IFAK - first aid kit

[Skip]

I have two. One on the carrier and one in the range bag. We shoot far enough from rescue that a 911 call won’t be enough.

I am rusty on the skills part and that is not good. It is a perishable skill.

[hurley842002]

I am rusty on the skills part and that is not good. It is a perishable skill.

Best skill you can have is to remain calm, everything else usually falls into place IMO, but yes, refreshers and "what if" scenarios are good.


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[ChickNorris]

Look up posts by member cmailliard.. he runs tactical combat casualty care classes around town, great class. IFAK aren?t just for gunfights, as seen in videos in his class a simple mountain biking crash can cause a femoral artery to be severed and without a tourniquet on hand can turn into a fatality pretty quick. He aslo sells some pre packaged kits with the necessities.

This ^^^ 100% CMailliard

I took one of his classes @ Bowers tactical last fall. I need to take more.

Bowers also has an excellent small kit as well as piecework to build or augment some of your own. Ill find the video & post here shortly.

[Batteriesnare]

Buy the training first. As many have said Chris Malliards class is one if the best locally. While the curriculum is based on combat injuries, these topics will often cover worst case in the backcountry as well. A refresher on CPR is also a good investment.

Once you have the knowledge of how to solve problems and the skills to apply the proper tools then I would list out what to buy and assemble your own kit depending on your size/weight constraints and budget. Remember that in an emergency you are buying time to get to a greater level of care, not solving the problem in its entirety.

[SuperiorDG]

I've taken Chris' class a couple of time and built a few IFAKs. I just bought a couple for the shop and work truck. These seem like a go option at a good price for what you want. https://www.rescue-essentials.com/bl...ak-individual/

[cmailliard]

I should have a IFAK or 2 for the cars and my son and I.
I've never built one, used one, or taken a class.
This will probably be stored in the cars and then then taken during hunting season and fishing / hiking trips.
I seriously doubt I'll ever have to deal with a gunshot wound, but I don't want to totally discount that possibility. Mostly I worry about someone getting laid open with a knife gutting an animal or falling.
I'm mostly interested in just stopping the bleeding, should it ever happen.
I was thinking a small pack, quickclot, the ability to stitch up a wound, tape, gauze...
Should I buy a premade IFAK or make my own? Any thoughts on what I really should have in the pack?
Really any thoughts or insight into what to have would be awesome.
And does anywhere around Denver stock IFAK's?

Thanks all for the kind words about the class.

Robb - I have some pre-built kits with the following:
Combat Application Tourniquet
Combat Gauze
Pressure Dressing
Hyfin Chest Seal
Hypothermia Blanket
Trauma Shears
Gloves
Duct Tape
Sharpie

I do my pre-built kits a bit different than most. Most have the gloves rolled up inside. This makes extremely difficult to put on when you need them. Second they are sized large. These two things make putting gloves an after thought rather than a forethought in medical care. So I use a packing slip envelope on the outside of the kit with the gloves in the size you want in it. This is now the first thing you do with the correct size. Also the card that comes in the kit usually has a blank back side to it, so I added custom info like MARCH info, Aid Request (what to tell 911), Patient Info (MIST) and some basic Triage. I've got one left right now but can order more to be built. https://www.responseready.us/store/p...auma_Kit_.html

I also sell North American Rescue and TacMedSolutions products if you want something else.

As many have said, the training is the most important part. I do a 4 hour Casualty Care Class at Bowers, Centennial Gun Club and Bristlecone. Not many places up here by us in Thornton unfortunately. The Casualty Care class is based on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) and it's civilian counterpart Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC). I have been teaching them for more than 10 years now and the class is updated at least annually but usually every couple of months and better data becomes available.

[cmailliard]

If I can piggy back on this thread, I?m looking for a bag to put a kit together for my truck. I already have all of the supplies I want but just need an easily identifiable soft side bag to put everything in.

If anyone has suggestions or links I would appreciate it.

How big of kit are you looking for? I have a few around the house that may work for ya.

[beast556]

Chris

Have you talked with LFI(liberty firearms institute) in johnstown to see if you can do classes there for people up north.

[packratt75]

Looking to take a class up north if possible. Makhaira Group does the training at LFI but looks to be just basic first aid/cpr.

[def90]

Here are a couple reasons to carry an ifak and take the combat casualty care class with cmailliard I mentioned earlier: