As a member of the tactical response team, your medical kit can be challenging to put together. Nevertheless, your equipment plays a vital role in how you respond to different situations. If your EMS supplies are too many, the strain on your body can also affect how well you respond to the emergency.

What to Include in Your Tactical Medical Kit

Naturally, you must have enough supplies and equipment to stabilize an injured person in a critical position within the tactical environment. Every tactical medical kit must include the following:

• Patient assessment tools to visualize and evaluate vital functions. E.g., thermometer, micropulse oximeter, stethoscope, and blood pressure cuff.
• Airway/breathing stabilization tools such as collapsible bag valve mask, chest decompression supplies, airway control devices, and basic airway stabilization/protection.
• Trauma supplies for sealing off penetrating trauma or bleeding. E.g., regular dressings, bandage wraps, hemostatic dressing, open chest injury seals, and tourniquets.
• Routine wound treatment tools for minor blisters, trauma, and skincare, including tweezers, Band-Aids, wound/eye irritation supplies, and forceps.
• Patient protection equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves, and eye protection.

Other specialty medical equipment you might need include:

• Ortho/sports medicine tools for orthopedic injuries, which are common in SWAT operations and training. E.g., include cold packs and compression wraps. You may need a background in orthopedic injuries or sports medicine to use the equipment. 
• Patient transport systems like a “door pack,” which includes a collapsible/roll-up stretcher.

There are occasions when ALS/prescription drugs might be carried, but it is a no-go zone for many teams. However, any medic authorized by a medical doctor may also be authorized as an ALS provider. In such instances, they can carry first-line ACLS drugs as well as aspirin, albuterol, and many more. 

Individual First-Aid Kits

Besides carrying the medical equipment for the operational environment, every member must carry their First Aid Kit on their vest, and it should be accessible by hand. Such equipment may include PPE, trauma scissors, hemostatic dressing, chest decompression kits, small pocket masks, personal care kits, etc. 

Having the right equipment in your tactical medical kit can be highly valuable in an operational environment riddled with stress and tension. Find all of the EMS supplies you need for your kit at Coast Biomedical.