Scoutmaster First-Aid Kits

Your First-Aid Kit is one of the most important items you should have with you on any outing.  

For Scouts, they should each have their own kit to take care of individual injuries.  Each patrol or crew should have a larger kit to take care of more significant issues.  

For Adults, you are also responsible for the health of each of your Scouts.  That said, you don't need to, and probably should NOT take care of every small cut and scrape on an outing.  Minor injuries should be addressed by Scouts with the First-Aid Merit Badge using their or the injured Scout's First-Aid supplies.  Therefor, each Adult First-Aid Kit does NOT need to gigantic.  

What Adults need in their kit are items needed to address true emergencies.

Subpages:

Adult Camp First-Aid Kit 

Wilderness Individual First-Aid Kit

Shooting Range Kit 

Hypothermia First-Aid Kit 

Commercial First-Aid Kits

BSA First-Aid Kits

Diabetes Kit

Adult First-Aid Kits

There isn't a perfect First-Aid Kit out there.  In fact, many of the kits available aren't really that great for what we do.  So whatever you start with, you will need to augment with other gear.  

A kit needs to fit the needs of each outing.  Each outing has it's own challenges that need to be planned for:

• Summer Camp

  • There is a camp medic and first-aid station available, so you don't need to pack everything

  • You should be ready to take care of a LOT of cuts and scrape - so have a large variety of Band-Aids 

  • You can bring a larger kit to be used by the Troop

• Long Distance Hiking

  • Plan for blisters and adults with very sore muscles, feet, joints and bodies

• Canoe Outings

  • Make sure you waterproof your gear

  • You don't need to worry too much about minimizing your kit

• Wilderness High Adventure

  • See our Wilderness Individual First-Aid Kit Page

  • If you are hiking, you need to minimize weight

  • Make sure all Scout have their own kit so you don't have to pack everything

  • Don't carry a bunch of gear you likely won't need

  • Make sure you can treat major injuries

  • Use items that have multiple uses such as rolled gauze

    • Used for larger injuries

    • Can be cut up for smaller injuries

• Shooting Range Kit

  • If you are covering the range, little scrapes and cuts are not your main focus

  • Have the right gear to address catastrophic injuries

  • Have it set up so that you have quick and easy access to your kit and its contents

  • Kits made for the Military are often ideal for a range kit

Basic Kit

We try to teach Scouts how to deal with real life emergencies and their kit and an Adult Kit should look very similar.  Their are two main differences:

1. We expect that Scouts will have an incomplete kit or forget to bring one 

2. Our Adult Leader likely have Wilderness First-Aid training or may be a medical professional

   •  You may wish to carry supplies beyond what might be in a basic first-aid kit

Advanced Kit

When weight is not a significant issue, there are a few common items you should consider bringing..

• • Quart Sized Freezer Bag

  • 3 or 4 inch rolled gauze (can be cut up for many uses)

  • 4x4 gauze

  • 3 or 4 inch Elastic warp

  • Duct tape or cloth tape rolled around pencil/pen

  • Assortment of Band-Aids 

  • PPE

    • Non-Latex Gloves rolled up

    • Hand sanitizer or small bar of soap

  • Wound Closure Kit

    • Mini tube tincture of Benzoin 

    • Steri-Strips

    • 3ml vial of Betadine or Betadine pads

  • Blister Kit

    • Moleskin 

      • Precut your moleskin or ideally bring scissors (can be a tool in your Swiss Army Knife)

    • Needle

    • Alcohol pads

    • Paper tape

  • Optional - SAM Splint - flattened

  • Medication Pack

    • See Below

Wilderness Individual First-Aid Kit (IFAK)

Blister Kit

Going on a long hike or working a hiking or backpacking merit badge?  Plan for blisters.  If you plan and respond correctly, you can often avoid getting blisters in the first place.  Apply moleskin BEFORE you get a blister. 

Basic Blister Kit

• • Moleskin 

    • Precut your moleskin or ideally bring scissors (can be a tool in your Swiss Army Knife)

  • Needle

  • Alcohol pads

  • Paper tape

Advanced Blister Kit

Going on a 20-miler?  Just starting up your hiking program for the year?  You might need more that what the Basic Blister Kit offers. 

• • See our Blister Kit Page 

Burn Kit

Going to the forge to work on blacksmithing?  Scouts working on fire skills?

• • Non-adherent pads

  • Burn cream

  • Antimicrobial ointment

    • Note: antimicrobial therapy is NOT required for most superficial burn wounds.  If burn is extensive or possibly deep, evac to burn center.

    • If in remote area where evac will be delayed, consider:

      • Combination antibiotic ointment or creme (eg, Polysporin) 

      • Cover with a nonadherent dressing (eg, Xeroform, Adaptic, Mepitel)

Fracture Kit

Going to camp or climbing?  You should have a small fracture kit.

• Flexible splint (SAM Splint)

• Roll of full size duct tape

• Trauma sheers

• Triangular Bandages

Medication Pack

You should only pack medications you know how to use.

Basic Med Pack

If you are not a medical provider, you should know when to NOT use a medication.  Come talk to our Troop Medic to discuss this. 

• • Prescription meds (personal)

  • Pain medication / Anti-inflammatory 

    • Aspirin or Naproxen or Ibuprofen

    • DO NOT use aspirin for Youth with or recovering from flu-like symptoms or how have chickenpox

      • Aspirin associated with Reye's syndrome, which is sometimes fatal

  • Antihistamine

    • Used for allergies

  • Pepto-Bismol pills

    • This is chemically related to aspirin - don't give to youth with chickenpox or flu-like symptoms

  • Imodium

    • Used for diarrhea

  • Dulcolax

    • Used for constipation

Aquatics Medical Kit

Regular Camp First Aid Kit plus:

• CPR Mask or Resuscitation Kit

• Mylar blankets

• Waterproof bandages

• Trauma sheers

• Rolled elastic bandages

• Penlight

Emergency Signaling

• Fox 40 Classic Whistle