Whether you have a full-time production studio, shoot only on location, or just shoot a little landscape or bird photography for the weekend, you should own at least one of these first aid kits. , maybe even 2 or 3 of them. Everyone has some kind of box or drawer filled with first aid supplies at home or in their office. Maybe you even have a roadside kit in your car. However, most people tend not to really think about first aid until something happens and then maybe they go looking for something thinking I should probably have a kit. or a first aid station in case this happens.
Full Disclosure: this is not legal or medical advice and you should do your own research about what laws or regulations are required in your location. I hope that this article helps you think about preparing for an accident and provides some resources or products that can help you with that.
Carry it every day
In an older article”50 Non-Photographic Items You Might Want To Carry In Your Camera Bag“I have listed some of the items that I carry in my camera bag that are related to first aid including some compact 5 pcs first aid kits. I strongly believe in having at least one small first aid kit in all of my camera bags. If weight and space are an issue, there are many compact kits available in the market. You can even make your own to fit in a small bag of yours so it takes up less space.
Taking it a step further if you as a photographer may find yourself in a more potentially hazardous environment then I think carrying a basic injury kit should be at the top of the priority list. your first. Stop The Bleed is a national campaign to educate, train and empower more people to stop the leading cause of traumatic deaths. Bleeding before help can lead to 40% of trauma-related deaths worldwide and is preventable if just one person on the scene has this basic training.
Normally, photojournalists who specialize in topics like war, gang violence, etc. will carry a trauma kit but these days even when photographing peaceful local protests Yours can also quickly become a more dangerous situation. Trauma-related incidents are not limited to shootings and can come from car accidents, biking, skiing, or mountain climbing. They may even be the result of hiking or wildlife. So there are many types of photography where you may find yourself alone or far from emergency help, where being able to stop a bleeding wound could save someone’s life. 
Adventure Medical Kits make for a great little complete set”Trauma Pak Pro“it’s the perfect thing for photographers to always have in their pocket. It comes with a Quickclot, antlers, a tourniquet and a few other small items, all in a velcro bag. You should always be digging. Make sure to do some proper training on how to use these items first. There are a lot of good online videos out there but Stop The Bleed offers courses throughout the United States. It’s usually an hour-long class and it’s completely free, you can easily do something that could save lives one day.
Studio or Office
As a small business owner with a physical studio location, you may need to comply with a variety of legal requirements. In U.S.A OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) List the standards that must be met for the size of your business both for first aid kits as well as for any medically trained personnel to have. Of course, state and federal laws may differ in your location or country, so make sure to do your own research. In the United States, OSHA fines can be high and are a serious problem that some photography studios have found the hard way. Even if your studio isn’t required to meet some or all of these standards, I think it’s easy enough to have a facility-first promotional kit and a plan or some course of action. train when something happens. Most US states even have free programs that provide safety kits and training for small businesses.
RapidCare Company has several different types of kits that meet both OSHA and ANSI standards that can be wall-mounted for easier access and visibility, at an affordable price.
If you want something a little more portable or can double as a kit for on-site photo sessions Adventure Medical Kits do some kits in Line of athletes for 4, 6or up to ten Everyone. They are streamlined by injury type with a clear map of all items on the back of an easily identifiable soft bag.
If you want to build your own kit, OSHA has a list of the minimum items it should include to get you started.
- Gauze pad (at least 4 x 4 inches).
- Two large gauze pads (at least 8 x 10 inches).
- Box tape (tape aid).
- One pack of gauze is at least 2 inches wide.
- Two triangular ribbons.
- Wound cleaning agent such as tissue is moistened tightly.
- Scissors.
- At least one blanket.
- Tweezers.
- Tape.
- Rubber gloves.
- Resuscitation equipment such as a resuscitation bag, airway, or
- pocket mask.
- Two stretchy cords.
- Splint.
- Instructions for requesting emergency assistance.
[59 FR 51672, Oct. 12, 1994; 60 FR 47022, Sept. 8, 1995]
Vehicle or On Location
For many working photographers, a car is their office and every job is a new location. This makes having a good car first aid kit all the more important. Again I think every vehicle should have some sort of first aid kit and I even carry a kit that I specially designed for my motorcycle. Furthermore, when working on location, the photographer is often the key between clients, assistants, models and stylists on set. When a problem occurs, the photographer is usually the first person people go to. Being prepared and having a quick safe conversation at the start of a shot can go a long way.
Whether I’m using my own vehicle or regularly renting a car for work, I always have an emergency kit ready on the road. There are many options and brands available but here are a few that I find to be good
MyMedic makes a ton of great high-quality kits, although they’re often more expensive. However, they Auto Medic Road Kit comes with some great items not usually found in cheaper kits.
As mentioned before Adventure Medical Kit Athletes the line also makes a great car or spot kit but doesn’t come with any specific roadside safety items.
Traveling
Anyone who travels frequently or for work probably already has a wide range of medical supplies on hand based on their individual needs while traveling. Combine this with a small travel kit that will give you a great basic setup for almost all your needs and prevent a lot of potential trips to the pharmacy or doctor during the trip. your. Of course, if you’re like me and your travels take you off the beaten path from easy medical care, I strongly recommend a more powerful travel kit than a bit so you can customize with any necessary medications and travel documents for that particular place and need. If you want more information on what a more comprehensive exotic travel kit might look like, you can check this out. post here.
Here are some great kits to get you started.
I created my personal custom travel kit using this Injury kit as a starting point and a great carry-on. Soft bags make it easy to pack and pull different things out as needed for each trip. I can also easily clip it to another bag like my camera bag when going all day in remote locations.
Wild and Adventure
Landscape, wildlife and bird photography are bigger genres than ever as more and more people turn to photography for their love of nature. While I think this is a great thing, it puts more people in potentially vulnerable places without being prepared for an accident. It seems like every day you hear about people getting lost or injured while enjoying the wilderness. Even seemingly innocent landscape photographers often explore remote locations alone to get better and less visible locations.
While a short drive from your car may not seem dangerous, you can easily get a snake bite, an ankle sprain, overexposure or any traumatic injury. When alone or with a small group, they can quickly become a larger matter of survival. Many have struggled with wounds in the wilderness within sight of civilization without being able to get help in time.
This is all the more true for any kind of adventure photography. With athletes or models performing in remote locations often takes a long time to hike. Any adventure crew that doesn’t carry a complete first aid kit in the wilderness will only be in trouble. I have repeatedly had to guard the scene of an accident in the wild waiting for a rescue helicopter or an emergency rescue team. Timing is everything in these situations and having the right equipment and knowledge is the only way to keep someone safe until help arrives.
As mentioned above, this is another area that Stop The Bleed is necessary. If it only takes 15 minutes for medical help to arrive, the average trauma victim will bleed before they reach you. There should always be at least one person in each group carrying a basic trauma kit and knowing how to use it when you’re in the backcountry.
Adventure Medical Kits once again produces a number of kits specifically designed for outdoor and wilderness use of all sizes and price ranges. From light weight and compact when you are just near the road. Donated a full set of medical equipment to a group of 10 people who went to mountain shooting over the weekend.
You can add a survival kit Go to any first aid kit you bring into the wilderness to give you the basics you might need if you ever find yourself having to spend the night unexpectedly. This may seem like overkill to some, but thousands of people go missing in US national parks each year, resulting in an average of 130 deaths. A small first aid kit and survival kit can seem like an easy thing to carry around when you’re spending a lot of time in these remote areas.
Inference
A first aid kit is no substitute for training and experience, take a class and educate yourself about your area’s OSHA requirements or ceiling minimums. Stop The Bleed. Just one person in any group knows what to do and there’s no reason why that person can’t be friends. These days, courses are usually free and widely available.
Any and all of the kits listed are just a good starting point. No kit really has everything you could possibly need. Customize your kits as needed. Take some extra stuff out and add more stuff you know you’re most likely to use. If you have special medical needs like allergies, etc… add those to the kit. You can always make your own kits but buying pre-made ones will usually be cheaper and provide a good bag that you can reuse and build on in the future.
Here are some great resources for finding training in your area.
