Jim:

I always have heard the ABC's as

A = Airway
B = Breathing
C = Circulation

Through training you learn to expand upon the primary ABC’s.

A = Airway, Open and Maintain an adequate Airway.
B = Breathing, Maintain adequate volume (respiration)
B = Bleeding, Control life-threatening bleeding (gross hemorrhaging)
C = Circulation, Maintain adequate circulation by controlling bleeding and CPR.
C = C-Spine, Maintain neutral alignment when indicated, which is learned through training.
D = Disability, Neurological involvement and Injuries causing impairment away from normal activities.
E = Exposure, what was the patient exposed to: Environmental (too hot, too cold) Chemical (hazardous materials) Thermal (burns) and finally you must uncover an injury (cut away clothes) to determine the extent of the injury.
F = Fractures, Any fracture which could potentially cause extensive bleeding (hip and long bone) is a life-threatening injury.

As you no doubt can see the ABC’s seem to cover quite a bit of BASIC information, but remember something our ambulance director has always said: “We are in the business of ABC’s, sometimes you DO NOT have time to do much else. Don’t stay and play, get the patient to the hospital. Remember your safety first, Always!” I believe this sums up the whole idea. If you fail at maintaining the airway (for example) then all other interventions are rather moot.

Lawsuit: Yes, they happen quite frequently here (in the States anyway) you should research things like negligence, scope of practice and duty to act. I cannot say if your country has it, but there is a common law here in the States called “the Good Samaritan act. I believe Canada has something very similar.

Finally about first aid kits: yes, they look nice, but if you have no training with a certain piece of equipment, then they are useless. I agree that some people buy them and throw them in a closet and promptly forget them. Some people will use a few Band-Aids and forget to restock them. The most important items you can have are, knowledge (training and experience) and equipment you carry that meets your level of training. Carrying equipment beyond what you have the training for is asking for trouble. Carry what will adequately help you maintain ABC’s.

What do I carry?

My FAK in an Altoids tin contents here
FAK Accessory module (stuff I could not fit into a Altoids tin)
1 pair Nitrile Gloves
1 CPR Mask
2 Purell Sanitizing Wipes
1 Tyvek Triangular Bandage
1 4” offset Bandage
1 24” x 72” Gauze Pad
1 Pair of Sliver Tweezers
1 Pair of Iris Forceps
1 small bottle Personal Meds
1 small bottle of Eye Drops for my contacts
1 pair of extra Contacts

I have other kits that contain more, but find the above to be very adequate. Someday, I'll post pictures of it all.

Conclusion: Training, training and even more training is the first priority.

I hope this helps, sorry for the long post.

Take care,

Stargazer, WEMT-CCP

ASAP = Always Suspicious, Always Prepared