Choosing the essential items for your IFAK can be challenging if you don’t know what to prepare for. Here are a few tips to get you started.
- Hemorrhage is responsible for more than eighty-five percent of all deaths that occur on the battlefield (bleeding to death). It is recommended that nine percent of your equipment be geared toward preventing pneumothorax, also known as the “sucking chest wound.”
- A subcommittee of the CoTCCC investigated the upper groin/pelvic and under armpit wounds that resulted in the deaths of three troops who were participating in a conference not too long ago. It was shown that deaths caused by junctional hemorrhage could not be avoided if a tourniquet or another method of applying pressure to the person who was bleeding could not stop the flow. It is possible that deaths in the future caused by these injuries can be avoided if first responders receive training in specialized field surgical methods and an abdominal aortic tourniquet is soon to be made available. You should make use of the Academic Method in order to shield your IFAK from the effects of mission creep.
- The motto of the Boy Scouts is “Be Prepared!” Prepare yourself! So, you might want to toss in some ibuprofen, some decongestants, and a sling in there in the event that anything goes wrong. Take into consideration your first line of defense. You won’t improve your situation by listening to such drivel. When you go back to your hotel room, your kit of remedies for sore throats, blisters, and hurting joints will already be there waiting for you to use.
This is not an exhaustive bag of tricks, but it should give you a more efficient IFAK pack on your next expenditure.
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