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Why You Should Add Medical Supplies to Your EDC

Talyn

Talyn

SAINT
Founding Member
From Sticky holsters.

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Insights with Sticky Holsters
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Why You Should Add Medical Supplies to Your EDC
Written by: Eric Rice
Why do we consciously decide to carry a firearm? At the core, why do we choose to completely change the way we dress, look, act, and behave all to carry a firearm? For most of us, it is to save a life, whether it be our own, a loved one, a family member, or a complete stranger. In the Army we were told, “If we are going to teach you to take a life, we also need to teach you to save a life.” Many assume they can accomplish this by neutralizing the threat before any harm or injury has occurred. If your goal is to save a life, shouldn’t you actually be able to save a life?
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Along with carrying the supplies themselves, you also need the training to use them. Like a gun, medical supplies are the tools. You need training in the use of both firearms and medical supplies to save a life. The 2A community has started trending towards promoting this type of training. There are many companies that offer medical supply and life-saving training, some of more popular training companies include Sheepdog Response and Dark Angel Medical. When considering what company to hire, make sure the instructors have the appropriate credentials and have been properly vetted. Along with training, many companies have created great products to use and carry for civilian EDC use. Some examples are Blue Force Gear, Dark Angel Medical, My Medic, and Live The Creed to name a few.

In my opinion, if you are only going to carry one medical supply item, it should be a tourniquet (TQ). Its use requires very little training and is easily concealed. There are many different kinds and types that provide all different levels of care and applications. Some of the popular ones are a CAT, SOF-T,
SWAT-T, and RATS. I usually carry a CAT and a RATS. I carry a CAT for adults, and a RATS for my kids and/or dog. In addition, either can be used as a temporary restraint if needed. There are many places you can’t carry a weapon, but you can carry medical supplies anywhere, including on a plane.
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Tourniquets stop bleeding to the extremities (arms and legs). Prior to the Global War on Terror (GWOT), medics/corpsmen were the only servicemembers with trauma care training on the battlefield. Most Soldiers only carried a simple bandage if anything prior to the GWOT. During GWOT there was a huge emphasis on self and buddy care. Individual Soldiers started receiving trauma care training and carried Individual First Aid Kits (IFAKs). As a result, “combat survivability is at an all-time high in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Ten percent of all injuries resulted in death, as opposed to Vietnam, where the fatality rate was 16.1 percent, or World War II, with a 19.1 percent fatality rate. . . . The study showed that uncontrolled blood loss was the leading cause of death in 90 percent of the potentially survivable battlefield cases and in 80 percent of those who died in a military treatment facility.” https://www.militarytimes.com/2013/03/29/study-25-of-war-deaths-medically-preventable/

If you are serious about carrying medical supplies having a tourniquet is the bare minimum. There was a study published in 2019 called “Incidence and Cause of Potential Preventable Death after Civilian Public Mass Shootings in the US.” You can find the link below. Some of the facts highlighted below show the extent of the injuries:
  • The average number of gunshot wounds per victim was 4
  • 64% of the gunshots were to the head and torso
  • Most common cause of death was brain injury (52%)
  • Only 12% of the victims were transported to the hospital
  • The Potentially Preventable Death (PPD) rate was 15%
  • The most common injured organs of the PPD victims were lung (59%) and spinal cord (24%)
  • Only 6% of the PPD victims had a gunshot to a vascular structure in an extremity (arms/legs)
What does all this mean? It means I will start adding chest seals (which I do carry, but not often) to my EDC kit. The cause of death for PPD victims with chest wounds was 10 times higher than those with gunshots to extremities (where TQs can be applied). Initial lifesaving care and application of a chest seal at the trauma site, combined with expedient evacuation to a medical facility, are paramount in reducing PPD in mass shootings.
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You might ask, “how do I carry all of these medical supplies in conjunction with a firearm, spare magazine (speed strip/loader), flashlight, and knife?” There are lots of ways that don’t require a vivid imagination or a lot of money. With the expansion of concealed carry, of the retail market has expanded the availability of clothing, bags and other accessories designed to carry numerous items. Condor and Vertx shorts/pants are some that I use. These pants and shorts have additional pockets designed to carry a variety of items. My Condor Shorts have eight pockets (and NO they are not cargo shorts). In addition to clothing, EDC bags are extremely popular. I love the Vertx bags because of how discreet they are. Additionally, the good ole fanny pack is back in style (regardless what your kids say). In my low profile “waist pack” I can easily conceal a Glock 43, a couple TQs, chest seals, spare magazine and a knife. This is my typical gym set up. I would also recommend having a bag in your car. If you don’t want to go with a full aid bag (for car accidents or other mass casualty events) then a simple fanny pack slung over the back of a headrest is a great way to keep medical supplies on hand. Lastly, stand-alone belly band systems like the Sticky Holsters Belly Band and the Unity Clutch Belt are fantastic options.

I hope this article has highlighted the need to carry medical supplies as part of your EDC and has encouraged you to seek out medical trauma training. Please feel free to let us know what you think about the article and any tips you might have in the comment section below.
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Carry on and be safe.
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Sources:

Mass Shooting Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31029762/, Condor Shorts: https://tacticalgear.com/condor-maverick-shorts-black, Vertx: https://vertx.com/, Unity Clutch Belt: https://www.unitytactical.com/product-category/clutch/, Sticky Holsters Belly Band: https://stickyholsters.com/modular-systems/belly-band.html, North American Rescue: https://www.narescue.com/, Dark Angel Medical: https://darkangelmedical.com/, R.A.T.S: https://www.rapidtq.com, Blue Force Gear: https://www.blueforcegear.com/, My Medic: https://mymedic.com/, Live The Creed: https://ltcreed.com/products/edc-pocket-trauma-kit, Sheepdog Response: https://sheepdogresponse.com/
The original article can be found on Sticky Holsters website: https://stickyholsters.com/blog/insights-why-you-should-add-medical-supplies-to-your-edc/
 
I do not carry medical supplies as part of my EDC due to the added weight. In the military, I received basic and advanced medical training in trauma care. In addition, I have treated numerous trauma patients that were severely injured stabilizing them until medical evacuation could arrive. My advice to anyone is to seek medical training before carrying medical equipment, because you could open yourself up to litigation or worse do harm to the patient.
 
I've been meaning to update the medical supplies I keep in my car. We have some little Walmart kits, but they are really nothing more than few band-aids and some triple-antibiotic ointment. I should know better because I've switched careers multiple times in my life, and several of my jobs required in-depth first-aid training. I guess I've just gotten complacent.

The local high school offers a program that lets students graduate with full EMT certifications, and I will be strongly recommending it to both my boys when they are old enough. I'm hoping to raise kids who actually know what to do in an emergency, without having to check their phone first. I'm not confident that Siri knows how to keep me alive until I can get to a hospital.
 
David N. said:
I do not carry medical supplies as part of my EDC due to the added weight. In the military, I received basic and advanced medical training in trauma care. In addition, I have treated numerous trauma patients that were severely injured stabilizing them until medical evacuation could arrive. My advice to anyone is to seek medical training before carrying medical equipment, because you could open yourself up to litigation or worse do harm to the patient.
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I remember back in '71 while in boot camp (Navy), they told us as a last resort we could use the cellophane wrapper from our cigarette packs to cover a sucking chest wound. Glad I never had to try it. Quit smoking 9 yrs ago, so no smokes on me these days, but do now have actual chest seals available in the IFAK in my truck.
 
wmg1299 said:
I've been meaning to update the medical supplies I keep in my car. We have some little Walmart kits, but they are really nothing more than few band-aids and some triple-antibiotic ointment. I should know better because I've switched careers multiple times in my life, and several of my jobs required in-depth first-aid training. I guess I've just gotten complacent.

The local high school offers a program that lets students graduate with full EMT certifications, and I will be strongly recommending it to both my boys when they are old enough. I'm hoping to raise kids who actually know what to do in an emergency, without having to check their phone first. I'm not confident that Siri knows how to keep me alive until I can get to a hospital.
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That is cool! The EMT training, not Siri.
 
I will carry a first aid kit in my vehicle and have one reasonably available to me at home, in the shop or at the office but I am not inclined to carry medical supplies on or about my person unless I am in some remote area which is far and away from the general public or medical services. I carry a small kit while hunting, hiking, camping and while on the range.
 
While folks should have some level of medical training, that means you should carry/have medical supplies with you in order to apply that knowledge.

That being said I have various modular levels of medical supplies with me whether I'm in my rig, out cycling, out & about in the field, and at home.

Having had to "fix" myself in various incidents, from low to high levels of injury, being prepared for medical emergencies is prudent, and that includes the proper meds to treat various levels of injury/illness.

My .02
 
I’ve got a multiple first aid kits
Including one that I put together specifically for the kind of trauma incurred in a gunfight, but it is not in the least bit concealable. I use it for range trips, but realistically even just carrying a Gen 7 Cat Tourniquet means I have to take some sort of pouch/small bag every time I leave home. And a tourniquet’s not going to do me any good if I get hit center mass, so now I need chest seals and an Israeli bandage. That’s just not going to happen. Learn what to do to manage a wound until first responders show up. Bugging out or keeping an IFAK in your car is a great idea, but EDC, for me, not so much so. I didn’t wear a bike helmet when I was a kid either!
 
In 1990 the Army sent me to Combat Lifesaver School. It was basically a stop the bleed class.

In 1994 the Army sent me to EMT Basic School.

When I was stationed in Evans Hospital I went to CPR training every year.

In 2007 I went to college for 2 years to be a Medical Assistant.

From 2008 until I retired whichever security company I was working for at the time sent me to CPR and CPR refresher training every year.

In all that time, I never once administered anything even resembling first aid outside of a clinical environment. I put a couple of Band Aids on people.

I never bought into the idea of carrying a first aid kit off the clock. Until one night I had a nightmare about being caught in an active shooter situation with my wife and watching her bleed out because I didn't have anything to stop the bleeding.

I bought two of these within a week and I don't leave home without one. I added an extra Kwik Clot gauze and an Army Feild Dressing to both kits.

 
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