IFAKs

 

INTRO

Eric –Welcome to episode #31  of the Canadian Prepper Podcast, recorded July 31  2019.

My name is Eric, and I’m the host of the show.  I am based in southern Ontario. I’m a hunter, target shooter, HAM radio operator (VE3EPN), and computer geek. I got into preparedness when I was working front line in emergency services and witnessed an over reliance on Emergency Services during major events, such as ice storms, power outages, etc. I started a small preparedness company to help get people prepared and able to look after themselves for at least 72 hours, if not longer.

Alan - I’m Alan, and my friends and family call me a safety nerd. My background as a First Responder developed a mind for safety. I teach first aid and coach family and friends to be better prepared. I'm a locksmith by trade and have worked in the physical security industry for more than 20 years now.

Andrew - Normally you can listen to me hosting Canadian Patriot Podcast. I’m  a recovering libertarian, competitive shooter, and firearms instructor at Ragnarok Tactical. Use the discount code “patriot” at checkout on Ragnarok Tactical to save 10%. We specialize in selling traumatic first aid supplies, and I’m a Stop the Bleed instructor. 

 

Gavin - Business owner, gun owner, volunteer first responder, regular CPP Panelist, Instructor with Ragnarok Tactical and International man of mystery

Eric – We have some critical care  content for you in this episode,  We’re going to start off with some news articles relating to preparedness and the outdoors. Next we will be letting you know how we’ve improved our preparedness since our last episode.  Then we’ll get into the main topic for this episode - Individual First Aid kit contents and construction.  

 

News -

Alan - https://globalnews.ca/news/5705538/garlic-festival-shooter/

Kudos to the reporter at Global for identifying the firearm used as a ‘semi-automatic rifle’ and nothing else. The event was protected by fences and metal detectors. Police on site killed the shooter within a minute. It does go to show that when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

Andrew - 

Gavin - 

Eric - 

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/mobile/acute-intoxication-blamed-for-massive-fish-kill-in-ottawa-river-1.4514243?cid=sm%3Atrueanthem%3Actvottawa%3Apost&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_content=5d3132850ca7240001cbb17a&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&sfns=mo

WHAT WE’VE DONE LATELY for preps

Andrew - This week is loading more 223 rifle ammo. 

Alan - been a long week of school and training. I can throw hose like champ now, and every muscle in my body hurts. I did some fire tinder prep cutting up limbs and clearing the property of further hazards

Gavin - bought a giant berky

Eric - Got out on the range and took the AR-15 for a spin. . . also gave the 9mm and 22 pistol some attention as well

 

Main Topic - 

Eric - Alright, it’s time to move onto the main topic of the show. (Each host insert talking points here)

Alan - What is an IFAK? Individual First Aid Kit is a fairly generic term, but the essence is that it’s the tools you need to save a life (your own, mostly). 

Basic contents: 

• Tourniquet
• Pressure Dressing
• Hemostatic Gauze
• Chest Seal
• Medical gloves (not black. Any colour but black. The lighter the better)

If you don’t know how to use these things, take a StopTheBleed class (if you’re Toronto way, Ragnarok Tactical offers them, if you’re in SouthWestern Ontario, message me and I’ll set one up)

Chest seals: not covered by the STB curriculum, but an important tool to have. It’s a one-way valve that allows air to escape a penetrating chest wound without allowing air to enter the plural space between the lung and the chest wall from the outside. A combat medic told me once that the best tool to help with a chest seal is duct tape. On hairy or wet (sweaty/bloody) skin, they can fail. Duct tape around the edges keeps them in place. The guy who’s bleeding won’t mind the wax job on his chest, I promise.

I challenge everyone who owns a gun, hunts, fishes, hikes, camps, or spends any time more than 3 minutes from an ambulance to build and know how to use an IFAK. There are a million stories of unintentional trauma that causes death because someone couldn’t stop the bleeding. 

 

Andrew - First off, I’m not an expert, but I am a Stop the Bleed Instructor, and I have received training on all the products I sell and some we don’t. I’m not a doctor, nurse, EMT, and odds are you aren’t either, so get training and understand what you are able and qualified to do. The time to make decisions is now, not when you see someone bleeding to death

Why do you want an IFAK? What is an IFAK?

Improved First Aid Kit, Blowout Kit, Ventilated Operator Kit. A first aid kit that is able to address massive traumatic injury. What are you trying to do? Keep someone from dying until you can hand them over to a higher level of care. How do we go about that? 

MARCH Protocol vs ABCs

1. Airway
2. Breathing
3. Circulation 

1. Major Hemorrhaging
2. Airway
3. Respirations
4. Circulation
5. Head Injuries, Minor Hemorrhaging, Hypothermia/Shock

1. Major Hemorrhaging
   Massive hemorrhage is managed through the use of tourniquets, hemostatic dressings, junctional devices, and pressure dressings.
   Tourniquet. CAT, SOFTT-W, or SAM.
   Hemostatic dressings. Celox vs Quickclot
2. Airway
   Airway is managed by rapid and aggressive opening of the airway
   Nasopharyngeal Airway, NPA. Standard size is 28 Fr. Get lube.
   OPA get training
3. Respirations
   Respirations and breathing is managed by the assessment for tension pneumothorax and aggressive use of needle decompression devices to relieve tension and improve breathing.
   Not breathing - Rescue Breaths, pocket mask, or BVM
   Tension pneumothorax - Chest Seal or Needle Decompression Kit
4. Circulation
   TCCC promotes the early and far forward use of blood and blood products if available. Standard methods for circulation improvement, such as laying the patient flat, maintaining body temperature and careful fluid resuscitation all apply
5. Head Injuries & Hypothermia/Shock

Where to keep your IFAK

1. Car
2. Home
3. Bag/Purse/Pocket/Ankle holster
4. Range bag/belt/plate carrier

Building your IFAK

Pick a size, set a budget, expand later. 

US Army IFAK - The Granddaddy of IFAKS - Iraq circa 2003

• 1 Tourniquet
• 1 Elastic bandage kit (this is similar to a field dressing)
• 1 Bandage GA4-1/2” 100’s
• 1 Surgical adhesive tape
• 1 Nasopharyngeal airway kit
• 4 Surgical gloves
• 1 Combat gauze dressing

Minimum IFAK Contents

• Tourniquet - Massive Hemorrhage
• pressure dressings. - Massive Hemorrhage

Additional IFAK Contents

• Shears
• Gloves
• Sharpie/Permanent marker
• Sterile/non-sterile gauze
• Pocket mask - Respiration
• hemostatic dressings - Massive Hemorrhage

Advanced IFAK Contents

• NPA - Respiration
• Decompression Needle - Respiration

Other goodies

• Splints
• Sutures 
• Tape
• Burn treatments
• BVM
• IVs/Fluids
• Emergency Blanket/Reflector Blanket
• Cervical collar
• Medications; Epinephrine, Naloxone 

On purchasing first aid supplies;

• Some items requires the buyer to have training (quikclot)
• Other items are frequently counterfeit (tourniquets on Amazon)
• Some items expire or lose efficacy over time (medications/hemostatic)
• Some expiration dates don’t necessarily mean the product is no good (expiration dates on sealed sterile bandages)
• Naloxone is free in Ontario
• Tourniquets may degrade over time if exposed to UV light or other conditions
• There are other kinds of tourniquets. Refer to the Council on Tactical Combat Casualty Care for a list of tourniquets that meet their requirements, get a good one
• If a tourniquet does not work, apply another 
• Tourniquets should never be lossend, only removed in a hospital setting
• More is always better, bigger is almost always better 
• Shipping packaging should be removed before packing a kit, sterile packaging should remain sealed and staged appropriately 

Ian questions - 

 

Brand preferences for IFAK pouches, shears…..ie CTOMS, etc?

Any training available for TCCC?

Rough cost to budget for a proper IFAK?

 

Where do the hello kitty bandages and tampons come into play?

PODCAST CHALLENGE

Get a tourniquet. A real one. Not an amazon POS that will break the first time it’s used. Make it part of your EDC whether it’s in your backpack, car, cargo pocket, whatever. Think about your worst case scenario and be able to control bleeding. 

Get a Naloxone kit from your local pharmacy

 

Episode Closing

Upcoming events

Eric - Last episode on google hangouts.

 

If we miss a week, we have not quit!  . Just pls standby while we work out an alternative.  We plan to continue to publish on iTunes and YouTube. Just need to test the new platform.

Shout Outs

Alan - 

Eric - 

Guests - 

Email / Itunes reviews?

Alan - 

Eric - 27 5* 1 4* and oh no! A 1*

Outro

Eric -  I’m going to bring episode 31  of the Canadian Prepper Podcast to an end.   You can find the podcast on Itunes, Podbean, Spotify or your favourite podcast app.  Please help us out take a few minutes and submit a review! It helps other people find us.  You can also find us at prepperpodcast.ca and on Facebook!

Alan - We record these shows on Youtube live chats.  If you want an early peek at the shows, please subscribe to the YouTube channel “Canadian Prepper Podcast“, and click the notifications tab.  That gives you alerts when we are going live. You can contact me directly on Instagram, @ PPSWO

Andrew- Canadian Patriot Podcast, discount code “patriot” on www.RagnarokTactical.ca 

 

Gavin - 

Eric – Please  check out Rapid Survival www.rapidsurvival.com and get me there on live chat while buying some prepper gear, or you can also email me at feedback@prepperpodcast.ca (while still buying prepper gear at Rapid Survival)

Eric - Thanks for joining us, and tune in for the next episode, 

(Tips for the lazy Prepper?) ie - minimal effort for easy gains in preparedness .

Eric - Until next time, be prepared, stay safe, and (Alan) keep learning!