In reply to:
"There's been considerable discussion in this forum re: shears vs. blade. Paramedics of my acquaintance tend to use blades for clothing removal, & shears for other things. But, the shears do get the job done safely; that's why a pair is in my vehicle kit, which BTW, is in an orange Pelican 1150 case (lunch-box sized). "

Just to throw my 2 cents in:

I use shears almost exclusively, for clothing, seatbelts, etc. The primary purpose to expose or remove clothing is to allow proper examination of the body (for signs of injury i.e. bruising) after, as Matt has pointed out, the care of the ABC’s. The secondary purpose to expose or remove clothing is to clean and treat wounds and/or injuries. The third reason to remove clothing is to allow for proper immobilization of the injured or suspect body part. The cutting away of clothing vs. traditional removal is to prevent further injury to the body and to minimize pain in doing so. It has been my experience shears allow me to remove clothing, etc. with minimal movement to the body. While I have used a variety of blades, I still prefer a pair of blunt tipped shears. I have found the ones at the dollar store work just as well as many of the “EMT/Trauma” shears. Also, keep in mind there are times when it is best to leave clothing (i.e. shoes/boots) in place, as they provide a degree of immobilization. Just my opinion - Pete