You're planning a day, a trip, a mission. You think about every aspect from food, through the route, to the weather. However, no matter how much you plan things, you can't influence absolutely everything. Sometimes coincidence simply turns its back on luck, and what was a nice day or an everyday, thousand-times-experienced moment turns into uncontrolled chaos within seconds. But as they say, fortune favors the prepared.
The more actively you prepare for the possibility that a sunny day turns into a hurricane, the greater your chance of handling the situation and increasing your chances of success. Today, we will therefore take a detailed look at one important topic. How to choose the right first aid kits and IFAKs.
,, Being prepared is the most important prerequisite for success,, Henry Ford
What is the difference between an IFAK and a first aid kit?
Let's clarify the terms first
We will cover the first aid kit in later sections. In short, however, we can understand it as a broader set of equipment for a larger range of injuries and for multiple people. The IFAK is oriented differently.
The abbreviation stands for Individual First Aid Kit (sometimes also translated as Immediate First Aid Kit), meaning individual first aid equipment. An IFAK is focused on trauma and immediate necessary help in life-threatening situations. Unlike a first aid kit, it is more compact and is usually carried on gear, for example a vest or a belt. We most often encounter it in the army and police, since the risk of stab wounds, fractures, or gunshot wounds is statistically higher for them than for an ordinary person.
Application of a tourniquet Photo: Army.mil
When choosing an IFAK, keep in mind that the first thing you choose is the pouch for the IFAK. You choose the contents according to your priorities. It should contain only the bare essentials for urgent first aid, so do not pack EDC survival kit (KPZ) accessories or other equipment into it. You must be able to orient yourself perfectly in its contents even under maximum stress or while injured. The rest of the equipment, such as medications or corn plasters, belongs in a separate first aid kit. In short, if your IFAK is for stopping severe bleeding, let it contain only the basics for that specific case. You need to account for the possibility that someone else might use it. In the army, it used to be assumed that the IFAK, which every soldier had on their gear, was for the medic who would treat them. It is simply easier to take a few needed items from the pocket of one injured person than to carry a complete kit for, say, 10-15 severely injured people.
For example, my IFAK is primarily for stopping bleeding and restoring breathing. It contains a tourniquet, an Israeli bandage, a hemostatic agent, a resuscitation mask, hygienic gloves, and scissors (either as part of a multitool in the city, or separately on my gear during tactical exercises and wandering in nature). I have most often encountered severe bleeding (fireworks and car accidents), and within my leisure activities the risk of gunshot wounds, injuries from large animals, or slipping on rocks is most likely. I have similarly encountered respiratory arrest requiring resuscitation. That's why these situations became a priority for me. Paradoxically, I don't always carry the contents in a separate pouch. All the items fit into the side pocket of the Helikon Urban Tactical shorts and pants. For work and short walks around the city, I therefore choose this more comfortable option.
What is the priority according to CABC?
CABC is an English abbreviation for medical complications that you should address as a priority according to this list. It's similar to how, in a mass casualty incident, you treat the most severely injured people first. You put out whatever is burning the most.
C- Catastrophic hemorrhage (massive bleeding). This is addressed with a tourniquet. You can come up with interesting games with a tourniquet, where you randomly compete for the best and fastest application of a tourniquet on a specific limb. For example, you walk around children, a friend, or colleagues, and without warning you throw a tourniquet to one of them and tell them which part of the body they should apply it to. It's a great exercise for team building and practical training. A tourniquet is used to constrict limbs in the event of massive bleeding. Seconds and correct application are therefore the most important things when using it.
A- Airway opening. Clearing a fallen-back tongue, objects blocking the mouth and nose, and the recovery position.
B- Breathing . Severe breathing problems, such as pneumothorax
C- Circulation (blood circulation). This refers to more classic treatment of bleeding, for example using an Israeli bandage or other pressure bandages and hemostatic agents.
In addition to the IFAK, we can also encounter the abbreviations AFAK (Advanced First Aid Kit - equipment for advanced first aid that doesn't fit into an IFAK) and MFAK (Multi-First Aid Kit - essentially an IFAK for multiple people). In summary - an IFAK is for one person, an MFAK is essentially a multiple IFAK, and an AFAK is equipment supplementary to the IFAK, the use of which requires more advanced medical knowledge.
photo: Redcroccfirstaidtraining.co.uk
Choosing a first aid kit
With a first aid kit, we have a bit more freedom. It's quite possible that you'll end up with several versions depending on what environment you'll be going into or what the composition of the group will be. So first analyze all the variables. The size of the container and the specific contents will depend on this. Personally, in nature I've found it useful to have one small individual kit that I keep in my pocket, and another larger one on my backpack or gear.
What you should think about from the start:
- How many people the first aid kit is intended for
- What the composition of the group will be (children, elderly people, people with specific health issues…)
- What specific conditions will be associated with the environment (high temperatures, frost, insects, vegetation…)
- What health problems you personally encounter most often (blisters, scrapes from rocks, sunburned skin, small wounds from vegetation, diarrhea, toothache…)
Since this is equipment meant to improve your health condition or even save your life, take enough time to choose and assemble it, and consider everything carefully. After thinking through the aforementioned eventualities, write a list of what should not be missing from the contents. There may ultimately be more than one such list. There will be a difference depending on whether you're going with children to see ruins and cook something outside, or with a group to boulder on rocks away from civilization.
However, there's no need to panic if you don't know where to start. Here are a few tips on how to do it:
- Stick to your list. If you have several first aid kits, feel free to mark them by purpose, for example with a marker. It's also a good idea to label important contents. For example, have on the pouch: ,,Max's insulin,,. This will help not only you but also other people who might use it in a stressful situation.
- You can also buy a first aid kit already equipped and just supplement its contents as needed. The manufacturer always states the exact contents along with the number of pieces of each item in the inventory. At home, for example, we always add extra plasters, a better tweezers, gloves, and disinfectant to the original set.
- For larger groups, you can purchase ready-made first aid kits with contents adapted for that purpose. For example, medical bags for elementary schools or family-oriented first aid kits. However, their contents don't necessarily have to be final either, and you can swap or add some items.
- If you have a precise idea and are already somewhat experienced, buy just the pouch for the first aid kit or IFAK and assemble the entire content yourself. Replacement refills can be bought separately and combined as needed. For example, I added a hemostatic agent, replaced the scissors with better ones, and added a spare resuscitation mask along with another pair of gloves.
So we should have a first aid kit. But is it enough to just have one?
Of course, the answer is no. It's like with a car or a firearm. It's nice to have them, but if you don't know how to use them, they're useless. So don't forget a few important things.
- Always familiarize yourself and your family with the contents of the first aid kit. Everyone who might potentially use it must know where everything is and how to use it. It's also a great educational game for children, since first aid is neglected in schools.
- Regularly check the contents of the first aid kit/IFAK. Some part of the equipment may get damaged or lost, and you also need to monitor the expiration date of individual contents.
- Pack only a few pieces of pills from the blister pack, since this is meant to be urgent first aid, not a 2-week treatment. This is of course also due to capacity reasons. Cut the pills out of the blister sheet in such a way that it's clearly visible which medication it is, and write the expiration date from the original packaging with a marker. Never remove them from the blister in advance. The medication will start to degrade and could get mixed up. Regularly check the foil on the packaging to see if it's damaged and needs replacing.
- Regularly practice first aid. Preferably in practice. For example, practice using a tourniquet and bandaging wounds with retired equipment, or resuscitation with chest compressions at the correct intervals. With a bit of imagination, you don't have to practice on relatives at home, even though that's a fun way to spend time. You can use pillows or various stuffed toys, or mannequins from a fabric store. It might look strange, but any training is better than none. If money isn't an issue, you can even buy professional training equipment for home use. However, expect high costs.
- Regularly, at least once a year, attend training with professionals. Currently there is an abundant offer of various training courses, from basics all the way to TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care), which are available to everyone. However, before you start running, learn to walk. So the basis for a beginner should be a classic first aid course. It's also organized by the Red Cross and costs roughly 20-30 euros.
TCCC in practice. Photo: Kommandosoldat.com
In conclusion
Sometimes the only certainty you have is that there is none. To increase your chances of successfully completing the task, sometimes you simply have to create those certainties yourself. Don't rely on chance and luck, but on yourself and your abilities. As Napoleon said - a long-prepared battle is a quick victory. The same applies to first aid. The better the preparation of equipment and practical training as close to reality as possible, the more successful the outcome. The rest is just about how you organize it in your head so you can handle the stress and pressure. There's no need to overdo your comfort. Discomfort is precisely what pushes us forward. Without a bit of risk, after all, there are no stories. And what would life be if we didn't create those stories and keep pushing our limits further?
