Best Compact IFAK: New Blackhawk Foundation Rapid-Deployment Kit
One of my favorite courses I attended during my time in the U.S. Army was the Combat Lifesaver Course (CLS). Of all the skills I learned throughout my enlistment, the CLS course is arguably the most practical for civilian life. The CLS course isn’t as in-depth as the training for a medic or even a first responder/EMS course, but we learned the basics to keep someone alive long enough for proper medial care. The CLS course revolves primarily around the individual first-aid kit, or IFAK, like the Blackhawk Foundation Series IFAK featured in this article.To get more news about hemostat dressing, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.
IFAKs come in many different shapes and sizes, but I am a big fan of this Blackhawk Foundation Series IFAK for general civilian everyday carry (EDC). It’s compact enough to easily conceal, and it’s designed for rapid access in an emergency. Despite its size, I can pack the minimum medical essentials I consider necessary for an everyday carry IFAK. Before we get more into the Blackhawk IFAK, let’s break down some realistic scenarios why one might want to carry a compact IFAK on a normal day.
First, it’s important to remember the primary role of an IFAK, which is clearly stated in its description — Individual. An IFAK should be set up first and foremost for the individual carrying it. That’s not to say you should be stingy with your medical supplies if you come across someone in need. But, much like a drowning man pulling under the person trying to save him, you need to be able to take care of yourself before you can worry about helping others. Don’t confuse the role of an IFAK with a bigger medical kit set up to care for others.
An EDC IFAK is also going to be quite different from a combat IFAK. Those are generally bigger and designed to carry more medical supplies, and they’re not practical for concealed carry. It’s also highly unlikely you will face as extreme a situation as extended combat in civilian life, so it’s reasonable to sacrifice capacity for concealability and comfort for general everyday carry.
For those who conceal carry a pistol every day, like me, the first consideration for a compact IFAK is an injury during a defensive gunfight. There are countless situations where one can win a defensive fight but still become injured. Gunshot wounds are extremely traumatic, but provided one hasn’t been shot directly in the heart or brain, they can be surprisingly survivable with immediate medical care.
While a gunshot wound is often the first use-case scenario when I consider using my IFAK, it’s one of the most unlikely scenarios I’d face. As long as you’re not an active gang member, it is incredibly rare to be injured by gunshot in the U.S., despite what the media reports. What does happen every day are vehicle crashes, heavy machinery accidents, worksite accidents and dozens of other scenarios where one could face an injury that requires more than a basic first-aid kit. Even if you don’t carry a firearm for self-defense, a compact IFAK could still save your life in any number of situations.
As long as air can enter your lungs, you’re breathing properly and you don’t have excessive blood leaving your body, there is a solid chance you are currently alive. However one might be severely injured, if you can control the ABCs right away, then there is a high probability of survivability once you get to a doctor. Fortunately, it doesn’t really take many supplies to control the ABCs during a severe injury.
Let’s start with circulation. If you are operating a chainsaw, heavy equipment or are near anything that could sever an artery, you are a fool to do so without a good tourniquet. From combat and car crashed to loggers and construction sites, modern CAT tourniquets have saved many lives, and a minimum of two should be in your IFAK. Most experienced EMS personnel will tell you that if you need to apply one tourniquet, then it’s likely you will need to apply two. Even if you have severe bleeding on just one appendage, it can often take two tourniquets to properly stem the bleeding. Tourniquets can stay on for hours before you need to worry about permanent limb damage, so when it doubt, apply a tourniquet.
