dealing with emergencies.

Guys, I just highsided my bike on a deserted country road about 3 hours drive from a hospital. I was by myself with no phone or two way reception and my first aid kit was in a saddle bag under the bike. I waited for three hours with a smashed collarbone and ribs until someone came along to help

I suggest you put your first aid kit in a tank bag up on top or strapped to the bars not dropped into a saddlebag as an afterthought

Glad you are able to tell us about it.
Sounds like a good idea. Mine is typically in a tail bag, centered.
Would it have helped you?

Ol SPOT sounds like it would have been handy there. As long as it was on your person.
Glad we got to hear the story first hand, though.

ACR makes a really nice compact PLB that can be activated with one hand. It signals sat and sends locator beacon for local search along with gps plot.
http://www.acrelectronics.com/products/catalog/personal-locator-beacons/resqlink-406-gps/

Another good solution is to use the Ogio Flight Vest and carry your medical kit in it. My rule of thumb is to only carry things for me in the vest, and things for the bike on the bike. If the bike were to go over a cliff, I have everything I need to survive for a day or two. Things such as beef jerky, water, medical, mirror, SPOT, wallet, phone, space blanket, whistle, all emergency stuff, etc. I don't carry any tools or any other item on me if it is meant to work on the bike. The only thing I do carry on me is a tire gauge, and that is only for simplicity. Bike stuff on the bike, me stuff on me!

Up north here....BC in Canada...the 2nd generation SPOT Messenger is out.

Alot of riders I have met down south eiether dont do alot of remote riding or rely on cell phone coverage.

Had mine for years in multiple sports,

Not only will the SAR people be dispatched but you can be tracked by your loved ones.
All for the initial cost of the unit plus anual subscription.

DONT LEAVE HOME WITH OUT IT

For sure...I wear a Rally 3 suit loaded with self survival as yourself,,,included a headlamp and firestart works,,,hydration pack is in the suit and walking around is a little heavy but your ready for the unexpected.

Just been reading through this thread and I have to say I've always like the ICE wrist or dog tags and am now thinking to get a Roadid. My question to the paramedic guys who are chiming in on here, is one better than the other during a medical assessment? Wrist or dog tags? If you get the dog tags I see that you can get an optional photo or something inscribed on one side... is it ill advised to get some "cool" looking logo and just put a medical alert logo on the opposite side?

I have all my personal info stored in an encrypted file using TrueCrypt (open source, highly secure and runs on multiple operation systems) I keep both the data file and multiple versions of True Crypt on DropBox and also on a usb thumb drive. This way I can access the info from any Internet connected computer if I lose the thumb drive.

Thanks for the info everyone! Dog tags and Spot sound like the right combo to me...

That Oigo vest is cool.

Does anyone make anything similar in Hi VIZ?

Charlotte

They used to make one in a hi-via orange, but I haven't seen it on the market in a while.

Thought I would add to this thread. The best thing to help you out would be knowledge, if you don't know what you are doing it's unlikely you will figure out what to do in an emergency. Simple things like learning the pressure points to slow bleeding, proper application of a tourniquet (at least 3-4 inches above the major bleed and only over the long bones e.g. thigh, bicep), how to form splints, things of that nature.

Some people have mentioned Quik-Clot and it is an excellent product. I would choose a tourniquet first if it was in a spot where I could use it. Be warned that quik-clot gets hot and i mean HOT. You will need to have a lot of gauze over it or some thick gloves. If you cant get it to the source of the bleed it won't work, so be prepared to pry open that cut.

Another alternative to quik-clot is Combat Gauze. It has similar agents in it that stops bleeding but its in a compact roll of gauze. Its easy to keep shoving gauze into a bleeding hole than trying to get powder or a pad in. It also works like a champ.

Some situational awareness is always a good thing to have, knowing where the clearings are at your favorite wooded riding spot can mean the difference of meeting Life Flight or carrying the guy out.

Pressure bandages or even a bandana can work wonders for regular cuts. There is plenty of time to clean it and disinfect it at the hospital.

I would not recommend suturing someone up if you don't know what you are doing.

Some of the items I carry:

Tourniquet
Epipen (allergies)
Gauze (4x4 non-sterile)
Needle, 14g 3.5 inch
Scalpel with #11 blade
Super Glue
Cravat
Band-Aids
1 inch tape
Trauma Shears

All that stuff fits into a tight package and I am confident I could handle most emergencies with it. Don't forget a little creativity never hurts, stuff like ID cards and plastic wrappers can be used to seal chest wounds, tie downs and a wrench can form a tourniquet or secure a splint, you can do a cricothyrotomy (emergency airway) with a sharp knife and a key, just keep a calm attitude and remember what you have available.

The tips are important for every bike rider especially for cases of dirt bikes. They form part of the most unpredictable set of bikes in terms of applications..More forumers need to add more of such tips and techniques here since they are indeed helpful.

My dad's an old redneck and he told me to always carry a few hundred dollar bills.
Thanks for all the great advice about something most people don't give a lot of thought to until they need it. I am definitely going to check out medjet and get better first aid equipment than I was planning on.

:huh Great advice from above, however if in a foreign country small crisp $20.00 notes are easier to exchange/trade. In fact make sure all of your cash are brand new untorn and if possible unwrinkled for the highest exchange rate available.