SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions First Aid Kit Reviewed
Marketing from SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions
The Workplace First Aid KIT contains all the first aid components that you need to respond to an emergency. This kit constantly exceeds our customers’ expectations. Once unzipped, this kit folds out to be 72cm/28.3 inches wide and it’s jam packed with everything you need to save a life.
World class design and layout
We’ve designed the kit to remove the stress of trying to find the right component. Each component is smartly labeled telling you what the component is and what it typically is used for. The label also tells you how many of each component you should have. This makes it easy for restocking.
Each component has a color on it (blue, green or red) to represent the different purpose the item has.
Manufacturer: SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions, survivalfirstaidkits.net.au
Model: SURVIVAL Workplace First Aid KitMaterial: PU-coated 600D Ripstop Polyester Oxford Fabric
Dimensions: 11″ x 7.1″ x 4.7″ (28cm x 18cm x 12cm)
Weight: 3.3 lb (1.5kg)Origin: China
MSRP: $159.95 USD
The Review
Like bug-out and go-bags, everyone should have first aid kits stashed all over the place… In your home, in your car, and even at your workplace. You never know when you might have or come across a medical emergency. Anyone can put together a decent kit on their own, but sometimes it is much easier to start off with a solid platform, and then tailor it to fit your own needs. SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions has a series of comprehensive first aid kits that just might be the perfect platform to build from. Today, we’ll be taking a detailed look at their Home/Workplace Solution to see how it stacks up…
In an article that I recently published called First Aid Kits: When to Build and When to Buy Them, I shared some of my personal experiences and all that I’ve learned setting up highly-personalized first aid kits, and why I would never build them from scratch again. In the article, I go on to share why I prefer to find quality first aid kits and then tailor them to suit the needs of my family.
At first glance, the Workplace First Aid Kit from SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions comes packed in a rectangular-shaped pack about the size of a medium-sized shoebox. Standing on end, it sits 11″ tall, 7.1″ wide and 4.7″ deep. It is 3.3 pounds fully loaded. The pack is crafted from a heavy-duty bright red PU-coated 600D Ripstop Polyester Oxford fabric for an extremely rugged water-resistant protective shell. Most of the seams appear to be taped and double-stitched, and all of the logos and informational panels are rubberized patches stitched onto the pack for enhanced durability.
The pack has an extra large smooth-operating zipper around the outside of the pack in a double pull configuration so it can be opened in either direction. Each pull-tab has a 1.5″ zipper pull made from a piece of nylon cord with a plastic attached to the end making them extremely easy to locate and open by feel, without ever having to look around for them. While the zippers are not labeled YKK, the quality appears to be very high nonetheless.
A rugged webbed nylon handle is attached to on one end and two belt loops are attached to the top of the pack in addition to many other tab and loop attachment points located strategically around the pack for a multitude of attachment and carry options. On the top-side of the lid, there are also two clear window pockets stitched on either side. One pocket is labeled CPR Card (with the CPR card present), and the other pocket is there to hold a business card.
The bottom-side of the pack has reflective piping around the bottom edge to help you find the kit in the dark. It also has two strips of loop and one-half of a zipper for attaching a separate clear window panel for easy access. This removable panel actually resides inside the pack initially, but more on this later…
When you first pick up the pack, you immediately realize that it is completely stuffed to the brim with gear and supplies. The ability to move one of the internal panels to the outside of the pack might be the only way to squeeze any additional gear and supplies into the pack, and still, allow it close without overtaxing the zippered closure.
As I opened the kit, the first thing that I noticed was the pockets with each component clearly labeled on color-coded ribbons. RED = Trauma, BLUE = Hygiene, GREEN = Information and BLACK = Tools/Utilities. This innovative design can drastically reduce the stress experienced during an emergency, especially once the user becomes familiar with the items and their location in the kit. No more fumbling around in your kit to find what you need.
One of the first panels that you see immediately after opening the kit is on the underside of the lid. There are five pockets attached, each labeled on red ribbons. From top to bottom, the items are organized in pockets in the following order: ten non-adherent wound dressings in various sizes for covering burns and abrasions, one sterile combine dressing for covering a major wound, 15 sterile cotton gauze swabs for cleaning wounds and three sterile wound closures. The pocket along the right side of the panel contains four sterile eye pads.
The next panel that you come to has a heavy-duty clear plastic window that covers the entire panel. This is the removable panel that I had mentioned earlier. A medium-duty zipper in a double-pull configuration surrounds three sides of the panel allowing the clear window to fold completely out of the way. The back side of the removable panel is also lined with the same rugged 600D polyester Ripstop fabric as the pack itself. There are two strips of hook stitched onto the panel and a heavy-duty zipper used for attaching the panel to the outside of the pack.
Along the top row of the removable panel, there are two pockets labeled on a green ribbon. The left pocket contains a mini First Aid booklet detailing many first aid procedures and a notepad on the back. The narrow pocket on the right contains a sharp pencil, although it is labeled Pen. I will likely add a red or black Sharpie at some point.
Each of the four pockets on the next row down are each labeled on a black ribbon. In the first pocket on the left side, you’ll find 10 blue sterile splinter probes. The next pocket contains three fever scan strips. The third pocket over contains a pair of quality stainless steel bandage shears, and the last pocket on the end contains a nice pair of rust-resistant stainless steel tweezers.
In the bottom row, you’ll find a plastic bag containing 50 individually wrapped adhesive bandages for minor wounds in the leftmost pocket labeled as such on a bright red ribbon. To the right of that pocket was an empty pocket labeled Antiseptic on a blue ribbon. There should have been 20 2.5ml Povidone Iodine antiseptic swabs in there… Well after doing a little digging, I found out that the antiseptic swabs are not currently available for USA and Canada customers due to international barriers that SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions is currently working through. They expect to have the issue resolved by the end of 2017. In the meantime, I would like to see them include a card with a brief explanation in the pocket with a coupon for procuring the item locally.
Once the removable panel has been removed from inside the pack, the next panel that becomes visible contains a small instant ice pack in a large mesh pocket with a zippered closure. There is plenty of extra room in this pocket for additional items, especially if they will lay flat. This panel is still accessible with the removable panel attached. It is simply below it with the top panel folded over it.
On the other side of the panel with the large mesh pocket, there are eight pockets in total. The top two are empty and unlabeled. The leftmost pocket in the next row contains an emergency blanket, but the second pocket is empty, also with no label. Just to the right of the empty pocket is a tab with 6 safety pins of assorted sizes. The next four pockets contain the following: five packs of Hydro-Gel for the treatment of minor burns, three empty plastic medical waste bags in various sizes, four-pair of blue nitrile gloves, and the last pocket contains 9 packs of skin cleaning wipes.
The top pocket on the left side panel is empty, and the pocket just below contains two 15ml plastic vials of sterile saline solution, perfect for rinsing eyes and irrigating wounds. There are six more of these vials in a pocket attached to the side panel on the right side for a total of eight.
The Home/Workplace First Aid Kit also includes a small black removable nylon pouch with a hook and loop closure containing a small personal CPR kit and is clearly labeled as such on a bright red ribbon. It comes attached to a nylon loop attached to the upper-right corner of the back panel. The kit includes a disposable resuscitation face mask, one pair of blue nitrile gloves and an antiseptic wipe.
There are four pockets and a hook and loop strap attached to the back panel, each clearly labeled on a red ribbon. In the upper-left corner, there are two triangular bandages securely strapped to the back panel. They can be used as a sling, a pressure bandage or even a head bandage. In the pocket located in the upper-right corner, there is one medium and one large sterile wound dressings. These are used to treat serious flesh wounds. In the pocket directly below that one is a roll of 25mm Hypoallergenic adhesive tape in a protective plastic container which is not exactly easy to get out of that small pocket. I would have liked to see it twice the size.
The bottom-left pocket contains three 7.5cm x 1.8m unstretched conforming bandages and three 5cm x 1.8m unstretched conforming bandages, and the bottom right pocket contains one 10cm x 1.8m unstretched medium weight pressure bandage and one Smart bandage.
There are a few key trauma-related supplies that I would have liked to see included in the kit out of the box like a couple Israeli bandages, some QuikClot and at least one R.A.T.S. tourniquet. I like my kits to focus more on serious trauma-related supplies than minor cuts and scrapes for a lot of reasons that I’ll leave for an article at a later time.
When I customize my kits, I typically add some Moleskin, a small jar of Carmex Lip Balm, a small tube of Triple Antibiotic Ointment, a small bottle of Betadine Solution, a few Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand and Face Wipes singles, a small roll of Gorilla Tape, a few Q-tips and dental flossers, a tube of Maximum Strength Orajel and a mini Bic lighter. Multi-use stuff that I always find myself reaching for.
This kit does not include any medical supplies with an expiration date, with the exception of the Hydro-Gel. But that date was years away. Though, I would imagine that the alcohol swabs would have likely had an expiration date on them as well.
SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions also provides a 30-day money back guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with one of their kits, you get a full refund of the initial purchase price. To initiate this process simply email them and they will guide you through the process.
Final Thoughts
The pack that comes with the Home/Workplace First Aid Kit is a rugged performer. Perfect for a first aid kit. The fabric is very tough and resistant to the elements. I have no doubt that it will protect your supplies, even in harsh conditions like those found in workshops and construction sites. The innovative organization is absolutely wonderful. Everything is very easy to find after spending only a few minutes of looking around inside. My only gripe with this pack is that it is not a liter or two larger in size and that there are not any external pockets with hook and loop or zippered closures for bulky items that require fast and easy access like Israeli bandages, tourniquets and such.
This kit comes complete with a comprehensive list of first aid supplies, all of which appear to be high-quality, sterile and carefully wrapped based on my personal inspection of them. There are a few minor personal product preferences that I will surely tailor to my liking over time. I will also be adding any items that I feel are missing. But I think that is to be expected with any kit like this. They should be customized to suit your needs and your style. At a little less than $100 USD on Amazon, I think this kit is well worth the money for the simple reason that it gets you most of the way there with quality gear and without any of the headache… It provides a solid platform to build from.
You can find this and other SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions products here: http://amzn.to/2pPgcsS
About SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions
SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions create innovative First Aid KITs and solutions for your workplace, vehicle and home in Australia and worldwide.
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