So you’ve made the decision to carry a trauma kit.
Posted by Michael "Doc" Rohan on Feb 2nd 2018
The day has come and you’ve decided to carry some form of medical kit on your person as a part of your everyday carry (EDC). First and foremost, thank you for taking critical steps towards becoming a responsible citizen, an asset to society and becoming a “by-doer” not a bystander. The difficult decision now is with what to carry and where.
To be able to make that decision properly you must first think about your day to day. I’ll expound on some questions my friend Caleb Causey of Lone Star Medics asks his students:
1. Who are you responsible for? Yourself? Your family? Your team?
This often dictates how much you carry on your person, whether it’s multiple items or otherwise. Carrying a single set of items works great for you, but it may not adequately cover your family or teammates.
2. What level of training do you have?
Your training dictates what you carry, along with your proficiency and confidence in using those tools when the time is needed.
3. What mission are you conducting?
Your mission can range from super cool guy raids in some faraway sandy land to going to the grocery store. Your mission greatly determines just what type of med supplies you’ll carry. This also factors into how you carry.
4. Where are you conducting your “mission”?
Determining the location of where you’ll spend your day is key to ensuring you don’t get stuck wearing ankle kit in your swim trunks on the beach. For example, whether it’s on the firing range or at an office job, looking into where you are spending your day is fundamental to understanding how you’ll carry your kit. If you’re out hiking you’ll likely have a backpack that you can stash items in, whereas a backpack may not look right with a tweed suit while having tea with the Queen and a ankle rig may be more appropriate.
After answering these questions you can begin to look into what’s best for you at any given moment. Having the proper items on you is far better than tucked away in the back of your vehicle or at home to increase yours and the people you wish to help’s survivability.
Whether you opt for one of our kits or another reputable company’s kits, I implore you to look into your day to day routine and make room in your EDC for a little bit of Everyday Trauma Carry (EDTC).
If you haven’t signed up for a course yet, then there is no better time to get yourself trained up. Learn about Everyday Trauma Care in one of our Direct Action Response Courses. Put that tax return money to good use this year and invest in being able to help yourself, your families and those around you when the time chooses you.