Your lead off equipment on scene...

[AZCEP]

Gurney, airway bag, cardiac monitor for every call.

IVs are done in the ambulance because most of our district's housing leaves a lot to be desired in the way of cleanliness. There are very few occasions that I feel comfortable standing in these scenes, much less initiating an invasive technique in one.

[Scaramedic]

You would be amazed how many crews seem to forget this...

[akroeze]

At the PCP level:

Trauma bag, drug kit, Monitor, O2 bag on every call.

Other equipment as indicated by call info.

[mediccjh]

I always bring in my Airway bag, which has O2, ETT kit, airway supplies, B/P cuff, C-collar (to protect that tube), and bandage stuff.

I always bring in a carrying device, whether a stairchair, or a Reeves for the unconscious or arrest.

Breathing problems, O2. Anything else, monitor and med bag go in.

I prefer to bring my patient out to the truck first, since I do work in a dangerous area, unless it is an immediate life threat. If I start care inside my truck, it's only who I want allowed inside the box, no one else.

[Kiwiology]

If we can, we perfer to get the patinet into the ambulance as quick as possible because its easier than lugging all the gear around.

When that's not the best option I personally like to take O2, Lifepak 12 and trauma bag.

The only time I'd take the drug and airway bag (ie ALS kit) is for things like arrests, severe asthma, anaphalyxis etc.

[akflightmedic]

The only time I'd take the drug and airway bag (ie ALS kit) is for things like arrests, severe asthma, anaphalyxis etc.

This is my point. How do you know what you need until you assess and know what you need? I personally do not wish to be on the 20th floor of a hotel, or several floors up in a high rise only to determine that I should have brought my ALS kit.

I do not wish to rely entirely on a second crew or the FD.

Even going into a single level house, the bags go with us. I forgot to mention the one thing that I am notorious for leaving behind on the unit. That is the CLIPBOARD!!

I always forget the clipboard, cause quite frankly I do not write much down on scene, never had a need to. Now if the patient is a refusal, this is when I send my partner or FD with equipment in hand to return to the truck and fetch me a clipboard.

I even started placing a refusal or two inside the monitor to prevent such situation after a while. Of course, all this changed when we got our PDAs and did everything on them. Since I was the senior, I just put my partner in charge of it to ensure we always had it when we needed it. Nothing like delegation!

But seriously, how many calls you have been dispatched to that were actually what they said with nothing more to it, or not the symptoms of a more serious issue?

[paraloco]

For a medical call, airway & med bag. For Pedi medical, the pedi med bag & airway bag. For trauma, the trauma bag & airway bag (which has O2 and a v-vac in it). We will take in the suction unit if confidence is high that we'll need it. If we are going in to a nursing home or retirement apartments, we usually throw all this stuff on the stretcher before we go in. The f-monkeys bring the bags back down if we transport. If its upstairs, I also take the clipboard so we don't have to go all the way back to the truck if it turns out to be a no-load. Some of the elevators we go in are barely big enough for the cot, even broken down. At one second floor apartment, we sent the monkeys to get the cot. We were going to bring the patient down in a wheelchair to the lobby. They were pretty slow about it and when I went out to check on them, I saw the elevator door open and inside was the cot, on end. I looked over at their capt. He shook his head sadly and said, "I'm just along for the ride."

[AnthonyM83]

My last shortness of breath was a full arrest. That's why anything even close to a serious c/c or anything that might be misinterpreted as a less serious c/c by 911 dispatcher, I bring the AED.

[Mateo_1387]

In my agency everything goes in. This includes first in bag, monitor, and oxygen. Depending on the nature of the call LSB equipment is taken in. The only time this policy does not apply is if the patient is seen from the ambulance and is in close proximity.

[JonathanGennick]

Talk about hitting one of my pet peeves. What to carry in is a topic I feel strongly about. In our service, we have a jump bag with oxygen, airway equipment, and pretty much all the other routine gear that we need on a call. Unless someone senior to me orders me to leave the bag behind, it goes in with me on each and every call, even on a simple transport run.

If I have any inkling at all of cardiac issues (shortness of breath, unresponsive, diabetic, whatever), I'll bring in the AED/monitor. I'd like to carry in suction more often than we do, but I've not begun to fight that battle yet.

Add to the equipment the phrase "everybody goes in together" if its just 2 on a crew, 3, 4 or whatever for simply safety does anybody else follow this?

stcommodore raises an interesting point here about best-practice. I'm going to have to give this one more thought.

My thinking today is that I don't mind if someone goes in first if things are coordinated. On a recent cardiac arrest call, my partner (a specialist) went in first to attack the airway. I followed more slowly, climbing a bunch of icy steps with some other gear. Police followed a minute or so later with the cot. That was ok. We had a plan. We were coordinated.

OTOH, I've seen an uncoordinated rush to the patient lead to silly situations. stcommodore raises a very thought-provoking point.