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First Aid
First Aid Symposia First Aid Kit links
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In mid 2012, ZKMC held a first aid symposia with Crash Industries. Our presenter Kim is a paramedic, and tailored the sessions to have what she refers to as a ghetto focus. This means a more DIY/make-do ethos, and an attempt to give us the knowledge to help make more informed decisions if we are away from immediate medical care and find our selves or our riding companions in need of assistance.

This is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical care, but an acknowledgement of the reality that such care may not always be available.

We recorded both sessions, and due to the informal nature of the evenings, some of the content differs from night to night due to the questions and interests of those in attendance. The sections on reducing dislocations mostly contain commentary while we watched youtube videos that demonstrated the actual techniques. If you are interested in learning these techniques it is probably going to be more helpful to track down some videos on your own, but I have included the audio from these sessions for completeness sake.
Similarly the sections dealing with helmet removal were largely hands on demonstrations. When and if the video of these sessions is processed, this will be made available.

If you prefer to listen to the recordings on your own mp3 device instead of a web browser, downloadable archives follow the individual links.

Disclaimer: This information is provided as informal advice.
Chosing to act on what is presented here or anywhere on the internet is at your own discretion and risk. If you are in doubt, consult your physician.

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Session #1
Session #2


Full Archives for download
Linux Session #1 tgz
Session #2 tgz
MacOS Session #1 sitx
Session #2 sitx
Windows Session #1 zip
Session #2 zip

Videos to accompany the dislocation reduction sections:

Other Related videos:


Advance Directive Forms:



Advice and resources for First Aid supplies.

As detailed in the sessions above, a great place to obtain the small numbers of doses of pills like ibuprofen, aspirin, etc that would be useful to keep in an Individual First Aid Kit, are in the large first aid stations provided at many work places. You can grab 2 or 3 packets, and not need to buy a whole bottle of a medication that you may not otherwise keep on hand at home.

Another good way to maximise utility without waste or excessive cost is to do a group buy. Shout out to the ZKMC mailing list and offer to buy a box of banadryl, or sudafed, and share it out with others, if they do the same with another drug or supply.

Here are some other options for items that may or may not be on the cheap, but can be useful.

  • Small Shears. These small inexpensive shears with safety tips are so good, I've picked up a pair for general household use, as well as in my IFAK.
  • Mini bandage packs. Variety packs of bandaids are another good way to go with a group buy, but I've found these little packs to be quite handy, and a fair price for under $2.00. I like that I can put the pack in a pocket in my IFAK, and have all my bandaids in one little water proof bag, plus antiseptic wipes. They're good for keeping in a hiking pack, and glove compartment as well.
  • Tweezers. I find these better than any standard home health care tweezer, or the plastic sets that seem to come in most commercial camping first aid kits.

  • Bandanas As recommended by Kim!
    A good clean bandana can be used to secure a dressing and maintain pressure. They can be cut into long strips and made into slings, or be used to secure a splint. Old sheets pre-cut into strips will also work, but if you also want to be able to make a fashion statement, flash gang colors, or flag for your favorite sexual fetish, you can't go wrong with a good bandana. These can also be found at McLendons, REI, and gas stations, for about 3-4$ ea. as well.
  • Israeli trauma bandageWound pad, pressure applicator, compression dressing, all in one piece, in a sterile pack.
  • Mini super glue Another good candidate for group buys and sharing.
  • Sam's Splint. These fold flat along the back of a backpack, or inside pocket of a saddle bag and offer a variety of splinting applications


  • Emergency Sleeping bag
  • DIY Kit design There are a lot of pouches out there in the tactical supply world if you don't find a ready made kit/pouch that suits your needs.

  • It just takes some searching




  • There are plenty of pre-made kits that will give you a good place to start and customize contents as you wish.



  • Some great stuff available locally from Sound Rider

If you're less concerned about doing it on the cheap, there are some good pre-made kits and purpose designed packs out there
For example:
  • Some other folks's lists that might get you thnking:
  • Kit Recommendations