Rhi's $30 IFAK Challenge

I don't do as much writing for BCP as I used to, but I still like to keep my hand in. This means that when something like this challenge is presented, I enjoy taking part, both for the chance to write about something that interests me and for the competitive edge against myself.

Our ever-faithful Editrix Erin posted yesterday about her own take on the IFAK Challenge from Chaplain Tim. Its a good read, and the take is much like Erin: solid and with a unique perspective.

Like everyone else who decided to take part, I budgeted $30 total and shopped only at places available to everyone, either retail outlets or online. My choices included Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree, and Wish.com. The vast majority came from Dollar Tree, simply due to pricing; I can purchase a lot there for a very small amount, and it was a fantastic means of stretching a budget so much that I could hear my change squealing in pain.


Wal-Mart

My first stop was at Wal-Mart for my only major purchase. It was also my most expensive purchase at $11.13 after tax and it is composed of two separate items.

The Equate All Purpose First Aid Kit (cost $9.88) is the same one I use in my personal BoB. This comes with gloves, antiseptic wipes, a wide variety of bandages and gauze pads for wound closures as well as medical tape for the gauze pads. Also included are a few small packets of antibiotic ointment, tweezers, an instant cold pack, and butterfly closures. Its a good all-around start for a basic first aid kit that comes with a very reasonable price tag.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-All-Purpose-First-Aid-Kit-140-count/421170443

The other addition from Wal-Mart was a pair of white terry wash cloths from the bath & bedding department. They were on sale in a 4 pack for $1, and I just couldn't pass that up. Wash cloths have a huge variety of uses ranging from bandaging to wound dressings to the simple use of cleaning an area of blood so that it can be better treated. They can also be cut into multiple long strips for tying splints.


Online

My second "stop" was actually a bit of online shopping which took place months ago, before the challenge was issued. The items purchased, however, should still be available, and since I already had them it meant I wouldn't have to wait on shipping times to include them.



My first choice from my various Wish.com list is a Tourniquet that I managed to purchase for $1. I actually got 3 of them when I made the purchase initially, and they're still available at that price, so instead of ordering more I simply moved one of my spares into this Challenge Kit.







Second choice from Wish was a couple of rolls of Self-Adhering Elastic Bandage. I chose 2 rolls so I would have some spare for my personal bag, but I'm only counting 1 roll for this, at $2.





Third on the purchase list at Wish was a set of Iodine Swabs for wound cleaning. They are currently listed for $6, but I managed to get them while they were on sale for the impressive price of $1 for 100 swabs.





The total spent at Wish.com was $4, other than shipping, which I'm not going to include since it depends on your location.


Dollar Tree

By this point I had spent almost exactly half my budget. I knew I could add significantly to my kit for the amount I had remaining, but I also knew I was going to have to get seriously creative on some of my additions.

I'm cheap. I admit that I'm cheap. I love shopping when I can spend very little and get a lot, and that's why Dollar Tree has appealed to me for several years. Being able to stick to the rest of my budget and still achieve a wide variety of useful items was a decided win.

This would be the whole haul of 14 separate items from Dollar Tree.

I started with the obvious stuff in the health area: Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen, along with Low-Dose Aspirin. Not everyone can take any one type, and the Aspirin is good for potential heart attacks as well.

The anti-diarrhea and laxative meds speak for themselves, as should the Daytime/Nighttime allergy relief. An ace style bandage wrap, antiseptic wipes, and alcohol-based hand sanitizer were all obvious choices to me.

The items which weren't so obvious were still easy picks to my mind. There's a package of crafting Popsicle sticks to use for splinting, and as something to hold things open in a hygienic manner.

Tampons make a good wound packing material, since they are absorbent cotton and come in a individual packaging. The plastic applicator from those could also easily be used either for wound drainage, or for an emergency tracheotomy.

The small travel sewing kit has a wide variety of materials held within, which can be used for anything from holding bandages in place (the safety pins) or as an impromptu suturing kit. It also contains a small pair of scissors, which will ultimately help with the medical tape when using the gauze from the initial basic kit.

The final item from my brief spree at Dollar Tree was a roll of Duct Tape. It has far too many uses to start listing them here, unless I want Erin growling at me for the next 2 days.

Total spent at Dollar Tree was $14 plus tax, which around here meant $15.62 total.


My Money's Worth

At the end of the day, I managed to stay mostly in budget, mainly by fudging on the shipping costs from Wish.com since I was ordering for myself at the same time as for the challenge, and the shipping charges wouldn't have changed.

• Wal-Mart = $11.13
• Wish.com = $ 4.00
• Dollar Tree   = $15.62

Grand total = $30.75 due to taxes.

The Bottle Carrier Challenge

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

While in the process of repacking and slimming down my Get Home Bag, I had an idea for making a minimalist Bug Out Bag or GHB. To that end I have decided to issue a challenge to my fellow BCP authors in the style that Chaplain Tim did last with his $30 IFAK Challenge.

https://amzn.to/36625k6

The rules for The Bottle Carrier Challenge are quite simple:

1. If you do not own one already, acquire a bottle carrier similar to the above picture. The specifics are unimportant; all that matters is that it has a main compartment able to hold a 40oz / 1 liter bottle, a secondary "gadget" compartment of roughly 6"x4"x2", and have MOLLE straps on it. 
2. Declare what kind of emergency kit this will be: Bug Out, Get Home, First Aid, whatever you like so long as it's related to prepping. The idea here is to demonstrate that you don't specifically need a backpack to make a good emergency kit. It's obviously not a BOB, but it's sure better than nothing, and it's obviously portable.
3. Fill carrier with / attach to carrier prepping items for your stated emergency. You don't have to buy them new; you can use what you already have or borrow from a friend. But you must have the item for photographic purposes.
4. Don't get cute by attaching an obviously larger and heavier container to the carrier, like a full-scale backpack. The carrier itself must be portable in its own right. 
5. Take pictures of what goes where and, if necessary, explain your reasoning behind why you included certain items. 

I look forward to seeing what our esteemed authors do with this challenge! I will be posting my own results next week. 

The IFAK

One of the basic prepper tools is a first aid kit. "First aid" covers almost all medical treatment given before a medical professional is involved, so it's a vague term; for some people with limited training first aid is the box of bandages and hydrogen peroxide in the medicine cabinet, while others carry a bag full of supplies suitable for responding to major trauma. Wherever you fall in the spectrum between those two extremes, an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) should be on your list of preps. Ideally, an IFAK should always be within reach, but keeping it in a desk drawer or glove box is better than not having one at all.

Contents
The concept of an IFAK came from the military, so a lot of the “tactical” preppers think that is the only way to go. Giving a soldier the means to treat wounds before a medic could get to him increases that soldier's chances of survival, but we're not all soldiers. For those of us who don't spend our days in a combat zone, the contents of an IFAK will change according to our training, budget, and perceived threats. More on that later.

During WW2 first aid kits were large and carried by a medic, someone with limited medical training. The contents and use of that type of kit can be found here, and some of the treatments are outdated or illegal today. (Can you imagine having to explain Morphine injectors to a cop at a traffic stop?) Fast-forward to the current wars and combat operations, and every soldier carries his own first aid kit for use on himself or another soldier. The contents of current kits varies by branch, so I'll break them down that way.

Army

• Tourniquet, Combat Application
• Elastic bandage
• Gauze bandage, 4”x4”
• 2” surgical tape, 6' roll
• 4 exam gloves
• Nasopharyngeal airway

Air Force

• 2 Israeli bandages
• 2 Gauze bandages, 4.5” x 148”
• EMS shears
• Nasopharyngeal airway
• Surgical tape, 1”x 360”

USMC

• 2 Tourni-Kwik tourniquets
• 2 “H” compression bandages w/ 8”x10” pad
• 2 Gauze bandages, 4.5”x148”
• 5 Bandaids, 2”x4.5”
• 10 Bandaids 3/4”x3”
• 2 Triangular bandages 40”x40”x56”
• Waterproof tape, 2”x100”
• Burn dressing, Water-Jel, 4”x16”
• 8 Antibacterial ointment packets
• ½ oz bottle of Povidone-iodine solution
• 10 water purification tablets, Katadyn Micropur brand

As you can see, the various branches have tailored their kits to meet the injuries they expect to see with a few basics common to all three. Compression bandages are good at stopping bleeding from wounds, surgical tape is handy in a lot of ways, and gauze bandages have been used for at least a century on the battlefield. Consider this if you're trying to put together a kit of your own, or if you're modifying a kit, rather than buying a pre-packed kit: you want to have what you think you'll need and have the training to use. For example, the nasopharyngeal airways are tricky to use and come in a variety of sizes.

The $30 IFAK Challenge
I have challenged the other authors here to put together a cheap ($30) IFAK to see what each of us thinks is most important to have at hand on a daily basis, so expect to see a few articles about them in the near future. My build will be posted next week, since I wanted to get this bit of comparison/history written first.

Erin's $30 IFAK Challenge

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Last week Chaplain Tim challenged us to build an IFAK using only $30 and only using sources that anyone can find (like Walmart, Amazon, a Dollar Store, etc). Here's my submission, and let me tell you, I am not happy with it.

The main reason I'm not happy with it is because a decent tourniquet alone is going to cost $30 or more, and when I think IFAK I think "Infatryman's First Aid Kit" which to me means "bullet wound" which means "Needs a tourniquet."

With that objection noted, here's what I put together:

Adventure Medical Trauma Pak with Advanced Clotting Sponge

https://amzn.to/2m2JPU5

Contents:

• (1) QuikClot 25g Sponge (Zeolite)
• (1) 5” x 9” Trauma Pad
• (1) Pair Nitrile Gloves
• (1) Hand Wipe
• (1) 2” x 26” Duct Tape
• (1) Triangular Bandage
• (1) Package 4” x 4” Sterile Gauze Dressing, 2 dressings per package
• (1) Package 2” x 2” Sterile Gauze Dressing Pkg, 2 dressings per package
• (1) 3” Conforming Gauze Bandage
• (4) After Cuts & Scrapes Antiseptic Wipe (Lidocaine Hydrochloride, Benzalkonium Chloride)
• (1) Re-Sealable Bag for Bio-Waste and Sucking Chest Wounds

Reasoning: With a clotting sponge, trauma pad, gauze, and the ability to improvise a chest seal, this is most of what I think I'd need to handle any wound that I feel comfortable treating and is the core of my budget IFAK.

Cost: $18.93 with a $3.30 coupon, for a total of $15.60. ($14.40 remaining)


Israeli Bandage Battle Dressing First Aid Compression Bandage, 6 Inch 



Contents: (1) vacuum-sealed 6" wide dressing

Reasoning: The Israeli bandage acts as a primary dressing, pressure applicator, and secondary dressing all in one unit. Between it and the trauma pad + QuikClot combo above, I can treat multiple wounds or a through-and-through that is bleeding on both sides.

Cost: $8.89 with free shipping. ($5.51 remaining)


Ready America First Aid Pocket Kit, 33-Piece

http://readyamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/RA-CAT-2018-M4-P1-OL-FULL-PRINT.compressed.pdf

Contents: See picture, above.

Reasoning: This rounds out the IFAK with band-aids for booboos, pain killers and antibiotic ointment.

Cost: $3.97 and free shipping for Prime members (which I am) when buying this with other items totaling $25 or more (which I am, with the Adventure Medical Kit and Israeli Bandage -- apparently the $3.30 coupon doesn't count against the $25 total).


Total Cost to Me: $28.92

Addendum: Adding a Tourniquet

If I'm allowed to go over budget by just $16.97, I can add a Recon Medical TQ. The addition of a tourniquet would make me feel a lot better about this IFAK, because then I can treat arterial wounds and traumatic limb loss.

https://amzn.to/2KKpZfe

DISCLAIMER: I have no idea regarding the quality of the product. It looks a lot like the North American Rescue Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT) at half the price, but I don't know the design differences between the two brands or if this is a shoddy knockoff.

It does have a 5-star Amazon rating with over 1200 reviews and 87% of them giving it 5 stars. I recognize that this is not proof of quality, but that's a lot of anecdotal evidence by verified purchasers, many of whom claim to be in law enforcement, the military or fire/EMS. I would think that if it were junk, there would be far more negative reviews.

That said, I'd still purchase a CAT or a SOFTT-W over this one, simply because I know I can trust my life to them.

David's $30 IFAK Challenge

aka The Better Late than Never post, as I catch up with the rest of my co-bloggers!


Why a $30 Dollar Limit?

As Chaplain Tim said in his first aid kit post, we all have different levels of training and ideas on what's important in a kit. Also, this is Blue Collar Prepping, the place where we admit to being on budgets and are proud of it! Everyone has written and explained what is in their kits and the reasons behind those items. To duplicate what several folk have in their big kits would be well over $200, if not more! Here is what I bought.


Adventure Medical Kits Trauma Pak with Advanced Clotting Sponge

https://amzn.to/2m2JPU5

Yes, I know that Erin started with this same pak, but I deliberately did not read anyone's post, just so I would not be influenced by what the others purchased. This is just a coincidence (Really!).

I wanted something very small and lightweight to fit into my lunchbox, a hard sided 6-pack Igloo cooler. Since I do carry my lunch and the fixings are sometimes frozen, everything else has to be waterproof. This is a waterproof package and if it's opened, it is resealable.

What's in the kit?

• (1) QuikClot 25g Sponge (Zeolite)
• (1) 5” x 9” Trauma Pad
• (1) Pair Nitrile Gloves
• (1) Hand Wipe
• (1) 2” x 26” Duct Tape
• (1) Triangular Bandage
• (1) Package 4” x 4” Sterile Gauze Dressing, 2 dressings per package
• (1) Package 2” x 2” Sterile Gauze Dressing Pkg, 2 dressings per package
• (1) 3” Conforming Gauze Bandage
• (4) After Cuts & Scrapes Antiseptic Wipe (Lidocaine Hydrochloride, Benzalkonium Chloride)
• (1) Re-Sealable Bag for Bio-Waste and Sucking Chest Wounds

QuikClot Advanced Clotting Sponge, 25g 

https://amzn.to/2Ljj38g

I work around things that can fall, break, or are very sharp (like sheet metal( and can poke you (like fence wire). The Trauma Pak has this exact clotting sponge, but I chose to double up on them, in case I ever have to stop bleeding.

It's worth noting that Adventure Medical sells a 50g clotting sponge as well. It's too expensive to fit in my budget, but it's a great deal at twice the sponge for on 1.5 times the price.



PhysiciansCare by First Aid Only

I wanted to find a small pack of normal first aid items -- band-aids, cleaning wipes, and the like. These are what I normally need and use every week.  I have extras that will go into the box when the original pieces are used up.

The kit includes one antiseptic wipe, one sting relief wipe, two 2" x 2" gauze pads, five adhesive plastic bandages (3/4" x 3") and four junior plastic bandages.


How Did I Do?

I think I did quite well, thank you!

• The Adventure Medical Trauma Pack was $15.63
• Quick Clot Sponge was $10.49
• Small First Aid kit was $3.49

This totals up to $29.61, just under the $30 First Aid Kit Challenge target!

All of my shopping was done on Amazon, and several others have done quite well by brick and mortar shopping, so go and purchase what you need wherever you find it!


Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

Scott's $30 IFAK Challenge

When we the staff at BCP decided to try our hands at making a $30 emergency kit, I thought about the restrictions and, based on those, made an executive decision:

I would purchase everything from one physical storefront, traveling to and from it by foot or by bicycle.

I figure that there are plenty of other reviewers who will order things online, and plenty who will take time to carefully cultivate a specific list of what is needed. I, on the other hand, showed up at the store, and could only purchase what was physically available in a single visit.

• The first thing I looked for was something to carry things in. I found a small laundry hamper (about 1.2 cubic feet) with comfortable handles and holes in the sides. This gave me a large enough container to hold everything, and has plenty of spots to which I could tie things. 
• I then purchased a four-foot three-prong extension cord, and have since braided it into a comfortable handle. In a pinch, it will still serve as an extension cord.
• I bought a binder pouch and put into it super glue, band aids, nitrite gloves, electrical tape, allergy pills, acetaminophen (paracetamol) and antibiotic gel. I figure that this is the core of my first aid kit. 
• I also had bandages and rubbing alcohol, but those did not fit into the binder pouch. 
• If I were to assemble this kit without the restrictions I put on myself, I would purchase proper medical tape of some sort.
• I made sure to buy a razor knife (to cut things accurately) and some feminine napkins (in case of a major spill of some sort). 
• I figured that being able to start a fire is important in an emergency, so I got a lighter and sparklers. Sparklers are not as useful for starting a fire, but they will stay lit in damp conditions, and along with the rubbing alcohol above they will make it easier to get recalcitrant tinder started. 
• I put in a flashlight and spare AAA batteries. It is surprisingly bright, and LED flashlights have come a long way. 
• Complimenting the light are a mylar blanket and emergency poncho in case of foul weather.
• I decided to purchase some cotton string and a four-pack of glow sticks, so that I would have a method to mark off areas and possibly even signal for help.
• At the end of my shopping trip, I had room in the budget for some one-liter water bottles and granola bars. 

Total cost: $28.66 including tax.

This should give me an inexpensive, light, portable kit that I can keep in the back of a car, on my shelf, or even strapped onto the back of a BoB. This is affordable for a college student, someone on a fixed income, or even someone who wants to start prepping and is not sure how to start. I figure this makes it a fairly accessible item.

Notes

• If I had spent more time on this, I would have gone to another dollar store and gotten one of the cheap “back to school” backpacks they have in stock, or even a duffel bag. 
• I also would have made sure to put in a suture kit and a tourniquet, but given the limitations of what I had on hand, I feel I did pretty well.

Don’t forget to practice.

TDS $30 IFAK Challenge

Thirty dollars.
Thirty minutes.
One shopping trip.
One dollar store.

TDS $30 IFAK Challenge, Pt 2

A follow-up to last week's video, where I show you what is packed where and why.

TDS $30 IFAK Challenge, Pt 3

I demonstrate how to make a tourniquet with a bandanna and sharpie.

TDS $30 IFAK Challenge, Part 4

This week, I demonstrate how to make a chest seal.

Tim's $30 IFAK Challenge

This is my take on an inexpensive IFAK. You may notice that each of us have slightly different choices in our kits; this is because we all have differing levels of training and
we carry what we know how to use.


The Bag to Hold It All

I found a soft-sided cooler designed to carry six cans of beverage (with ice) that has a zippered compartment in the “lid”. The larger supplies fit into the waterproof base easily, and the smaller pieces don't quite fill the zippered compartment. There is room to add to this kit, which will probably happen after I finish writing this article. It has a carry handle on top and it's small enough to fit behind, or under, the seat of my truck. It looks like a lunch box and won't draw the extra attention that a large red cross would.

Bandages and Gauze

Gauze squares (pads) are used to clean wounds and absorb blood. They're what you grab when you need to put pressure on a wound to stop the bleeding. I bought the most common sizes, 2”x2” and 3”x3”. The boxes contained 10 of each, for $1.00 and $1.99 respectively.

Non-stick pads are used to cover a wound once the bleeding has stopped. They will protect the wound from debris and dirt and most will absorb any minor bleeding or other seepage from a wound. The 3”x4” size will cover small to medium sized wounds. $2.19.

Rolled gauze is used to secure the pads in place once the bleeding has stopped, as well as general binding together of things like splints and slings. 3”x 2.5Yd roll, $1.00.

Adhesive bandages (Band-Aid is a brand name, but that's what most people call them) are handy for covering small cuts and wounds. I bought two boxes, one of clear waterproof standard bandages in two sizes (3/4” and 1” wide) and one of knuckle and fingertip bandages. $2.19 per box.

Bandannas because I couldn't find triangular bandages, which have been a staple in my first aid kits for as long as I can remember. These 20”x20” bandannas will work if folded in half (they're thin, so folding them is best) as slings, bindings, emergency head cover, water pre-filters, and a host of other uses. I put two of them in the top compartment. $1.00 each.


Other Supplies

Vinyl gloves. Take a class on blood-borne pathogens and you'll keep gloves in every kit you own. I choose vinyl or nitrile gloves because I have too many friends who are sensitive to natural latex. These one-size-fits-most vinyl gloves were in the hardware aisle, near the paint supplies. 8 gloves, so 4 pair for $1.00.

Tape. I found several types of tape for about the same price, but I chose the clear “surgical” tape. It tears easily enough that you don't need scissors while still being strong enough to hold bandages together or to skin. The adhesive is fairly waterproof and holds up to minor stretching and motion on joints. 1”x10 Yd roll, $1.59.

Self-sticking tape. The common brand name is Coban, which is a 3M trademark. Make sure you look at the packaging and buy the latex-free versions. This is the duct tape of a first aid kit, it sticks to itself but not to skin or hair, and is stronger than you would expect. Handy for general binding and securing bandages, it comes in a variety of colors and sizes. I chose a generic brand 3” x 4 Yd roll because it fit nicely in the bag. $2.99.

Hand sanitizer. I found a one ounce bottle of Purell, which is gelled alcohol. It has an indefinate shelf-life and will disinfect wounds just as well as it does hands. It's also a handy fire starting aid, but that's not strictly first-aid related. $1.00.

Super glue. Generic super glue works wonders for closing small cuts. It stings a bit, but if applied over the top of a cut that is being held closed, it bonds the skin almost immediately (if you've ever glued your fingers together, you know how fast it sets). 2 tiny tubes for $1.00.

Emergency blanket. One of the cheap “Space blankets” found in the camping supplies aisle. This one wasn't as cheap as some I've bought, but they're all aluminum-covered Mylar and they all do the same job. Reflecting up to 80% of body heat, these little blankets are useful for treating and preventing shock. $1.99.

Flashlight. I have more flashlights than I know what to do with, but I always keep one in my first aid kit. Checking pupil dilation requires a light source (training required) and I have often needed extra light when trying to find or treat an injury. This one is a throw-away LED light, I can replace it easily and it is stored with the batteries out of the light. $1.00.

Everything laid out... 

.. and when packed in the bag

Things Which Eluded Me

I was unable to find a pair of EMT shears in either of the dollar stores that I shopped at, but I have spares so one will go into the kit. EMT shears are right up there with rolled gauze and triangular bandages in utility. There's not much you can't cut with them, as I used to show the Cub Scouts by cutting pennies in half. They make short work of seat belts, clothing, and light metal, and the rounded nose keeps you from inflicting damage (most of the time). They can be found on Amazon or picked up at an actual pharmacy/health care supply store for a few dollars.

Tourniquets are a specialty item, so I didn't expect to find them in a dollar store. Give me a stick and one of the bandannas and I'll make a field-expedient tourniquet. I can think of several ways to make one, so the lack of one doesn't bother me as much as some (tactical) folks think it should. 

With the recent (2016) changes in CPR training, they now emphasize rapid compressions and breathing is secondary, I'm finding it harder to locate CPR shields to protect the aid-giver from contact with potentially dangerous bodily fluids. I can get them online, so they're on my shopping list. Get CPR training through the Red Cross or American Heart Association, it's cheap and a lot of businesses will pay for their employees' training.


Total

Supplies totaled up to $23.13, but the bag was $8.00 and that puts me at $31.13, slightly over the $30 limit. 

To remedy this, I also picked up a plastic container with a latching lid. Made of hard plastic and thinner than the bag, the 11”x”x6”x2” box held everything once I got rid of all the extra packaging. It only cost $2.75, dropping my total to $25.88.

I think I'll stick with the bag for convenience, durability, and the extra room to add to the kit later.

Stop the Bleed

We recently had several posts concerning a challenge issued among all the writers to produce an IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) on a strict budget of $30. One thing that was rather common among all those articles is that they are tailored to the skill, training, and comfort levels of the individual writers. This was expected, since we all try very hard to write what we know.

We had some equipment that was fairly common among all of us, and things like bandages and gauze were, in fact, pretty universal. My personal kit is very trauma oriented - not just the standard scrapes and bruises that most contend with, but treating serious wounds, burns, broken bones, and life threatening situations.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not medical personnel, though I have taken courses over the years on doing First Responder duties, helping with triage, giving CPR, and basic first aid.  I'm no expert, but I'm not completely in the dark either.

I recently had an opportunity to take a free course in how to control bleeding from a traumatic injury until emergency services can get there to tend to the injured person. 80-90 % of traumatic injury deaths happen because a person bleeds out before they can get to the hospital to be treated by medical professionals. This course, called "Stop the Bleed", was developed by the American College of Surgeons in conjunction with The Committee on Trauma.  Information on the classes can be found at BleedingControl.org. Their site can give you information on the purpose of the courses, the basic content, and where the courses can be taken.

The course is aimed at non-medical personnel and teaches them to be able to quickly respond to a situation while waiting for medical help to arrive. However, I was amused to find that I was the only non-medically trained person in the course when I took it! I'm not joking, I was the only person in class who wasn't a nurse, EMT, LEO, or medical student. Oddly enough, I was also the person in the class who carries the most comprehensive first aid kit, and the only one who carries that kit every where they go.

Don't think that traumatic injury can only happen in SHTF situations, though.  Life threatening bleeding injuries can happen under any number of circumstances, ranging from auto accidents to kitchen knife slips to natural disasters like a tornado throwing debris around. And of course, for those who prefer to be prepared for the potential ugliness of life, there are always things like lunatics bent on mass murder in a public setting, school shootings, gang violence, home invasion, and robbery at work to think about as potentials for traumatic injury.

Knowing how to stop, or at least seriously slow down, the bleeding from an ugly wound could mean the literal difference between life and death for you or a family member or friend.  Knowing how and when and where to use that tourniquet you bought, or whether its better to pack gauze into a wound or use the QuikClot you purchased, might make all the difference to someone. 

Take the time. Learn to use the equipment you have, and under which circumstances to use that equipment. Take a course designed to give you that knowledge (even if you aren't a medical professional) and you'll feel much more confident that you can handle any situation you happen to find yourself coming up against.