I’m an Eagle Scout so I will try to shine some light on the subject. Granted you’re in the middle of the Arizona desert, so a few things will be different, but a lot of it will be the same. I’ll start with how we deal the First Aid issue in our troop. This might turn into a long note, so bare with me.

Personal Kit:

Lets start with the basic First Aid Kit. Each scout has a personal kit. It contains the bare necessities for one person, maybe two depending on how big of a kit they want to carry. Usually this is tossed in their backpack with everything else. We had a local medical store donate a huge heap of medical supplies so we distributed it out. Some of this might be too much, but you can’t be over prepared. I could go into what each should have in his pack, but I’ll try not and touch on that too much unless it crosses over into first aid. This is what I recommend, for us, and the deserts of Arizona.

Boy Scout Handbook*
Flashcard with emergency phone numbers on it
Pen and paper
Compass and ruler
Map
2 water bottles (non negotiable with our unit. If they don’t have two, we give them two)
3 or 4 trail bars
Personal Medication (asthma, ect.)**
Allergy Medicine**
Sunglasses
Hat of somekind (boonie to keep sun off neck works really well)
Small Sewing Kit
Emergency Blanket (we have the small fold up silver looking ones)
Camp Suds (liquid biodegradable soap)
1 Bandana (sweat, splint, sun off your neck, anything you can think of)
Assorted Band-Aids (large and small)
Antibiotic ointment
1 roll of Medical tape
1 pack of Gauze pads
1 Roll bandage (1 or 2 inch)
1 pack of Mole Skin
Ace bandage
Snakebite kit
Bee sting kit
Platypus Hydration system (IV bag type water pouch. Rolls up into your kit)
Water purification tablets
First Aid Flashcards (basic first aid treatments, what to do if...)
Pocketknife
Small Flashlight w/ spare batteries and bulbs
Signal mirror
Whistle
Lighter
Sunscreen
Lip balm
*Note: Every Scout should have his book with him someplace in his pack. If something happens, most of what they will encounter is in the book.
**Note: Depending on age of the child the Boy Scout rules/regulations do not allow them to carry medication. Check with the unit leaders/parents. On the personal medication, for asthma etc. the child should know how to take his medicine/inhaler, but double check with the parents.

Troop Kit:

Once every scout has something of his own in his pack, we keep a troop kit. I don’t have the kit sitting here, so I can’t tell you what exactly is in it, but this is really close. Really it’s your smaller kits on steroids. Different sizes of everything, larger quantities, and some more technical items.

1 bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide or Bedidine
Hand sanitizer
Alcohol wipes (small ones you get at restaurants)
1 bottle of Camp Suds
Eye wash solution
Petroleum jelly
Emergency Blanket
Burn spray
Mole skin and 2nd Skin
Leg splint
Field dressings, 11" square
Field dressings, 71/2 x 8"
Bandages, 6" x 6 yd.
Bandage gauze, 4" x 4.6 yd.
Bandage gauze, 3" x 5 yd.
Elastic bandages 6" wide
Elastic bandages 2" wide
Sterile pads, 4 x 4"
Eye pads
Triangular bands, 37 x 37 x 52"
Band Aids—All kinds (a good assortment of 50 or more))
CPR mask
Tongue depressor
Cotton tip applicators
Cotton balls
Ice pack
Stethoscope
Tweezers
EMT shears
SS hemostat
Scalpel blade
Scalpel handle with blade
Flashlight
Sutures
Dental mirror
Thermometer
First aid book
safety pins
Latex gloves
Aspirin
Irrigation syringe
Triple antibiotic, pkg.
Burn aid pkg.
Medical Tape 1/4"


I might have forgot a few items, but here is a good start. Let me know if you have any questions.

Hope this helps.

Respectfully,
John

Thank you JMH85 !

I'll add this to what I already have.

What type of signal mirror are you thinking about?

TS

TS,

2x4 would probably work. Single or double sided. They have some user friendly ones with a "target sight" in the middle of it. If they look through the sight and line up their target, the reflection is always visible. Try and get one with a hole in the corner so they can tie a string and attach their whistle to it.


Edit: Forgot to add a small oz. or two bottle of bedidine to the personal kit and some cotton ball applicators. Also, matches couldn't hurt instead of, or with, the lighter. I have a sandwitch size plastic bag full of dryer lent. It does wonders starting fires. That stuff is flamable like non other. Lightweight too. :munchin
I'll keep adding as I think up new stuff.

John

I am a Boy Scout, the flash cards mentioned early on how to properly do something, the what if cases. They are a MUST. We all have good intentions but I have seen some folks that didn't know what they where doing make some simply cases a whole lot more "hurried" than before. I will try to find a link to the Boy Scout Field Book, isn't not the same as the Handbook. The field book has more information in it.
Tweezers work better to remove spliters, at least when I remove them.
I didn't think I saw latex gloves on any of the list. I know when it comes to life and death, screw the doctors gloves but sometimes they are nice to have.
If you have any questions about what we, as Boy Scouts, do for first aid, you are more than welcome to ask questions.

I hope this helps.

TS, I saw this guide the other day in the local REI. Plastic pages, spiral binding to lay flat when open, tabbed for quick reference, good mix of text and diagrams, pocket-sized (4.5" x 3.5"), and not all that expensive, although you could probably find it cheaper elsewhere:

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...cat=REI_SEARCH

How much different is the Personal kit he described than what a SF soldier carries on a mission? It looks pretty complete to me, but I was in Helos for most of the time.

Thanks,


Sire

TS: How did this work out, if you've finished it yet?

My troop (12 years ago) had a significant medical focus... we had a full BLS XTRA kit from Galls for our troop aid-bag. Basically covered 90% of the bases. We also had multiple EMT's within the troop leadership...