I don't know what the roads are like where you are, but on some of the long isolated stretches of road I travel on( especially in winter) accidents usually involve smashed, overturned vehicles which have hit black ice and either hit another vehicle head on, or skidded off the road to hit a tree or slide down an embankment. On any Canadian Highway there are frequent collisions with Moose or deer and these are normally very serious if not fatal. At any rate, the accidents are more than the fender benders usually found in the city. If the Dammed person wasn't in any danger as you put it, then they would be able to open the door and walk out themselves. The Trauma kit is something that I designed to put in my vehicle in the event that I happen across someone who has suffered TRAUMA. This alone might indicate that they are in danger. If you can open the door of a car that is smashed, upside down and in three feet of snow using "muscle power" and then somehow chew through a stuck seat belt, then you are a better person that I am. For the rest of us, that is why they invented rescue tools. I do not pretend to be EMT, or a para-medic etc, but I don't expect professional help to arrive for at least 30 minutes depending where I am.

Don't forget eye protection (as I was reminded by some blood splatter last weekend bandaging up my anxious son's finger).

The point that MD is trying to make is this:

Is the person in IMMEDIATE danger from a condition that they can only be protected from by removing them from the vehicle? If the answer is no, don't bloody move them.

The only time I'd ever pull someone out is if the vehicle was in immediate danger of catching fire or they were about to need gills. And I've had training for vehicle extractions. I don't care if it is getting cold- manage their hypothermia by bringing heat to them, not them to heat. I wouldn't even pull them out if the car was about to go over a cliff- I'll stabilize the vehicle first. There is more to this than just spine issues- a broken rib can puncture the lung or pericardium. A broken femur or humerus can cut a major vessel leading to a internal bleed out in minutes, or sever a major nerve. I don't even care if I can't tell what is leg and what is dashboard any more- I'll get the bleeding stopped as best I can, but I'm not pulling them out, I don't have the proper equipment to extract them without probably worsening their situation. After I get the door open for them (pry bar, not chainsaw), if they can't get out on their own, they are staying there until the guys with the big truck show up. I'll do everything in my power to keep them alive, warm and from freaking out, but I will not endanger someone that way.

You are relying on military training. I hate to tell people this, but there is a lot of times where military training teaches you the wrong damn thing. No one is lobbing HE at you, there aren't snipers about, and odds are the vehicle isn't about to burst into flames- you don't have to pull them out. Dig in, keep them alive where they are, and call for the cavalry. I get basically the same kind of weather you do here, and I know all about places where you can spend an hour or three and not see another car on that stretch of road. You get the stable, keep them warm, mark the position from the road as best you can, and if no one is with you and you can't get a call out, you tell them you are going to get help, make sure they understand that, and you go.

You make a very valid point.
I should have been a little more specific in regards to why I wanted to add a rescue tool to the kit. I am a big WHAT IF kind of person. Just like everyone else here I suppose. I wanted to add such an item just in case I had to get someone out of a vehicle in a hurry. If there is no immediate danger to remove them then of course I won't. The biggest reason for me adding it would be in the event that I need to get myself out of my truck after an accident. After reading back through the post I realize that I never really pointed that out. I never intended on busting windows and pulling people out of their vehicles without so much as checking or asking if they were alright!!

Seems to me that a rescue tool would be a good thing to have. It’s not about moving the victim; it’s about getting to the victim to render aid. Basic medical aid calls for not moving the victim unless they are immediate danger from being inside the car. Moving the victim unnecessarily can cause (further) back and neck injury. But if you see blood spurting and the door won’t open, the window needs to go.

For your own personal protection, either a Life Hammer or a rescue knife would do fine. If you are going to use something so help someone else, better stick to the rescue knife. It’s much more versatile than the Life Hammer.

"...I do the current version of CPR - compressions only..."

I have read about this here more than once, but when I checked the American Red Cross website, among others, I can find nothing official about it. Can you give me some hints as to where to find info on compression only CPR???

"...I figure the first thing after calling for help would be to get the person out of the vehicle somehow..."

Actually, unless there is a threat of fire, getting the person out of the vehicle should be waaayyyyy down on your priority list. The victim could have all kinds of C-spine type injuries, and if you go yanking him/her out of the vehicle without proper immobilization, you could turn him/her into a quadraped, or worse. Stabilize, insure a clear airway, stop major bleeds, and wait for the professionals with hard collars, back boards, IV's, etc etc etc.

You even have to be careful just breaking a side window to gain access to the victim. If there are open wounds, glass frags can get into them. Glass does not show up on x-rays, is very hard for a doctor to see, and can remain in a now-closed wound, causing all kinds of problems in the days to come. I used to carry a bunch of CHP give away bumper stickers with me, if I had to break a side window with a victim inside, I would plaster it with stickers first, then break it with my spring loaded centerpunch (without a doubt the easiest way to break a tempered glass window). Instead of breaking into a jillion pieces, it would be pretty much held in one piece by the stickers, and could be lifted out away from the victim...

"...at least 30 minutes..."

I used to work I-5 in central CA, and a 30 min eta for an ambulance was FAST. I have had to wait, in fog season, for over two HOURS for an ambulance to arrive. But still, in almost 100% of those cases, leaving the victim in the vehicle is the way to go. It is possible to do CPR on a person still upright in a car seat. Not easy, but doable. If you do have to remove a person from a vehicle, you need to know the proper procedure to do so which will cause the least amount of additional damage. And I know of more than one case where a victim, thinking that he/she was OK, hopped out of the vehicle with a cracked vertebrae, then suddenly collapsed, never to walk again. In any collision, maybe excepting a real minor fender bender, you have to assume a possible c-spine injury...

I have learned a lot of good things from the info given on this thread so far. Thanks a bunch to all.

I have decided after listening to the experts on this subject to make some changes to the kit in my truck. First of all, I will dump the quick clot. As some of you have pointed out, there is a world of difference between Military training and what one will face in the Civilian world. The quick clot I have causes severe pain when applied. Maybe I will find an alternative item to replace it with later. I have decided to dump the quick splint for space reasons, as I can improvise one easily enough IF I had to. I will add a roll of gauze, and maybe a gel burn dressing. The C-A-T tourniquet will most likely be dumped as well, as they can be improvised with just about anything. I upgraded the fire extinguisher that I carry in the truck. It doesn't hurt to have a quality fire extinguisher in any situation. I have decided on the Gerber hinderer rescue knife over the lifehammer. Although more costly it is also more versatile. An ex Army friend of mine who is now an Edmonton City cop told me it is what a lot of the police and the firefighters use and it has never failed them. I listened to the advise of the folks who use them almost on a daily basis. And most of all, I plan to take a week long basic first responder course in the new year. Although not part of the kit per se it is probably going to be the most important factor in actually carrying it in the truck in the first place. This course covers the basics in emergency first aid administered at the scene of a vehicle accident. I hate to always bring up army training, but that is what I know. I always default back to it without realizing it.
Once again, for all the help. Thanks

The pain Quick-clot causes mostly has to do with the way how it's used IOW not removing exces blood before applying it (once again, gauze-pads are used for this).


So you now have:

. CPR mask, standard x 1
. triangular bandages x 2(Canadian Military issue)
. 2 pairs HD surgical gloves
. Israeli dressings x 4(Canadian Military issue)
. Gauze rolls
. Burn-dressings

Good, now you should get:

- More of everything, especially gauze, according to how much space you have.
- EMT-sheers (cutting clothes with a knife isn't ideal)

And I would call it a job well done Don't forget to post the pics of the kit on this forum!