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I had been following this thread with interest in something for personal edc and know the OP already found a solution, but thought I would share mine in case anyone else was following for the reasons I had been.
I use an elastic rifle magazine holder that can be mounted on the belt or IWB using included velcro.
I am able to fit a tourniquet, mini trauma dressing, hemostatic gauze, vaseline gauze which can be used similar to a chest seal and gloves. I recognize that it is a compromise. The trauma dressing is not as substantial as some others and doesn’t have a pressure/occlusive device. The hemostatic gauze is only two feet vice 4yds. But it is better in the aspect that it is small enough I will carry it.
@RogerStenning I hope you & your team had a chance to buy and carry this small pocket trauma kit and we would love to hear “feedback from the field”.
Ah, did I mention that a picture would be nice? 😀
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Whoops, sorry, I keep forgetting! I’ll try and get something done about that within the next few days 🙂 Kits were procured, and in the event, we didn’t need to use them, for which I give thanks 🙂My reply is meant more as a thought experiment for how -I- would handle the need for a low-cost, low-key field event kit than as a specific recommendation for you. I’m assuming you already have the comms/walkies, flashlights, a good knife or multitool, and some other stuff.
– Resealable quart-sized plastic bag to hold some supplies. Folding in half and carried in pocket like a wallet. Popped open and taped down, it would be the chest wound bandage.
– Strong, wide tape (like Gorilla), cut into lengths twice as long as the bag, then folded over some non-stick material the size of the inside of the bag. Pop it into the above bag mostly to tape the bandage down, but also for other field tape situations (some splinting and bandaging, repairs, etc.)
– Keychain or flat style CPR mask (often found for free/cheap at safety conferences, etc.) Flat version goes in bag above, keychain version goes on keyring.
– Triangular bandage or two (home made from old sheets) or a BIG bandana for splinting, field-expedient tourniquet (FYI- https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1088/426a2e16212e1f050e78db5eb8424bc58233.pdf), etc. Folded and carried like a handkerchief or pocket square, or in the bag.
– Small bag for at least three pairs of Nitrile gloves. Ideally this would be a small nylon pouch that could clip on or in a pocket, on a belt, etc.
– Keychain Sharpie for general marking, but especially for marking on a tourniquet victim. Carry on keychain or in glove bag. Or, just carry a big ‘clicker’ style version like a regular pen.
– Battle dressing? I think I would be OK with the other stuff until advanced help arrives in most places like this.
– Small basic FAK/repair kit for little stuff. Self-adhesive bandages, gauze pads, alcohol wipes, sting wipes (bee and wasp stings are pretty common at the sorts of events I would use this for here. I’d LOVE an epi-pen, but too $$ for this.), safety pins, and other little but useful things.
– Injury report form and pencil, carried in the bag
– Bottle or bladder of clean waterI’ve not done ‘roaming’ support, but have worked first aid tents and we generally need a ton of bottled water and self-adhesive bandages, wound cleaner wipes (like Betadine), sting stoppers for bees and such, and blood sugar tester/glucose tablets for diabetics. We of course have a big bag of other stuff, but in the couple years I helped with events, we never opened the bags for trauma gear and such- thank god.
The most important thing I would suggest is getting trained in a program that includes trauma and has a lot of hands-on practice. Sadly, those are hard to find in the US for average citizens.
I like your approach and your scaled down to the bare minimals kit.
madkins007 said: ↑
Battle dressing? I think I would be OK with the other stuff until advanced help arrives in most places like this.
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What would you put on bleeding wounds? Something sterile would be required, both from a medical stand-point as well as from a legal POV (depending on jurisdiction). I guess the gauze pads would be for this in your kit, so it should be some (2-5 pieces) 4″x4″ – i prefer Aluderm as they don’t stick to the wound and can also be applied to burn wounds.FINALLY! Apologies for the wait, managed to remember to get around to photographing the contents of the kit today! Well, better late than never 😉
It all fits in a Maxpedition Janus pouch (left of photo), which can be threaded into a belt on the waist easily.
Clockwise, top left onwards:
Triangular bandage and eye dressings
nitrile barrier gloves
Trauma Dressing 10cm x 18cm
10 x sterile cleaning wipes, non-alcohol
HyFin vented chest seal pair
SWAT-T rapid application tourniquet
Items primarily were specified for size and weight.I consider this to be an “Essential Trauma Kit”, NOT a comprehensive one. It’s a “keep ’em alive until the big guys get there kit”.
Looks like a good kit IMO.
If you wanted to cut down on space, I’d say you could ditch the bandages and cleaning wipes, although the triangular bandage can be handy if there’s space.
I’d also add a mini sharpie to write down the time of TQ application
Looks like a good kit IMO.
If you wanted to cut down on space, I’d say you could ditch the bandages and cleaning wipes, although the triangular bandage can be handy if there’s space.
I’d also add a mini sharpie to write down the time of TQ application
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Good point (sic) on the Sharpie. Got one in my PITK, but forgot to include one in this STK, D’OH [IMG]The triangular has a number of uses, from supporting a stuffed-up arm, to creating a ring/torus padding for open fractures, to providing the wrapping for a makeshift splint, and so on. Useful things, triangular bandages 😉
The eye pad is there, naturally enough, for eyes. It’s amazing how many rucks result in someone jabbing another poor sod in the peeper, sadly. You can’t deal with those in the field, they have to be treated in a hospital; the best you can do is cover the wound so external contaminants can’t get in.
As to the wipes, they’re useful in cleaning off the crud around wounds, to better see what it is you might be dealing with.
The only thing that’s missing from the STK is a vial of distilled water (eyes for the washing of). I might add that later, I’m in two minds about it (space considerations).
You need a light of some sort, or a glowstick. Trying to do this stuff in the dark is not fun. Naturally I’m not familiar with your circumstances and so your needs may be different but I’d replace the big trauma dressing with a couple of abd pads and a 4″ Israeli dressing.
You need a light of some sort, or a glowstick. Trying to do this stuff in the dark is not fun. Naturally I’m not familiar with your circumstances and so your needs may be different but I’d replace the big trauma dressing with a couple of abd pads and a 4″ Israeli dressing.
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Lights:
Agreed; as a late shift worker, I habitually carry at least two torches at work (professional driver, we’re required to perform walk-rounds of the vehicles we drive, even at night. It’s a legal requirement). As a result, I currently prefer Olight torches; they’re cheap, and effective. I carry, as standard, an Olight S1R Mk1 Baton, and an Olight M1X Striker as my EDC lights, the Baton clipped inside my left trouser hip pocket, the Striker either in a pouch, or in an inner chest pocket on my jacket (the M1X is my main light, the S1R the backup). I also procured an Olight H1R Nova (right angle small torch), which may wind up as an EDC torch; I have yet to make a decision on that one. It was bought primarily for use with my car.Dressings:
The trauma dressing in the photo (top right) IS an ABD pad 😉 I have a couple of Israeli dressings (ITDs), but the size of the kit was the primary concern in putting it together, so an ITD was considered too bulky. It’s a good idea about having two ABD pads, though; I’ll add one, they’re not at all bulky, they’re light weight, and will easily fit into the pouch. Thanks 🙂Dressings:
The trauma dressing in the photo (top right) IS an ABD pad 😉 I have a couple of Israeli dressings (ITDs), but the size of the kit was the primary concern in putting it together, so an ITD was considered too bulky. It’s a good idea about having two ABD pads, though; I’ll add one, they’re not at all bulky, they’re light weight, and will easily fit into the pouch. Thanks 🙂
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Apologies; I think I was thrown off by not being able to mentally visualize the size of that dressing. Now that I pay attention, I realize that’s about the size of the 5×9″ pads I’m used to.Apologies; I think I was thrown off by not being able to mentally visualize the size of that dressing. Now that I pay attention, I realize that’s about the size of the 5×9″ pads I’m used to.
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heh. No worries, the metric system (which is shown in the measurements on that ABD pad) is like the Spanish Inquisition: No-One expects it to come calling 😉 (OK, a bit of Monty Python there, but what the heck 😉 )Its not really that big of a deal. Your narrative sounds like a spec op mission full of deployment parameters and mission specific acronyms. If you want to carry fist aid gear, you may have two basic options.
1. carry a kit bag, sling pack or similar
2. put it in your pocket.I say that because there really isn’t much of a practical middle ground. If it were me, I would carry a compression bandage and gloves in my pocket and a tourniquet in a spare utility pouch on the belt.
I am not sure if you are trained or if you are acting under the auspices of a formal organization. If you plan to apply handcuffs or other type restrains to a person, I hope you have proper training. It is quite easy to cause nerve and tissue damage. Depending on how a person is retrained, there can also be a risk of a condition knows as restraint hypoxia (resulting in death). Improperly applied restraints are the genesis of many lawsuits which commonly plague local police forces.
Its not really that big of a deal. Your narrative sounds like a spec op mission full of deployment parameters and mission specific acronyms. If you want to carry fist aid gear, you may have two basic options.
1. carry a kit bag, sling pack or similar
2. put it in your pocket.I say that because there really isn’t much of a practical middle ground. If it were me, I would carry a compression bandage and gloves in my pocket and a tourniquet in a spare utility pouch on the belt.
I am not sure if you are trained or if you are acting under the auspices of a formal organization. If you plan to apply handcuffs or other type restrains to a person, I hope you have proper training. It is quite easy to cause nerve and tissue damage. Depending on how a person is retrained, there can also be a risk of a condition knows as restraint hypoxia (resulting in death). Improperly applied restraints are the genesis of many lawsuits which commonly plague local police forces.
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First para: Really? Interesting. How so on the narrative, because I can’t see it myself?Options: Were discussed in earlier postings (there are seven pages of this thread, trust me, it’s all there 🙂 )
Regarding middle ground. We think we’ve achieved what we set out to do, so yeah, there appears indeed, to be middle ground, at least in this case.
Yes, we’re formally organised, trained, and insured. We’re all former Royal Military Police (regulars and reserves). We’ve taken a load of courses over the years, along with refreshers, and the civilian equivalents, including both conventional and Total Control handcuffs (so-called rigid body ‘speedcuffs’). However, I’m not going to be drawn into precisely which other non-medical courses and quals we have, as it’s not germane to this thread.
The minimum first Aid course that we maintain is the UK “Level Three First Aid At Work” qualification, which is a Health and Safety Executive certificated course (on successful completion). We are not intending to be paramedics, as it’s not our purpose; the prime reason for the small immediate trauma kit, to reiterate from earlier postings, is to ensure we’ve a better than even chance of providing life-saving aid until the professional medical types arrive on-scene within their target time (averages out at about ten minutes in most urban and suburban places in the UK, and longer in the ‘sticks’, of course).
Hope this clears up any confusion you might have had.
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