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WISHLIST
The call was routine – an individual had taken a minor fall while leaving a retail establishment. You arrive on the scene, and your partner grabs your EMS jump bag for gauze. The only issue? The bag is empty.
Someone had used the jump bag the night before and never replaced the gauze. Now you’re forced to improvise with supplies pulled from other compartments. If you’re lucky, you’ll make do with what you have until you can stabilize the patient.
It’s a small failure, but it's the kind that erodes professionalism. The good news is that effective EMS inventory management is possible. Sure, it may not be glamorous work, but it represents the foundation of reliable emergency response.
Here at Kemp USA, we've spent decades listening to the challenges EMS providers face in maintaining their equipment. We know that proper maintenance protocols make the difference between bags that support your mission and bags that become sources of frustration and risk.
To help you continue to enhance your operations, let’s take a closer look at some key protocols for cleaning, inspecting, and restocking your EMS bags.
These are the practical systems that keep your equipment ready for the next call, the next shift, and the next year of service.
It may seem overwhelming to consider revamping your EMS supply management system, but maintaining your EMS bag inventory becomes manageable when you implement layered maintenance schedules.
What does this mean? Rather than treating all maintenance tasks equally, organize your protocols by frequency:
Daily checks for critical items
Weekly inspections for routine supplies
Monthly reviews for less frequently used equipment
Quarterly deep maintenance for comprehensive system verification.
Beyond routine checks, you can ensure everything is in its proper place by implementing a layering process that keeps the most essential items within reach.
This not only keeps the most important tools and equipment available but also makes it obvious when something needs to be restocked.
Here are a few tips for layering in your EMS jump bags:
Prioritize access: Place items you will need first —such as gloves, bandages, and airway adjuncts —in the top or most accessible layers.
Categorize by function: Use compartments or smaller packs within the main bag to group supplies for different purposes, such as airway management, wound care, and major bleeding.
Use the bottom for bulk/advanced items: Store less frequently used or larger items like trauma dressings, blankets, and advanced airway equipment at the bottom.
Bundle related items: Tape together items that are used together to create "bundles," like a tube of lubricant with a specific airway device, to ensure everything is ready for immediate deployment.
Here’s an example of how you could layer in a commonly-used jumpback:
Top Layer: Gloves, frequently used bandages, and basic airway adjuncts.
Middle Layers: Trauma equipment, IV supplies, and medications.
Bottom Layer: Advanced airway equipment (if applicable), large trauma dressings, and warming blankets.
Standardize this across all teams to ensure everyone is keeping a similar strategy. This can help prevent any costly mistakes should you have to switch bags at a moment’s notice.
Visual organization systems can help you keep EMS bag supplies stocked faster.
Color-coding creates immediate visual recognition – and that can speed up routine restocking as well as emergency equipment access.
Most EMS services adopt standardized color schemes:
Red for airway management
Blue for circulation and bleeding control
Yellow for medications
Green for wound care and bandaging
White or clear for assessment tools
The genius of color-coding lies in its ability to work across different bag models, different shifts, and even different providers.
When your entire organization uses consistent color schemes, anyone can locate equipment categories quickly regardless of which specific bag they're using.
You can take this a step further with compartmentalization strategies. For instance, front exterior pockets should contain items used most frequently or most urgently (gloves, trauma shears, penlights, and notepads) so you can access them without opening the main bag.
The middle compartments house color-coded modules for systematic care, while your deepest interior compartments accommodate larger items like oxygen cylinders, BVM devices, etc. This is similar to the layering method, and keeps the most important tools at your disposal.
Pro tip: Consistency matters more than the specific system you choose.
Remember, your goal is to create organizational standards that everyone can understand and follow consistently. If your process is too confusing or complex, it’s less likely that your team members will follow it precisely.
Even the most experienced professionals fall into organizational patterns that sacrifice effectiveness for convenience.
The key is recognizing these common mistakes – and taking the proper steps to replace those mistakes with systems that actually work under real-world conditions.
When you’re moving quickly, it’s easy to overstuff your jump bag. But when you cram too many supplies into limited space, items become difficult to locate, and pouches don't close properly.
Overstuffed bags are also harder to clean, since you can't easily remove or access all the contents. If your compartments strain to close, you've exceeded their practical capacity.
Another common organizational mistake is inconsistency when restocking.
This one’s easy to fall into – but also easy to fix! Document your packing protocols and use the tips above to make sure that everyone is aware of how they should keep jump bags and other packs maintained consistently.
Are you inadvertently neglecting the bag's exterior because you’re focusing on what goes in or out of it?
Your bag's zippers, straps, buckles, and fabric all experience wear that eventually impacts functionality. Regular exterior inspection catches small issues before they cause complete failures.
One of the best ways to stay ahead of your EMJ bag maintenance? Document everything!
Keeping a record of your maintenance activities makes it much easier to identify patterns or hold team members accountable.
Don’t overcomplicate this step. Keep simple logs recording dates, findings, and actions taken to help you stay ahead of your equipment’s maintenance needs.
How you clean your EMS bag should be standard – though when and how deeply you clean may vary based on contamination level and your bag’s materials.
For routine cleaning after non-contaminated calls, remove all contents and wipe interior and exterior surfaces with EPA-approved disinfectant wipes or cloths dampened with appropriate cleaning solutions. Pay special attention to high-touch areas that may collect the most germs, and allow all surfaces to air dry completely before restocking.
After some calls, you may find that your bag has become contaminated by bodily fluids or other contaminants. This is when more aggressive cleaning is needed.
Remove all contents immediately and separate any potentially contaminated items for disposal or cleaning.
Wipe visible contamination with disposable materials, then clean all surfaces with hospital-grade disinfectants following manufacturer contact time recommendations.
Modern EMS bags often feature wipeable tarpaulin or coated nylon materials that simplify cleaning and resist moisture penetration. These materials allow more aggressive cleaning without damaging the bag's structure.
Kemp USA's bags incorporate these advanced materials specifically to support rigorous cleaning protocols without compromising durability.
The best way to avoid issues while on-call is to build a systematic inspection process.
A consistent inspection routing can help you catch problems early and prevent equipment failures during actual emergencies. Here’s an example EMS jump bag inspection routine you could follow:
Begin with visual inspection of the bag's structural integrity.
Check straps for fraying, buckles for cracks, zippers for missing teeth, and fabric for tears or significant wear.
Check handle stress points (where straps attach to the bag body, where zippers curve around corners, etc) for any potential weaknesses.
Walk through each compartment systematically, confirming that required items are present in specified quantities.
Check the expiration dates on all time-sensitive items including medications, chest seals, hemostatic agents, glucose testing strips, and other equipment.
Test key equipment functionality – including pulse oximeters, glucometers, and other electronic devices (use and battery charge).
Document your inspection results and note any discrepancies between expected and actual inventory.
Record equipment condition concerns and track all maintenance actions.
It may seem like a lot at first, but the more often you run through these checks, the faster you’ll get – while still maintaining the right effectiveness each time.
So, how do you ensure that your restocking system is effective enough to work – but simple enough to manage?
The best EMS inventory management system is one that maintains readiness between maintenance cycles. Here are a few different methods you can implement to keep your bags restocked at all times:
Immediate restocking is your first line of defense against losing or missing inventory. Here’s a simple rule to put in place: any item removed from the bag during patient care must be replaced before the bag returns to service. It’s fast, it’s often easy, and it prevents gradual inventory erosion.
Par level systems are a great way to define minimum quantities for each supply category. Should your inventory fall below par level, trigger automatic reordering.
You should define your par levels to reflect your typical usage patterns (plus a buffer for unusual demand). For instance, if you typically use three pairs of gloves per shift, maintain par levels of 15 pairs to accommodate higher-volume days without running short.
A first-in, first-out (FIFO) rotation is a great way to avoid waste from expired supplies. When restocking, place new items behind existing inventory so older items get used first.
To help keep everything clear, use a color-coded system and prominently mark items with approaching expiration dates so providers use those items first.
No matter the call, you’ll want to keep your EMS bag clean. For bags without visible contamination, remove all contents and wipe the interior and exterior surfaces with EPA-approved disinfectant wipes or a hospital-grade disinfectant solution.
If bags are visibly contaminated with blood or bodily fluids, first remove gross contamination with disposable materials, then clean all surfaces with hospital-grade disinfectant, following the manufacturer's recommended contact time.
Most quality EMS bag maintenance products can tolerate a wide range of cleaning solutions.
Stick with safe options, such as EPA-registered hospital disinfectants, quaternary ammonium compounds (quats), accelerated hydrogen peroxide solutions, and properly diluted bleach (1:10 ratio for heavy contamination, 1:100 for routine cleaning).
When in doubt, avoid products containing harsh solvents, acetone, or petroleum distillates that can degrade synthetic materials.
How often you empty and inspect your EMS jump bags depends on how often you use them – and for what purpose.
High-volume services running multiple calls per shift should perform complete inspections weekly. Lower-volume services might extend to monthly complete inspections.
No matter the frequency, always perform quarterly deep maintenance – including a complete emptying, thorough cleaning, and detailed equipment inspection. This is also a great time to revisit your EMS inventory management system as you refill your bag.
An effective EMS bag cleaning protocol is more about culture than perfection. As with anything, even the best-written procedures fail when team members view maintenance as someone else's responsibility or as optional.
Put in place the right systems, procedures, and checklists, and you’ll be amazed at how small steps taken consistently keep everyone safe and prepared.
Here at Kemp USA, we design our EMS bag supplies and equipment with maintenance requirements in mind. Our bags feature wipeable materials that simplify cleaning, reinforced construction that withstands repeated maintenance handling, and more.
Plus, we carry many of the EMS bag inventory items you’ll need to stay stocked at all times.
The time you spend cleaning, inspecting, and restocking isn't wasted. It builds a foundation of effective emergency response.
Because when your next call comes through, your equipment will perform exactly as expected – all because you invested in the discipline of proper maintenance.
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