover first aid! Even dressings in the ER are usually done by the nurses or ER techs. So, really, make sure your doc knows what to do when he doesn't have a bunch of labs, X-ray, and nurses around. Even an ER doc is out of his normal element when outside the hospital.

As for what you need, buy FORCEPS, not TWEEZERS. Tweezers are for plucking eyebrows, forceps are for saving lives.

OK, really, most of the AMK stuff is OK. I'd add some more gauze rolls, ace wraps, maybe some small burn towels (avoid the cream if someone is truly burned). Also, it might be a good idea to keep the adults up on some sort of first aid course, ie ARC.

And find out which of the scouts are really gung-ho on the first aid stuff - I was, and it's led me to EMS and eventually med school. See if they'll carry some extra items, and know about the troop FAK. That way if something happens to the adults, there's still someone that can help.

People trained in traditional first aid in a wilderness setting can cause problems as well.

Traditional first aid tells you not to give the injured person food or drink. In a wilderness setting this is ridiculous and I've heard many stories of injured people nearly dying of dehydration because the first aid they were given denied them water while they were being carried out of the bush for 16 hours to receive proper medical attention.

Another thing to possibly think of is oxygen, the wonder drug. Probably not for a young scout (altho a serious injury could change that), but possibly for the adult leaders. Some of those guys can have a few years on them, and you never can tell when someone might have the big one. The fast application of O2 can literally be a life saver...

On average about 3 days (A weekend) and 2 nights, but I like to be prepared for almost anything because we are usually about 1-2+ hours to a hospital, sometimes more.

-Jace