Creating a personal Safety Kit

Safety Kit

Everyone is required to have a Safety Kit. These are small kits that are easily carried, such as in a coat pocket. These kits are an essential component in the Field School's safety procedures.

A safety kit does not include items that are accessed or used regularly. The emergency kit is for those items which are used in an emergency.

Thinking through what is appropriate for a Safety Kit is an important exercise. It is also important how you package the Safety Kit.

As you choose items, remember that you must carry this kit anytime you are away from base camp.

  • Waterproof LED flashlight with extra batteries
  • Magnesium fire starter bar (or other fire starting system) THAT YOU KNOW HOW TO USE)
  • 5 in one kit (or similar compact survival kit): compass, whistle, flint, matches, waterproof container, small mirror
  • 10 meters of 400 lb. test nylon string
  • Iodine pills and test treatment pills
  • Emergency space blanket
  • Emergency poncho
  • Emergency Knife, blade exceeds 3 1/2"
  • 3 1/2" self adhesive bandage wrap
  • 10 medium butterfly bandages
  • Diphenhydramine tablets with instructions for use in sealed bag
  • Ibuprophen tablets with instructions for use in sealed bag
  • 1/2" waterproof tape
  • Two protein bars
  • Extra Rite-in-Rain note pad
  • Carabiners (not for climbing but for supporting equipment)
  • Contour map of the expected research area
  • Small waterproof bag to store all of the above

You should also add any special items that you require for your personal health and safety.

Remember that the overall safety kit should be small and light. It needs to be contained so that the contents are not damaged by abuse or water.

Creating a Safety Kit

Each individual is responsible for creating a Safety Kit. This kit should be a personal reflection of personal needs and the anticipated field situation. For example, there is no need to have snake-bit gear in Hawai`i as there are effectively no snakes in Hawai`i.

Hints and Suggestions for Assembling a Safety Kit

A good Safety Kit will develop with experience. To a certain extent, new equipment and supplies keep improving the choices for items to be included in the kit. This means that a field researcher is likely to periodically review the availability of items and, when desirable, add or swap out items from the existing kit.

Getting started is helped by several sources of basic supplies. We do not endorse these particular items; they do tend to meet our specifications.

The following items were available at Sport's Authority:

  • Advanced Medical Survival Pak ($34.99)
  • Advanced Medical Medical First Aid 0.5 ($7.99)
  • Coughlin's Emergency Blanket ($2.99)
  • Cedar Key Rain Poncho ($1.99)
  • Coughlin's Braided Cord 50' ($3.99)

Stores, such as Sports Authority, also have a choice of knives and carabiners.

Additional items, such as bandages and tape, can be purchased at any pharmacy.

On-line sources, such as Amazon, also carry all of these items, or their equivalent.

Topo Sheets, "aka contour maps," (Kauai 1963 7.5 minute series) are available for free download from the University of Hawai`i SOEST website.

Create a Checklist

You should have a checklist of all the items in your Safety Kit. This will help you build your Safety Kit. It will also be handy in making sure that you have all of the items before you take your Safety Kit into the field.

You can expect to be checked periodically to make sure that you have your Safety Kit and that it is appropriately filled.

A Few Afterthoughts

These are instructor notes of things being considered.

  • Advanced Medical Kit - Plus (more things which are in the list?)
  • Tarp & Line (good for staying dry) - maybe better for the group
  • Strobe Light (if there is a micro-sized one)
    • Candidate: E-Z Emergency Strobe Light EZS-SL-100
  • Safety Vest (visibility in the forest) - put on the Field School logo?
  • Water Filter (must be small and work with the water bottle)
  • Heavy-duty plastic bags from Fisher Hawaii