As we work our various and sundry calls, there are times we need to secure a patient's personal belongings, as well as times we discover something en route (like the small bag of white powder) that needs to be secured until it can be turned over to law enforcement at the hospital. In the past, it was one jury-rigged solution after another, most with little real security and no tracking method.

When you reach for the SMART Evidence and Baggage System (SEBS), your solution is in hand. The SEBS is available in several sizes, from a small bag that holds a few personal items to one large enough to hold a full set of clothes and is constructed of a seriously tough plastic material. I wrenched on a sealed bag and found the seal almost impossible to separate and virtually tear-proof.

The bags are easy to see through, with a special hazard panel that allows you to identify whether a biological, radiological or chemically-contaminated item or other hazardous items are inside.

Whether it's your patients watch, bracelet and wedding band or an unknown bottle of pills, once you've recorded the information on the bag, it's a simple matter to place the contents inside, remove the blue seal and seal them inside. Then, just tear off the numbered and bar-coded property tag at the perforated line and attach it to the patient. If the property tag has to be removed to perform a medical procedure, simply peel off the clear strip and attach the tag to the patient's records.

The SEBS is well made, inexpensive, easy to use and tough enough for field use.