You still might want your emergency contact notified if you are hurt, and there are organ donor IDs out there.



No excuse, I just keep forgetting to do it. I also often post using handwriting recognition on a tablet, so some tasks are a bit of a chore. Sorry if that's irritating to you.

Jeff

Correct. Eventually. someone develops a bit of curiosity, usually the poor clerk responsible for filling out all that billing paperwork. But emergency, initial and lifesaving or stabilizing interventions usually come first. Or so I'd hope.

Jeff

I had never thought about it and just assumed it was so you would not snag and tear it of when working, the same reason my watch goes on my left wrist.
Your explanation makes a lot of sense.

I'll take a guess. If you are in a stretcher in an ambulance, the paramedic is usually seated and working on your left side and it is easier to reach your left wrist.

But your assumption was a very good one.

Congratulations! We have a winner!

Montanero:

First and foremost, thank you for your service. I realize most SF folks tend to be pretty well trained as medics of one sort or another; was that your main gig?

Most of my contact with military medicine has come from working around or cross-training with SAR, SF and Naval medicine and field hospital types, a pretty impressive group.

How were you guys type and cross-matching blood all the way forward, and how far forward did you carry and use blood products? We stand to gain a lot from recent advances in military medicine, so I'm curious, if you happen to have any links handy, or anything.

Personally, I've been waiting for those artificial gas transporting blood products that don't require antigen matching or refrigeration that were just about to come out for, oh, about twenty years now.

Jeff

When ever I am out and not carrying my wallet, like on a run or bike ride or other activity, I use a Road ID

I have two of them. Both red bands for my ankle. I have my name, city/State, wifes name and cell number, my conditions that are medically important, and blood type.

I am not affiliated with RoadID but every one of my training partners also uses one when training and it absolutely has come in handy. Since we are usually wearing shorts or bike tights its extremely noticeable on the ankle. I realize when wearing pants its not feasible so in 2009 I am looking at the yellow wrist band.

That looks like a very smart idea. That red or yellow band on a wrist or ankle would be really noticeable. I never carry ID on my bike, and only have a yellow label with emergency info inside my helmet, which is pretty weak compared to what you're doing. I need to upgrade like you.

Jeff

Jeff,

I cannot find it now, but there is a zipper pull ID out there for motorcyclist. It folds like the keychain wallet that wraps around the unused keys.

Obviously it would work for anyone, but I originally found it in a M/C magazine.
This is where I got the USB idea that I made for my family. It has all the basics and medical info on PDF on it for every family member. That way if someone is missing theirs we can still get info from another's.

Do you think EMS or the Hospital would look over it if they found one of us alone and incapacitated? It's marked with the EMT Star. (can't remember the name)