firstaidkit

This is a guide to what I carry when in the bush. I have no special qualifications to allow me to offer any detailed advice to others, nor do I wish to assume that responsibility.. I can only tell you what I carry and use to protect myself from the usual run of injuries while prospecting and living in the Bush.

. . .From simple precautions in Hygiene and Safety, a lot of grief can be averted before a problem arises.

. . .I have mentioned some things in HEALTH which hold pretty true. Bury your wastes and use fire-ash in the hole and cone it on top after filling. It is a simple matter that helps prevent unpleasant consequences for others who use your camp area after you have gone.

. . Remove dangerous obstacles from a campsite early-on. Sharp mulga spikes are cleared from eye-level in all my camps. These are the dead-ends of Mulga trees and grow everywhere in the WA goldfields. They have a needle sharp point to them that will pierce the skin easily (even through gloves) and then, break-off to fester over a few short days. Even snapping them off when gathering firewood can cause painful wounds so, a pair of leather-garden-gloves is a good thing to carry. In an overnight camp it is best just to limit your 'clearing' to areas around the camp where you may walk during the night. These little sticks will stab your eye so easily that it's frightening for someone who is half blind like me.

. . Lookout for Bull Ant nests around dead stumps. They are hard to see but generally, have a slot-like opening visible and a mound or slight hill around. them; they can also be in the base of a saltbush clump which are harder to spot. Have a good look around before you pick your camp site. You can't do much about their sting. I use Metholated Spirits, but that is not much use. Try to avoid them it's far easier.

. . .Exploding Rocks are very dangerous. I make a few general suggestions about setting a campfire position. Keep it away from the tents and vehicles. Try and take advantage of the local wind behavior by keeping the fire downwind. Always clear a sufficient area to prevent sparks from getting into nearby ground litter. Now, about the Rocks! In some areas ironstone- rocks can explode or spit slivers of razor-sharp hot-rock for several metres from your fire. .I suggest before setting your fire site, you dig and remove as much rock as possible. Build your fire in the hole and use the dirt as a rim rather than use.any stones that are laying around as a firebreak. You can pull the dirt back over the fire if you need to put it out before leaving that camp.

. . I use a leaf rake which is a cheap and very handy tool for preparing a campsite. You may use it after you have packed-up to restore the area with litter and rocks as is often required by CALM and station managers.

A word about raking leaf litter from under salmon or gimlet gums. This is habitat for some species of snake and lizard. You will see them if you go at the raking hard enough. Don't kill them! They only bite if you stick your foot or hand in their mouth. In general, the southern goldfields campsites are all like this. Stay away from directly under the trees and you won't have to disturb these mostly unknown critters. The Bull Ants like these areas too!

Items Carried: a small surgical kit with enough stainless steel clamps, probes and cutting gear to take out any odd, useless bits of plumbing. I trust it will never be used for anything other than trimming toenails

Elastic bandage for snakebite and damaged knees , ankles etc. At least 4 x 75 or 100mm rolls.

General gauze bandage for small binding of wounds . . . several sizes.

A roll of elast-plast for tight strapping and large band-aid type wounds (sticky).

Large sterile pads and small (sealed individual packs). 3 large 6 small.

Small band-aid style dressings in various sizes from huge to mixed/standard.

Cotton wool, cotton buds, cotton gauze pads. 'Dove' make-up kit is ideal. All three in a plastic box.

Surgical alcohol wipes in sterile single use envelopes.

Rehydration salts in small pouches for help with boosting the uptake of fluids.

Glycerin for wax removal from ears and other uses.

Eucalyptus and Tea Tree oils (antiseptic). Tea tree balm is available and stops cracking skin.

Iodex (sic) an iodine based bruise rub. Works well, my grandmother insisted on using it.

Savlon or similar antiseptic cream. Good for wounds that may stick to bandages.

Puff Pack antiseptic powder. Good for wet wounds that can't be touched. Tropical ulcers.

Permanganate of Potash. Condy's crystals (sic) they must be stored and kept completely dry. These are highly corrosive on human skin and will burn the skin if wrongly diluted. It is useful by adding a few crystals into a tub of water (a tiny pinch to 5-litres) to treat footrot Tinea (ringworm). The water should be lightly violet (not purple black) and should be prepared and used daily followed by clean socks or footwear until itching decreases and visible changes occur to the effected areas. Stop the treatment if it ever feels like a burning sensation. An 'extremely dilute' solution can be painted on with a cotton bud around the toes. Remember a tiny amount in a lot of water. Ask your doctor about this, but they will probably direct you to proprietary products most times. Ask why? I guess the answer is spelled-out in the warnings above.

Good tweezers of two main types are valuable. My surgical kit has needle point for going -in to grab and square-end for yanking. Both have sharp serrated grippers that make a meal out of most splinters. They are 150mm long so you can apply some pressure.

Tourniquet is a length of bungee cord. Only to be used in case of amputation or major blood vessel damage. Struth! Never used! Surgical rubber is better and cleaner.

Medications:

My doctor has given me a range of antibiotics for various circumstances. You should ask a GP about this.

Betadine is an iodide antiseptic with some value for people who are sensitive to iodine. Ask chemist. I use it as a topical dressing and antiseptic. It is of some particular value when removing splinters of Mulga after they have become septic.

A bottle of eyewash is handy. They often include an eyewash bath as well.

My doctor has provided me with a supply of ant-diarrhoea pills that are the ducks nuts for stopping this horrible condition. These are not entirely the answer though, I had food poisoning last year from 'roadhouse' cooking and the tablets kept me 'able' until I reached hospital for proper care. A very sick little duck for all of 6-weeks. Ask your doctor about this. They are a serious medication and must never be used without due care. Caution for people with liver or kidney problems.

Painkillers and headache pills. My doctor has given me two types of analgesic. One is a codeine based tablet for severe pain from injury. It is not for headache and misery type pains. There are consequences to using it and I am reluctant to do so without good reason. My tablets are script only, but there are lesser strength ones available over the counter I believe. Simple paracetamol works fine for the occasional headache. Aspirin is a useful addition for your kit because of its versatility. Ask your GP, because Aspirin doesn't suit all people and may disagree with you and your particular medical 'regime'.

Water Sterilisation is something to cover for. I use a well known brand of baby nappy steriliser tablets with specific and detailed instructions for treating water for drinking purposes. Milton is a chlorine based preparation. About half a tab treats 20 litres. I have used this product for many years and found it cheap and simple to use. You will need to ask a chemist and make them read the label to determine usage. The product is so cheap that they may feel inclined to suggest you use one of the expensive, dedicated treatments simply because they don't know about the product I use. Most Town Water supplies are still treated by chlorination.

These are the major components of my first Aid kit and do it yourself remedy centre. There are other things of course . . . bits of stuff from the medicine kit at home which are not entirely dependant on use-by-dates. We all have such items around I suppose. The only things I take as fresh as possible are prescribed drugs and antibiotics. These are very sensitive to heat and their active ingredients are very definitely time limited.

In all cases, seek your trusted medico's advice about the products you will need and how they can be managed in the areas you intend to visit. I need certain drugs of recent manufacture on an ongoing basis. There are difficulties in keeping fresh stock during the hot months in WA. I manage and have had no issues as the result of failure of my medication. Just be prepared and things will go pretty much as you have planned.