While deployed earlier this year I saw a piece of kit that
piqued my interest. It was a blow out kit worn in the Small Of the Back (SOB).
The blow out kit is a stripped down version of the IFAK (Improved/Individual First Aid Kit). The contents of a blow out kit generally consist of an Israeli
Bandage, H&H gauze, and some type of hemostatic agent. These small kits
are easier to carry than a full sized IFAK, and gained quite a bit of
popularity in the training and operational communities. I also feel that having
some of these basic trauma items readily available is not a bad idea in today’s
environment here at home.
Contents of the SOB blow out kit are very small and compact, and offer
just what you need until you can get to a larger kit or a higher level of medical care
As I said, seeing one of these kits worn in the SOB got my
attention. However, being deployed I was busy and did not have the time to investigate
it any further. A couple of weeks ago while I was going through some of my
equipment I found an old admin pouch. The size was just about perfect for
putting a blow out kit in and I figured I would give a shot. I emptied out one
of my IFAKs and stripped the contents down to an Israeli bandage, 1 packet of
H&H gauze, a package of Quickclot Combat Gauze and added 2 Tegaderm seals
(chest seal). I wanted a way to keep
these items protected from sweat and the elements so I sealed them up with my
Foodsaver. It took me a few tries to get the size of the bag right, but after
about half an hour I had it. The next step was to find a way to get it out of
the pouch. This was the easiest step as all I needed was some duct tape to make
a tab. My total time spent putting this kit together was an hour.
Deploying a SOB blow out kit is easy and can be done with either hand
My biggest reason for building this was to wear it when I am instructing or attending firearms training courses. Most training
organizations have some type of medical personnel and equipment readily
available, but nothing will be as fast as self-treatment. This also holds true
if you are somehow involved in any type of traumatic incident. The size of this
kit lends to easy carry in everyday situations - it will fit into the
cargo pocket of most pants and will absolutely fit into your EDC (everyday
carry) bag. If you are going to carry this type of kit I
recommend you keep it in a readily available location and get some training on how
to properly use the items in it.
Real training sucks, EMBRACE the suck.
- John Pinnix
