View Full Version : FAK supplier
Celtic Dragon
25-01-2005, 23:24
I managed to get to the pub tonight to meet my mate from the LAS. So I picked his brains on FAK suppliers.
He has suggested these guys, www.spservices.co.uk
Any body for a group buy so we all have 1??
And Chris, I know your lurking so sign in and get posting!!!
i think we are ment to do Bulk Buys by PM not in the forum..??
Celtic Dragon
26-01-2005, 00:00
If this is against forum rules, edit the post and we can do it by email.
Rhapsody
26-01-2005, 00:01
I managed to get to the pub tonight to meet my mate from the LAS. So I picked his brains on FAK suppliers.
He has suggested these guys, www.spservices.co.uk
Any body for a group buy so we all have 1??
And Chris, I know your lurking so sign in and get posting!!!
LAS? FAK?
...
WTF?
Celtic Dragon
26-01-2005, 00:04
LAS = London Ambulance Service
FAK = First Aid kit
Rhapsody
26-01-2005, 00:05
LAS = London Ambulance Service
FAK = First Aid kit
Thank'ee muchly! Acronyms make my brain ache.
Rhapsody
26-01-2005, 00:09
what is WTF?
What the... Fudge.
If you do not yet have a FAK, then buying one off the shelf is a good first step. But I suspect that you will find that you start to modify it pretty quickly based on experience.
Some of the FAKs I have bought have enough linen in them to truss all four legs of an elephant. None of them had 600mg Ibuprofen tabs for when you want to really forget about the pain. Ditto Betadine for washing cuts.
Into the space vacated by the yards of cloth, I include in my kit iodine tabs for water purification, one reel of fishing line and some hooks. Water-proof matches, a ferro-magnesium fire-stick, two Wet Fire tabs, a compass plus a signal mirror and whistle.
The rationale behind this is that whether I am day-packing or gearing up for a longer trip, I still know that the one (water-proof) little red bag holds all the essentials. It becomes second nature to chuck that one thing in the bag.
If you do not yet have a FAK, then buying one off the shelf is a good first step. But I suspect that you will find that you start to modify it pretty quickly based on experience.
Some of the FAKs I have bought have enough linen in them to truss all four legs of an elephant. None of them had 600mg Ibuprofen tabs for when you want to really forget about the pain. Ditto Betadine for washing cuts.
Into the space vacated by the yards of cloth, I include in my kit iodine tabs for water purification, one reel of fishing line and some hooks. Water-proof matches, a ferro-magnesium fire-stick, two Wet Fire tabs, a compass plus a signal mirror and whistle.
The rationale behind this is that whether I am day-packing or gearing up for a longer trip, I still know that the one (water-proof) little red bag holds all the essentials. It becomes second nature to chuck that one thing in the bag.
Agreed
An off the shelf kit gives you most of the basics that can then be improved/customised to your liking. Mine's very similar to Zambezi's and is suited to my needs.
One think to remember is to check it once in a while and replace items that have been used or are out of date :wink:
bambodoggy
26-01-2005, 10:54
None of them had 600mg Ibuprofen tabs for when you want to really forget about the pain.
And they aren't likely to ever have 600Mg Ibuprofen in them Mate....400Mg is the strongest you can buy over the counter, you need a prescription for the 600mg's..... Just take 1 and a 1/2 of them! :rolmao:
Sorry, that sounded a bit pedantic..... just got visions of people search for FAK's up and down the country with 600Mg tab that won't be in them! lol
Totally agree on customising the kit....and I have pretty much the same as you in mine, puritabs, hexi tabs and puri-straw as well as the actual 1st aid items.... :wave:
Celtic Dragon
26-01-2005, 10:56
Stuff the 600's mate, I got some 1200's somewhere from when my knee met a fence post at speed!!
tenbears10
26-01-2005, 11:08
Celtic dragon, were you looking at anything specific on that site or just that it will cover everything you could want?
The pouches they sell state that they are supplied empty but can be kitted out if you wish. Should we try and price up a filled pouch and see who wants one?
For portability and and because the kit is waterproof, I can highly recommend the following FAK from Lifesystems (http://www.lifesystems.co.uk) [I would still modify the contents as per the notes earlier in this thread]:
http://www.lifesystems.co.uk/images/first_aid_kits/fak_waterproof_260px.jpg
Celtic Dragon
26-01-2005, 11:38
Celtic dragon, were you looking at anything specific on that site or just that it will cover everything you could want?
The pouches they sell state that they are supplied empty but can be kitted out if you wish. Should we try and price up a filled pouch and see who wants one?
I was looking for something that would cover everything I wanted, but putting together out own kit for bushcraft needs would be ideal.. They do refil packs which are supplied without a case, which for me isn't a great problem as I'm getting one courtesy of the MOD (free).
I was also going to see if they have a shop onsite or at least if one could turn up and pay for goods as they are only 4.5 miles from my parents, and now I don't have a card accepted by online retailers can't order online. Picking up would also be better as it means no P+P.
tenbears10
26-01-2005, 11:49
OK so are you looking at pricing a standard kit without pouch and see if they do a discount for us buying 10 or so of everything?
Celtic Dragon
26-01-2005, 11:53
I will endeavour to find out what price breaks are available.
But can we put a list together of what we would like to see in a general kit, (we can modify to suit our individual tastes later)
Edit
How many people would be wanting pouches, ex mod 1's are readily available and quite cheap, and would fit on belts and rucsac waist / shoulder straps.
tenbears10
26-01-2005, 12:01
This (http://www.spservices.co.uk/product_info.php/cPath/56_58/products_id/873) looks a good start to me.
The wipes (http://www.spservices.co.uk/index.php/cPath/80/sort/3a/page/3) they sell are much cheaper if you buy 100 so we can split a box.
See what you think.
Celtic Dragon
26-01-2005, 12:31
I'll have a look tonight, and contact SPS tomorrow. Or failing that I'll ask my dad to use is business to get the kit, even if its only samples of what we want, we will have an idea on quality.
Just a thought St Johns supplies (http://www.stjohnsupplies.co.uk/default.asp) say they price match. They may have the same stuff at a bit less money.
I'm happy to go though what in my FAK and what gets changed at times when we're at ashdown
I've never had the problem of needing some bit of kit and not having something which will do the job. I have used everything in my kit at some point.
SARHound
28-01-2005, 08:21
www.adventuremedicalkits.com
AMK make good kits for the money and are very well thought out.
The more training you get the less kit you require as you can improvise more.
A kit is only as good as your training.
Hound
medicineman
02-02-2005, 01:11
The more training you get the less kit you require as you can improvise more.
A kit is only as good as your training.
This is a very good point. I always advise people to get themselves trained before getting any kit. Not only will it help you improvise when needed, it will help you realise how little use some of the items supplied in commercial kits actually are. The other reason for getting trained is, of course, that you can carry all the kit you want (you can even get whole ambulances on e-bay) but it's useless, and maybe even dangerous, if you don't know what to do with it.
For basic training, try your local St John Ambulance or Red Cross unit. They will charge much less than a company offering a 'wilderness first aid course', while covering a very similar syllabus.
Just a thought St Johns supplies say they price match. They may have the same stuff at a bit less money.
Unfortunately, I have not had much luck with SJS. Although they will price match, they are frequently out of stock of what I want and take a long time to deliver. That, however, is just my experience.
I would recommend either SP Services (www.spservices.co.uk) or Dynamed (www.dynamed.co.uk) for all the first aid kit you could ever want. They have never let me down and deliver very quickly. As a kit for a group heading outdoors for a camping trip, I would suggest the basic first aid kit (http://www.spservices.co.uk/product_info.php/cPath/56_58/products_id/881) from SP Services.
Chris
A note on training
IIRC the Red Cross has the First aid at work (FAW) as the advanced course but St Johns does it as the basic one.
400mg Ibroufen sound OK- but I've got Tylex and Tramadol in mine.
medicineman
02-02-2005, 15:28
Unless your employer is sending you on a first aid course, I'd stay away from FAW. Its very expensive for what it covers. St John's Lifesaver and Lifesaver Plus (http://www.sja.org.uk/training/courses/public/default.asp) are probably good courses to go for. They cover most emergencies that you ever likely to come accross. The Red Cross probably offer similar courses, but I don't know what they're called off the top of my head.
For a good, cheap FAK, keep an eye on Aldi. I got a car first aid ket there last year for 10.99euro. It has the following:
2x triangular bandage
2x 4m by 6cm bandage
3x 4m by 8cm bandage
2x small compresses for burns
1x medium compress for burns
3x 10cm sq. gauze swabs
1x Large first aid dressing
3x Medium first aid dressing
8x 10cm by 6cm Adhesive plaster strips
1x 5m by 2.5cm adhesive tape
1x scissors
2x pairs vinyl gloves
1x rescue blanket (gold foil)
a neat little first aid guide.
All this stuff is in a clear plastic pocketed sheet (8 pockets, all labelled with contents) which folds in four and fits into a zip up nylon pack.c. 24cmx16cmx7cm.
The only thing I've added is an Isolaide Resus sheild.
The Aldi stuff comes around on a yearly cycle, so these should appear again. I think it was April last year that I got it. This stuff is to a German standard,(DIN 13164) and the only thing cheap is the price (well, maybe the adhesive plasters, but they're not bad :-) ). It's all in date 'till 2008!
Finally a note on Ibuprofen etc. According to our course instruction (Irish Red Cross Society), First aiders cannot administer medicines to others, not even over the counter stuff (not sure if you can offer it to them and let them take it themselves!)
Best,
Mal
innocent bystander
02-02-2005, 19:38
Hi guys, regarding the FAW training, according to a meeting i attended today there is a change in that the requirement for refresher training has changed to a yearly one rather than the 3 yearly one. Also, some of the techniques do appear to change everytime we send someone on a course.
Regarding SJS, i use one of their folding multi-pocket puches, and you can fit an amazing amount of kit into them...
Martin
I use SP Services for all my first aid supplies except for P medicines and POM’s. They provide a very fast and efficient service.