SCHOOL-EMERGENCY Kit

[tanstaafl]

So the school where I work (caretaker) is finally bringing in procedures for a terrorist/violent attack and the bursar wants 3 emergency kits around the school so my boss found these online.

Are they any good or are there better out there...

I did try to get them to let me make up our own but they want prepacked


https://evaq8.co.uk/SCHOOL-EMERGENCY-KI ... e-Bag.html


Cheers in advance...

[pseudonym]

You already know the answer, It's a good start, but tell the powers to be needs more adding and in bulk not just extra kits

and get the staff trained to implement your disaster plan and First aid training.

The problem is going to be cost and what they are willing/able to budget for.

Most kits like that are a CYA(Cover Your Arse) item. Thet tick the boxes if anything happens but wouldn't assist all those affected.


for example:

1 Pair work gloves / 1 protective goggles .............great for you but what about all the others digging through the collapsed building?

1 LED torch................ just you looking?

23 Foil first aid blanket............... rest of the kids/staff?

[tanstaafl]

You already know the answer, It's a good start, but tell the powers to be needs more adding and in bulk not just extra kits

and get the staff trained to implement your disaster plan and First aid training.

The problem is going to be cost and what they are willing/able to budget for.

Most kits like that are a CYA(Cover Your Arse) item. Thet tick the boxes if anything happens but wouldn't assist all those affected.


for example:

1 Pair work gloves / 1 protective goggles .............great for you but what about all the others digging through the collapsed building?

1 LED torch................ just you looking?

23 Foil first aid blanket............... rest of the kids/staff?

Yep agree 100% but I am on the bottom of the food chain and my prepping is regarded as a bit strange.....

[Yorkshire Andy]

I often wonder what they envisage happening to require some of the kit...

Assorted plasters when your needing trauma dressings probably lots and staff who know how to use them. On my first aid requalification there were 5 teachers between them they couldn't remember the recovery position


A megaphone one might be handy but 3????

[ForgeCorvus]

I am confused as to what this kit is supposed to be for.

Is it so the teacher can dig the class out after the roof falls in?
Is it to evac. the kids in a controlled manner?
Is it to supply first aid in a mass casualty event?
Is it to shelter in place during a weather bomb/tornado/flood/WHY
Is it to stave off the necrotic hordes?

Because as far as I can see, it might do one of those things.

An inadequate kit is worse then no kit, because once the arse in charge is covered then there is no momentum to do better

[PreppingPingu]

From personal experience of evacing the classroom and the whole school and the kits that we had that were similar to a point to the one shown, but without the unnecessary bits. The main priority is to protect those in your charge, evacing in a controlled manner via designated routes and using set in place procedures. I think the single meal is pointless. I added several bottles of water to my evac bag for wound rinsing ( yes I know its not sterile water,) and sipping. Also several packets of tissues for the children that are crying if they're not needed for first aid. When the power goes out as it did with the fire at our school, a torch is useful in addition to the emergency lighting. The foil blankets are useful when you have 30 wee ones freezing cold as we all know you can't grab coats etc on your way out. No there aren't enough for a whole class. I have always thought that each class should have an evac bag, not just a few strategically placed in the school. I got one for the building we used for breakfast and afterschool club that I used to run when I stopped being a Teaching Assistant. With the fire situation, the whole school was quickly re evacuated to a local community hall 5 minutes walk away when it became apparent that staying on premises in the designated emergency area was no longer safe. I say 5 mins walk but evacing a whole primary school and playschool of over 300 is no quick feat.

No member of staff is likely to be digging through any rubble! As a staff member you have 30+ children in your care, if lucky you'll have a TA to help you. Your priority is to get them to a safe place and to keep them safe and get the professionals to rescue anyone trapped. Fat lot of good you'll be trying to be the hero, digging through possibly contaminated debris and bringing the a load of rubble down on you. Who'll look after your class with you now injured or trapped? The single pair of gloves are for first aid protection/cross contamination that you use whenever you dress a wound. The school emergency kit really doesn't need trauma dressings, just staff that can keep a level head, follow basic first aid principals and follow instructions given on the phone by the emergency folks while waiting for the first responders and paramedics to arrive.

As for terror events, lockdowns are well practised and you tend to stay put. I personally carried extra stuff in my bag that went everywhere with me to help in the event of a lock down. Fidget toys for those children that needed them be they special needs or just scared children. I also carried my own basic first aid kit that I wouldn't get in trouble using on children as it contain the same sort of things as the school ones.

[pseudonym]

No member of staff is likely to be digging through any rubble!

Unless your inside/underneath digging out......

[Yorkshire Andy]

The school emergency kit really doesn't need trauma dressings,

Well the European resuscitation council has added catastrophic bleeding to first aid so those who have been on a refresher should now know how to use them....

It won't be long till cat tourniquets and trauma dressings will be included in the british standard work place first aid kits when they get revised (no point in training in their use and not been available)

When I was in collage late 90's there was a teacher stabbed... The other staff members couldn't control the bleeding fortunately one of the ground keepers was ex army he and the a couple of gp's who's surgery was a access road and a picket fence away managed to pack the wound and control the bleeding by standing on the wound (a mate was in the class) before the ambulance arrived!

[PreppingPingu]

My concern for trauma kits in the work place is people not knowing how or when to use them. You don't want some eager beaver applying a tourniquet when not required. In order to salvage the limb, you don't want cut off blood supply above a certain time frame. However, you do what needs to be done to save the life. So many people just go on the basic first aid at work (a few hours of training which isn't that enlightening imho.) Some do the 2 day one, others the more comprehensive 3 day one but unless you practice, a lot of it doesn't stick with the average Joe. My paediatric one elapses every 3 years. I feel it should be an annual thing. I have also noticed a huge discrepancy in who carries out the training. Training is paramount. As someone said, not point having kit but no clue how to use it.

We covered catastrophic bleeding a few months ago on course I did but it wasn't about using kit, it was was still your ABC. Circulation - applying pressure to the wound. The difference between arterial and venous bleeds. They changed the whole elevate limb thing too. Another reason to have annual courses - they keep changing procedures!

[Deeps]

My concern for trauma kits in the work place is people not knowing how or when to use them. You don't want some eager beaver applying a tourniquet when not required. In order to salvage the limb, you don't want cut off blood supply above a certain time frame. However, you do what needs to be done to save the life. So many people just go on the basic first aid at work (a few hours of training which isn't that enlightening imho.) Some do the 2 day one, others the more comprehensive 3 day one but unless you practice, a lot of it doesn't stick with the average Joe. My paediatric one elapses every 3 years. I feel it should be an annual thing. I have also noticed a huge discrepancy in who carries out the training. Training is paramount. As someone said, not point having kit but no clue how to use it.

We covered catastrophic bleeding a few months ago on course I did but it wasn't about using kit, it was was still your ABC. Circulation - applying pressure to the wound. The difference between arterial and venous bleeds. They changed the whole elevate limb thing too. Another reason to have annual courses - they keep changing procedures!

I think you've summed it up nicely PP, I've been in and out of date for First Aid over the years and when I've requaled things have been amended. I know its been discussed on here before but I'd love to see school kids get a couple periods a week on First Aid so that it becomes something we ALL know as opposed to a 'duty bod'. At least we'd have a good understanding across the workforce where to start.