What do you carry? - The mega thread

[CWATT]

As a new "white shirt", I love not wearing the navy blue cop suit. I do NOT like the fact that I have to use a tide stick to scrub any stains immediately.
And yeah, I still take runs.

Congrats on the new “white shirt” status.

The service a friend of mine works for wears white. He says for anyone 6’ or taller, he gets two big boot prints on his shirt every time he unloads them at the hospital.

 

[charliefox42]

 

[NomadicMedic]

Congrats on the new “white shirt” status.

The service a friend of mine works for wears white. He says for anyone 6’ or taller, he gets two big boot prints on his shirt every time he unloads them at the hospital.

I’m a supe. And a medic. That’s ALS. Ain’t Lifting Shi... well, you know.

Kidding. I have had the shirtfront footprints. (We wore white in Washington.)

 

[CANMAN]

Nice blade....

 

[charliefox42]

This does it for most days though...

 

[DrParasite]

He says for anyone 6’ or taller, he gets two big boot prints on his shirt every time he unloads them at the hospital.

suggest to him that if he covers the patient in a sheet, especially the longer people who are wearing boots (and if he tucks the sheet under their heels, even better), than he won't need two worry about getting any boot prints on his shirt.

 

[Bullets]

My service requires us to carry Batman's actual belt, so on it I've got some raptor shears, my biga** flashlight to whack baddies with, a CAT, Leatherman Wave, a radio, aaaannnddd a tiny glove holder.
It's not that much I swear...

Is the department going to cover your chiropracter bills for the subsequent back pain in injuries. The town i was working for tried to do this so we look MORE uniform like cops. Us and the PD sent a bunch of info about how duty belts caused more back problems for cops. EMS got to keep radio straps and the cops now have out vests

When i was hired as a chief we went with charcoal polos and navy pants. Cops wear powder blue and fire is volunteer (so we never see them). It is sufficiently different that we arent confused

 

[DrParasite]

Is the department going to cover your chiropracter bills for the subsequent back pain in injuries. The town i was working for tried to do this so we look MORE uniform like cops. Us and the PD sent a bunch of info about how duty belts caused more back problems for cops. EMS got to keep radio straps and the cops now have out vests

Can you please send me that info? I used to wear a batbelt in the city (most people wore some type of belt to hang their radio holder), and I had a horizontal holster on the left side, swivel radio holder on the right side, leather gloves in the front (secured with two beltkeepers), and a glove pouch next to my sheers. I never had any back pain or injuries from wearing it (lifting heavy people, that's a different story).

I switched to a webbing radio strap in the suburbs (because it was easier to take off when we were chilling in the station than the entire belt ensemble), because we aren't going on back to back calls constantly.

Cops, on the other hand, wear leather belts (mine was nylon), carry a gun, extra magazines and cuffs, and their baton and gun often have a vertical holster, which can dig into the body (which was why I always used a swivel holster, and didn't carry anything larger than 2 AA on my belt). And while they kept spare cuffs on their lower lack, I made sure to keep mine as clear as possible.

I'm glad you got the town to see things your way, but we both know plenty of people and agencies that wear belts daily and don't suffer crippling black pains.

 

[Bullets]

Words

This is true, we definitely would have had much less stuff on our belts than theirs. i would have had just a radio since i basically carry nothing extra on me. Over half our staff used radio straps for the reasons you cited and since we do rescue, the belt made getting into bunker gear more difficult. The cops wanted to go to a vest based system anyway so we kind piggybacked their concerns to make duty belts optional equipment

 

[CWATT]

This is my current kit, but I am looking to make some revisions.... *see below

Starting @ Top-Left:

- Bellroy Passport wallet + international cash / payment.
- Bellroy Standard wallet
- Bert’s Bees (lip balm)
- click-style Sharpie
- 2x Zebra 701 black ink
- Nixon watch
- Cliff bar

- cellphone + Lifeproof
- ThruNite flashlight (has ‘firefly’ mode which is perfect for checking pupils, but is also 300lumins c/ strobe)
- Leatherman sheers
- gloves
- airport security pass
- med labels
- Medical Directives book

- Littman Master Cadiology III
- Saunders 5x9 clipboard/case modified c/ labels for traumatic scene calls

*Not pictured:
- Starbucks mug c/ broken lid (lol)
- Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia - 2017 Classic Shirt-Pocket Edition


Since starting on the aircraft, I’ve had to add a few items, but I’m also realizing that I don’t need others. For starters, I don’t use my Leatherman sheers. Working on a land unit, they could be placed aside to be cleaned later. However, now I’m carrying them in my pocket and don’t always know where the cleaning supplies are in the sending facilities, so I would rather use theirs. They’ll still be useful for scene calls if we’re first response, but I’m going to start leaving them on the aircraft as soon as I find a good ditty-bag (one guy uses Maxpedition).

Secondly, and this one I could use some input from the HEMS guys... I’ve always worn a watch largely because that’s the culture, but now I’m picking people up in facilities already on monitor. Even if it is a scene all and we’re first to respond, we’ll almost immediately place leads or pads, rendering my initial pulse assesment largely to determine ‘fast or slow (or absent)’. Since lighting on the aircraft sucks (my watch isn’t backlit), and any med administration is either recorded by our monitor or we have our cell-phones (which is more accurate than my analog watch anyway), I’d love to stop wearing a watch alltogether, but I haven’t been doing this line of work long enough to gauge whether it would be a career mistake.

Any other HEMS advice/tips/tricks/etc. is always appreciated. E.g., one guy always carries a PEEP valve in his pocket because, it’s his experience, that the sending facilities rarely have one.

 

[medichopeful]

Vests are an option for us to buy. If you buy it with company money, then you are required to wear it. I do not have one.

I just bought one. It's mainly for the blunt-force protection it provides (vehicle accidents), not so much the ballistic protection (though that's a plus I suppose).

 

[VentMonkey]

Any other HEMS advice/tips/tricks/etc. is always appreciated. E.g., one guy always carries a PEEP valve in his pocket because, it’s his experience, that the sending facilities rarely have one.

Holy Schmoley that’s quite the list...

Flight suit-wise, I carry as little as possible. I feel as though it’s stifling enough, especially in the warmer months.

Sooo...my ears, company provided trauma shears (I just can’t see myself needing fancy shears), some pens in random pockets, plenty of gloves, some scrap paper, a couple of caribeaners, and my phone charger.

I debated carrying a PEEP-valve in my suit since our ground crews don’t have them, and most are inquisitive as to what they are, but eh, I know where they’re at when I need them in my jumpbag. I cannot confirm, not deny, one may not float into my backpack in anticipation of a ground shift work over.

One of the other flight paramedics carries a Bougie on his person, but again, I know exactly where they’re at when I need them and I will typically grab them from our ground units jump bag. My partner and I are quite the scavengers. Practicality suits me pretty well.

 

[michael150]

I figured this may be a good place to post this..... Any recommendations for EMS pants? Light and comfortable? I have some 5.11 Taclites and I am just wondering what everyone else is wearing!

 

[CWATT]

@michael150 — second the 511 Tac pants (I think they’re the Taclites, but I honestly can’t remember). I wear a Propper shirt though. WAY more features than the 5.11.

 

[CANMAN]

Holy Schmoley that’s quite the list...

Flight suit-wise, I carry as little as possible. I feel as though it’s stifling enough, especially in the warmer months.

Sooo...my ears, company provided trauma shears (I just can’t see myself needing fancy shears), some pens in random pockets, plenty of gloves, some scrap paper, a couple of caribeaners, and my phone charger.

I debated carrying a PEEP-valve in my suit since our ground crews don’t have them, and most are inquisitive as to what they are, but eh, I know where they’re at when I need them in my jumpbag. I cannot confirm, not deny, one may not float into my backpack in anticipation of a ground shift work over.

One of the other flight paramedics carries a Bougie on his person, but again, I know exactly where they’re at when I need them and I will typically grab them from our ground units jump bag. My partner and I are quite the scavengers. Practicality suits me pretty well.

CWATT, I echo what VentMonkey has posted pretty much. I like to remain as light and nimble as possible and not be weighted down. I have never enjoyed carrying anything in pockets even when wearing jeans and such, so I am very much a minimalist on the aircraft.

If you know your gear inside and out you don't need to carry any medical supplies on your person in my opinion. In my career I have never seen any provider show up and save the day with his personal pocket bougie or IV start kit. For something like that if an airway is going bad I want access to my full kit, not a solo tool which is going to get me into a pigeon hole type situation. We have peep valves on our BVM's and an extra in our primary bag, and I can't imagine carrying something like that is comfortable.

That being said I carry in my flight suit
Right leg pocket: Cell phone and wallet
Left leg pocket: Small protocol book (like to look at hardcopy vs. phone)
Right ems pocket: Knife & flashlight (don't carry scissors because we have them in our bag and typically I can cut what I need with my knife quickly)
Left leg scissor pouch:Un-serrated Rochester-Carmalt Forceps (for clamping ETT's etc.)
Left arm pocket w/flap cutoff: 1-sharpie, 1 ink pen, 2 sets of glove, ID badge for hospital in clear pouch w/med labels in the pouch, 1-nite ize s-biner stainless steel carabiner clip

 

[JoeyT]

A 511 shoulder bag with trauma stuff, stethoscope, certs and wallet, and my prescription sunglasses.

 

[charliefox42]

These tend to get me through the day, but that noisy one is a pain in my a$&

 

[Bullets]

You HEMS guys ever rock the chest rig? Couple of guys around here that work out of the smaller Eurocopters seem to be wearing a chest based large pouch that folds down and acts as a kind of shelf. I guess its cramped in the back so its hard to work out of the bags?

I have one when i work our ATV unit since space for a lot of equipment is limited to as small portable monitor and a single bag and some splinting/wound care stuff. I also cant hear our radio if its on my hip

 

[Tigger]

You HEMS guys ever rock the chest rig? Couple of guys around here that work out of the smaller Eurocopters seem to be wearing a chest based large pouch that folds down and acts as a kind of shelf. I guess its cramped in the back so its hard to work out of the bags?

I have one when i work our ATV unit since space for a lot of equipment is limited to as small portable monitor and a single bag and some splinting/wound care stuff. I also cant hear our radio if its on my hip

A couple of our flight folks wear the Conterra harnesses with the big front pocket for the reason you describe. They're also responsible for talking to the landing zone folks so they carry the VFH or 800 handheld there.

I love mine for hikes and ATV calls. If nothing else it keeps your radio away from getting knocked into rocks and trees.

 

[VentMonkey]

You HEMS guys ever rock the chest rig?

Our program doesn't. Central California sees some relatively warm Summer months. And even then, I get awful hot in my flight suit alone regardless of the time of year.

A program the next county up wears them, IIRC, at their discretion. The RN, and paramedic each had a different versions consisting of different items respectively. I mean, they look nifty but I carry my essentials in my flight suits pockets; the rest is in our bags.