ResQ Pak
- Details
- Written by JT McAvoy
One of the constant and on going debates with in the Tactical Medical community is how do you provide medical care to a team member that you cannot get to. The simple answer is you cant since you are not there with the team member. I have heard this over and over again and I respectfully disagree. If you have done your job as a Tactical Medical provider for your team then your team should have received several things that would allow you to do this. One is current and on going first aid training and hands on simulation, simulating if they are down, hurt and separated from the team. This should also include you being able to see them and talk them through lifesaving treatment on the radio. This should be practiced over and over again so the situation if and when it arrises is not new to either side and can be delt with accordingly with minimal time loss.
This leads us to an interesting question, what medical equipment does a team member need to carry on his/her person to adequately treat a life threatening injury? This has been the the subject of much debate over the years. The answers you get vary almost as much as the background as people you will ask. Unfortunately there is no 100% perfect black and white answer to this question. This is simply because the needs of the team and what maybe considered life threatening varies greatly. It varies because of operational requirements, environmental issues, injuries that maybe sustained, and the experience of the designated medical personnel that accompanies your team.
As a general rule in Covert Ops, Conventional Combat or SWAT operations the biggest danger for death comes from extreme uncontrolled hemorrhage. There are a host of injuries that can cause this type of injury. Most often what you will see however is blast injuries (think shrapnel) and gunshot wounds (GSW). There is a more detailed assessment of this and the percentages broken down really well in the Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC). I recommend that all those in the Tactical Community medical or not read this it is a wealth of information.
So how do you stop this type of bleeding? There is no easy answer for this question, it all depends on where it is. More than likely, because of the advancements in body armor technology and the fact everyone is wearing it now you will see these injuries mostly in the your arms and legs (upper and lower extremities). The injuries sustained will also mostly likely be a GSW or penetrating injury from shrapnel. Traditionally in the past this was treated with tourniquets and lots of fluids and the patient more than likely lost that part of his or her limb. This is not the standard anymore and definitely not the case as far as loss of limb goes. Now this is not an article on how to treat hemorrhage, for that i recommend the TCCC as a gold standard.
This is however an article on the products out there for basic first aid on yourself and which ones are good and which ones are not. The best one is obviously one tailor made for you and your environment and specific needs. Most teams budgets however are not big enough to make this a finically feasible option. There are a few companies out there that have recognized this problem and are making general GSW kits that an individual with minimal medical training can carry. These kits can be carried in a standard BDU pocket and are very easy on the budget. There is also a reason for this, most of the companies making these kits are doing it cheaply. I will not call names in this however for the companies that are doing this cheaply making people trust their lives to less than adequate products let this article serve as a wake up call.
There is one company that I have seen so far that is doing this GSW kit right. There was a lot of thought put into it, quality products are used, and they do it all at about the same price as the rest. BlueLine Tactical has released their Resq-Pak line in three different levels. There are three different levels each going up in price and each with slightly different contents. This is because each level is designed for slightly different types of officers and operational areas. Their products are also approved by the NTOA (National Tactical Officers Association), one of the very few that is. This is all great but what does it mean to me, nothing until i get to test it and tear it down and see what it is made of.
I was granted the opportunity to test BlueLine Tactical’s Resq Pak Level 1. The first thing I noticed about it was the weight. The entire kit weighs just 5 oz which is amazing for what all is in it. This means that one or two can be carried with no significant weight increase and you will barely know it is there. The second thing that immediately struck me was the size. The size is kept to an absolute minimum due to the vacuum packing that it comes in. The edges stick out a little but can be taped down to make these kits very small. I managed to carry two of them in my BDU pocket with minimal effort to make them fit. During simulated building raids several team members were asked to carry the Resq-Pak and the response was generally the same. It is light weight and small enough that you can carry it in a number of configurations.
Having only one pack I decided to do a live video “show and tell” for our readers and post it on the internet as well. The contents are as follows for the Level 1 Resq-Pak: 25g Quik–Clot® 1st Response™
5" x 9" ABD pad
4" x 75" roll bandage
40" x 40" x 56" triangular bandage
two sets 4" x 3" cover sponges
surgical tape
non-latex gloves
YOUTUBE VODEO LINK
The contents in this kit are in my mind perfect for your non-medical team member to use on themselves or another team member should the need arise. The Quik-Clot formula used no longer has the burning issues that it used to (see my article on Quik-Clot). The ABD pad is a great choice as is the roll bandage. Triangle bandages are completely invaluable in this kind of kit because the uses for this are limited only by your imagination. There are two sets of cover sponges and again a good number that would be just about what you would need. Remember it does not have to be pretty it just has to work. I was extremely glad to see that they used real medical tape instead of the standard 100 mph “medical” tape that I have seen time and time again in other kits. The gloves were good but a little disappointing, but I will address that later. The contents of the kit were thought out well and for those with no medical training there is even instructions on the Quik-Clot kit. I do not recommend carrying this without any first aid training at all. So if you carry one please get some type of training I cannot stress that enough.
There are very few things in and about this pack that I would change. One thing that I would change though is the gloves. They are black nitrile gloves which are good but there are those out there that are better. My personal preference are the Black Talon gloves. I use those not only in Tactical Operations but also in Aeromedical Operations as well, so that is what I would like to see in the pack. It may add a dollar or two to the price but well worth it I think. The other thing that I would change is not specific to this pack but the entire Resq-Pak line. As of right now you need to carry a Level 3 pack before you get a type of chest seal in the pack. To me this is just wrong. A GSW to the chest creating a sucking chest wound that would require such a seal could be obtained by those that the Level 1 and Level 2 are intended for. It could also be in obtained in an area where the GSW victim may have to wait before backup and medical attention arrive. In this amount of time that type of injury could be potentially fatal. So my recommendation to BlueLine Tactical is as follows. Look at the data again, the possibilities of injuries with officers and other team members in rural areas. Then compare that to the time it would take for appropriate backup and medical care for the injury, then look at the data again. I think you would be surprised at what you may find. It would make the price of the first two Level kits go up absolutely but when it comes down to $10-$15 extra or your life most will pay the extra money, I know I would. So I would like to see a chest seal of some type in all three levels of kits.
Overall BlueLine Tactical has done it right with the Resq-Pak, especially with a price starting at $32. They saw a problem and a need; they provided the answer with near perfection. BlueLine also put those that will be carrying this product first realizing that their lives are entrusted to the Resq-Pak. This is also evident by the content, quality, and quantity of each product that is placed in the Resq-Pak. This is a great first generation product by BlueLine, much better than any other company attempting this kind of kit on the market. I think with a few changes that the second generation of Resq-Pak for all intent and purposes would be perfect at all three levels for all types of Law Enforcement and Military operations. I definitely see why the NTOA recommends the Resq-Pak for tactical officers. I recommend that if have not seen the BlueLine Tactical Resq-Pak please check them out on the internet ( www.resq-pak.com). If you are in this kind of work and you do not have one of the Resq-pak you are gambling with your life. So I ask all of you to talk with your Tactical Medical Officer about them or purchase one yourself and get the training to use it. If the equipment you need is not on you then it cannot help you and this kit is perfect for those situations.
