Driver’s Toolbox: First Response

Specialized First Aid Kit Can Save Lives

Whether it’s Goodyear’s Highway Heroes, TCA’s Highway Angels, or those who have served without recognition, truckers are all too frequently the first ones to provide aid at the scene of an auto accident. Although we have recommended carrying a basic first aid kit in your truck as part of a survival kit, the severity of injuries sustained in auto accidents calls for specialized gear to be added to the first aid kit.

Way back in our Scouting days, many of us learned that the priority order in first aid was to first address breathing, then bleeding, then shock, followed by care for any other injuries. Statistically speaking, airway obstruction and bleeding are the most common causes of death in a trauma injury scenario. In more recent times, the old Scouting admonition was updated with an easy-to-remember ABC, or Airway, Breathing, and Circulation prioritization.

As a regular reader of Bob Owens’ “Confederate Yankee” blog (http://confederateyankee.mu.nu), one of Owens’ posts provided a timely reminder to brush up on my somewhat dusty first aid skills, and also included a review/referral of a specialized first aid kit to address the most urgent of trauma injuries.

The Improved First Aid Kit, or IFAK in military terms, was developed by U.S. Army personnel as a compact, lightweight trauma response kit, which, in conjunction with proper training, greatly increases the potential for survival of combat injuries. The IFAK provides the capability for self-aid/buddy-aid to immediately treat the two most urgent trauma scenarios, obstructed breathing and bleeding. The IFAK has been a key element of virtually every combat-zone soldier’s gear since early 2006.

Several variations of the IFAK are also available to the general public. According to Owens, “I purchased my first IFAK in mid-2010. As I spend a decent amount of time at shooting ranges, and (as) the skill level and safety practices of people at ranges varies widely, it simply seemed prudent to have such a kit as part of my range bag in case someone suffers the results of a negligent discharge or catastrophic failure. I’m also looking to pick up some relevant first responder training so that I can use the kit more effectively, but the brilliance of the kit is that it uses equipment that requires minimal training.”

Owens’ IFAK of choice is the ETA Kit from ITStactical.com, but a web-search for IFAK returns about 90,000 hits, many from online stores such as Amazon and others that offer variations of the kit ranging from $30.00 to over $150.00 in price.

As designed by the U.S. Army, an IFAK contains: a tourniquet, an elastic bandage, ½” bandage strips, surgical tape, an airway tube, a wound dressing, and exam gloves. A U.S. Marine Corps version adds a variety of bandages, a burn dressing, disinfectant and other items. Regardless of which kit you carry, it’s also important to get training and keep updated. Training resources can be located through your local Red Cross.