BY virtue of everything adventure entails it stands to reason certain safety measures need to be in place when deciding to explore the great outdoors.
Oftentimes these involve making sure your water bottle is full, snacks are packed, perhaps even the jacket your mum made you take because she feels the cold.
So off you go and do that thing you like doing.
Be it up a mountain, over water or through a forest, the last thing on your mind is needing to be rescued.
Lucky for you, rescue and being extricated from particularly sticky situations are all the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) think about.
The folk at the RFDS have created the Rescue Swag, a high quality first aid kit containing medical supplies doctors deem handy in the advent of misadventure.
Having front row seats for many of life’s worst moments means this forethought follows through when it comes to user experience.
At the end of last year Sandy bought her son a Rescue Swag thinking it would be the perfect gift for him to take on trips.
He went on a camping trip, taking his Rescue Swag with him.
“After setting up camp and preparing his firewood with his recently sharpened machete, he proceeded to get ready for a swim in the river,” Sandy said.
“But as he finished his firewood kindling, he threw the machete into the ground.
“As he turned away to get ready for his swim, the machete didn’t lodge in the earth but ricocheted back and severed his thumb at the palm joint.
“He looked down and saw his thumb hanging on for dear life and knew it wasn’t a small injury.”
She said her son was able to provide first aid quickly to his hand with his Rescue Swag before heading to hospital.
“He grabbed the kit, unzipped it with one hand and continued to find the bandages to wrap it up,” she said.
“He then headed to hospital where they determined he had sliced through arteries, veins and nerves in the thumb, the ligament and tendons with the blade cutting into the bone.
“While he still had to undergo surgery and a three-month rehab, the result of the injury could have been worse.”
Sandy said her son was very lucky to still have his thumb and without a first aid kit the outcome could have been a lot different.
“You never know what comes up unexpectedly and you need first aid,” she said
“A comprehensive first aid kit is always beneficial, it could mean the difference between life and death or losing a limb.
“First aid kits are like insurance; you buy it and hope you never have to use it.
“But when you do, you know you’re covered."
You can see the range of Rescue Swags at this year’s Scenic Rim Agricultural Expo.
All profits from sales of Rescue Swag go to the RFDS so it can continue to support rural Australians in their time of need.