The Minimalist IFAK / Blow Out Kit - 3 Essentials

[K1tt3n5]

Do you have any experience with the REFT rats tourniquet?

[khc3]

Great info! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[Irish]

For those of you who can't get out to a formal training class, there are a number of products and resources which can help in the interim.

Make Read with Doc Spears: Combat Lifesaver
http://panteao.com/product/combat-lifesaver/

Tactical Medical Solutions - product training page
https://www.tacmedsolutions.com/training-resources/

North American Rescue Products - product training page
http://www.narescue.com/Video_Downloads.htm

H&H Medical Products - product training youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/gohandh/videos?view=0

Z-Medica (Combat Gauze) - product training youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/ZMedicaQuikClot/videos

National Association of EMT - TCCC/TECC/LEFR guidelines and curricula
http://www.naemt.org/education/TCCC/...nes_curriculum
http://www.naemt.org/education/TCCC/tccc-ac

Solid links. Thanks!

[echo5whiskey]

OP and the other contributors, great thread and outstanding info. Thanks!!!

[lunchbox]

[/B]
Civilian classes more often get THREAT-

T-THREAT SUPPRESSION
H-HEMORRHAGE CONTROL
RE-RAPID EXTRICATION TO SAFETY
A-ASSESSMENT BY MEDICAL PROVIDERS
T-TRANSPORT TO DEFINITIVE CARE

Of course there is more we could add and discuss here. My hope is that some of this helps some of you guys out there. Stay safe. Carry a kit. Know how to use it. Without the "Software" the "Hardware" is useless.

We got WE-THREAT. "WE"--weapon, pat down/secure weapon if need be. I think it was also mentioned if unconscious and do pat down, you might discover blood or other info to help you that you wouldn't have gotten from unresponsive victim.

[thebarracuda]

One of the best threads here in a long time.

Time to put a kit together and learn the basics. May save a life, maybe your own.
Much appreciated.

[Grip]

Great thread.

Question: i see some medical pouches (hsgi, its tactical) that mount the turnequit outside of the pouch in the open. Are there any downsides to having the turnequit mounted on the outside of the pouch exposed to elements? Besides the obvious it can get ripped off in brush due to being attached by rubber bands etc etc.

[ST911]

Great thread.

Question: i see some medical pouches (hsgi, its tactical) that mount the turnequit outside of the pouch in the open. Are there any downsides to having the turnequit mounted on the outside of the pouch exposed to elements? Besides the obvious it can get ripped off in brush due to being attached by rubber bands etc etc.

Downsides:
loss or theft
part breakdown over prolonged exposure- UV, thermal
part fouling- wet, snow, mud, debris in velcro or moving parts
interference between TQ and other items on gear

Upside:
high visibility- accountability by supv, location by rescuer
speed of access

Some TQ designs are more susceptible to the downs than others, so what you're carrying affects the how. Regardless of method, the TQ and IFAK should be PM'ed regularly.

I prefer a TQ that is at least partially shrouded, and marked for ID in some way.

[SeriousStudent]

Degradation of the nylon webbing due to UV light comes to mind, along with any plastic buckles, like the ones on the CAT.

It is a balance between speed of application and gear protection, IMHO. You have about 12 seconds to get a good TQ applied, or the patient (which will likely be you) is going to be in deep do-do, medically speaking.

So I'd rather check my gear, and replace the $20 TQ every year as part of the PM we all do. Because we all replace batteries, ammo, relube and function-check weapons on a regular schedule, right?

And if I am carrying a largish med pouch, I'm carrying more than one TQ.

ETA: My colleague ST911 and I were writing at the same time.

[Grip]

Thank you guys for the opinions.

Im planning on taking an IFAK course this march with Independance Training in AZ. So far i have the Softt-W, Celox TM Z fold gauze, OLAES 4" modular bandage, 7.5" black shears, nitril 9mil latex free gloves, and a HSGI Nolatac 3MT pouch.

I chose the 3MT pouch because it is modular in mounting, i like how it keeps the Softt-w undercover on the side but still allows very fast deployment. Same goes for the sled that houses the rest of the med kit.

Im doing research and building my own kit This thread has helped a lot. I will be buying a 2nd softt-w as a trainer.