I was forwarded a great article in the Coast Guard’s On Scene Magazine a few weeks ago by a friend, which went into drowning and the Instinctive Drowning Response. With Summer in full effect, I thought it appropriate to share with everyone here on ITS.
While we’ll look at the signs of drowning below, it’s important to note that it’s not like the movies where people are screaming for help and violently splashing the water. It’s often an undramatic event that doesn’t resemble drowning at all.
My only encounters with drowning victims were during pool evolutions at BUD/s. These examples aren’t really what you’d often see in a public setting, as these were men who were “red lining” (the instructor’s terminology for someone passing out underwater) rather than giving on the evolution. Their signs were motionless and void of any struggling or screaming. They just simply passed out.
Being a Lifeguard for my son’s Boy Scout Troop, I’m always staying up to date on my Lifeguard Certifications and CPR/First Aid through the Red Cross, but I’ve never been exposed to anything on the Instinctive Drowning Response and the specific signs associated with it.
We were recently sent a testimonial on the usage of our EDC Trauma Kit by a first responder to an accident, where a man jumped from a moving car on a Tulsa, OK expressway and was struck by two vehicles. Below is the write-up that he sent us, which is a not only a great recap of the incident, but also an honest evaluation of our kit with some lessons learned.
Recently I had placed an order for the ITS Tactical EDC Trauma Kit and got my “Box of Awesome” in the normal quick fashion. I wanted to be able to basically carry a blowout kit, but didn’t want to be the guy in the office that people whispered about. Having returned home from Afghanistan late last February, I’d gotten very used to having one readily available at all times.
Understanding that I now manage a retail store, there was the hesitation of having to explain it to someone. A full size blowout kit was a bit big to be carried in my work pants back pocket. I already have a decent EDC setup, but I really wanted to be able to carry some type of blowout kit, so I decided to give the ITS EDC Trauma Kit a shot. [Read More…]
We’ve now taken the proven design from our ETA Trauma Kits, along with feedback from our end users and created an inert version of our kits. The ETA Trauma Kit (INERT) was made with the sole purpose of providing a lower cost option of our kits to train with.
The components you’ll find in the inert kit are all the same items you’re used to seeing in our kits, with the exception of the Combat Gauze Inert Moulage Trainer. This blue packaged Combat Gauze is for simulated training only and not for medical use. It’s the same z-folded Combat Gauze in our ETA Trauma Kits, but it lacks the hemostatic agent necessary to stop real bleeding. The inert Combat Gauze also features a resealable closure, so you can repack it and train with it again.
With these Inert ETA Trauma Kits, there also may be expired components included. It’s important that this kit is not used to “refill” another of our ETA Trauma Kits, as this inert kit was designed with the sole purpose being used in a dedicated training environment. Along with the bright blue tell-tale pack of inert combat gauze, we’ve also stamped our insert card in blue with “INERT.” Again, this kit is for training ONLY!
The reason we’ve chosen to include an inert version of every component from our ETA Trauma Kits, is to ensure you’re training with the identical items you’ll be using in a real life situation. In the event you have to use an ETA Trauma Kit, you don’t want it being the first time you’ve ever had exposure to the components. Train like you fight.
My reasoning for bringing up this article is to turn it into a discussion and hear others opinions on the topic and hear from our medics out there. To summarize this EMJ article, which I’ve attached here (PDF), it’s focus goes into exploring the potential problems and mistrust of tourniquet use, why civilian pre-hospital tourniquet use may be necessary, define the indications for tourniquet use and provide practical information on tourniquet application and removal.
While I’d highly suggest you read the entire article yourself, I’ve highlighted some bullet points of the article below. All sources of the can be found within the original article. [Read More…]
We’re excited to release our Every Day Carry Trauma Kit today and feel it’s truly something you’ll never leave home without. No longer will you have the excuse of not being able to carry lifesaving equipment with you wherever you go!
We wanted to design a minimum bare-bones trauma kit, smaller than our ETA Trauma Kits, that would not only be comfortable enough to throw in a back pocket, but also be capable of treating the number one preventable cause of death in the field according to the TCCC; extremity hemorrhage AKA bleeding out.
The EDC Trauma Kit is literally the size of an average wallet and even smaller in some instances, especially if you carry a Costanza. It can be stuffed in a back pocket and only weights 6 ounces with the included pouch! [Read More…]
We’ve been eagerly awaiting the return of the Mojo Medical Shears to the ITS Store and we’re excited to announce some new changes.
Combat Medical Systems has retooled the Mojo Medical Shears and removed a few of the previous dummy cord attachment points in the handles and colored them coyote brown.
They’re now also made in Germany, a trade compliant country, rather than the prior manufacturer in Pakistan. If you know medical instruments, you’ll know that many high-quality surgical-grade tools come from Germany. [Read More…]
We’ve been working for some time on developing a secondary way to seal our popular ETA Trauma Kits that will allow them to fit in most double M4 magazine pouches and we’re stoked to show you what we’ve come up with!
While our standard size kits aren’t going away, starting soon you’ll be able to choose if you want a “slim fit” version or a regular version of either our Basic, Standard or MIL/LE ETA Trauma Kits.
This new “slim fit” version of our kits doesn’t sacrifice any of the lifesaving components you’re used to, it’s simply another option for those that need it. [Read More…]
We’ve had our new EDC Trauma Kit in development for quite awhile now and we thought it was time to unveil what we’ve been working on.
The EDC Trauma Kit is a vacuum sealed trauma kit with the essentials to stop life threatening injuries. We wanted to develop a smaller version of our ETA Trauma Kits that would still contain the essentials, yet fit just about anywhere.
It’s literally the size of a wallet, can be stuffed in a back pocket and only weights 5 ounces! [Read More…]
Developed with feedback from the field, where medics were having to use more than one package of Combat Gauze in certain situations and wanted a larger version. The new XL contains 4″ x 4 yds. of Z-Folded Combat Gauze w/ x-ray detectable strip. The standard MIL/LE (green package) of Combat Gauze contains 3″ x 4 yds of Z-Folded Combat Gauze w/ x-ray detectable strip.
Despite the increased width of the XL, the vacuum sealed package is the same overall size as the standard MIL/LE package. [Read More…]
We just received an email this morning about our ETA Trauma Kits being used out in the field to save a life. Here’s the account of the incident from the first responder. As he states, certain details have been left off, including his name and location.
I’d like to apologize first for the lack of proper medical terminology as I’m only trained minimally and anything beyond that is self taught. Due to OPSEC I have to be brief on my story, sorry.
None the less, we were under fire, seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. Making use of rubble as cover during a rain of fire, I noticed my buddy next to me hit the ground, getting hit with what looked like two ricochet rounds. Making sure all the targets were neutralized and covered, I then rushed to my buddy to assess his injuries. [Read More…]
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