By: Georges Tabet
One of the most important pieces of equipment that any protective agent carries, whether he/she is operating in the hostile environments of Iraq or Afghanistan or providing a low profile entertainment protection detail in the United States is an individual aid kit, or better known to most operators as a “Blow Out Bag”.
A blow out bag for those not familiar with this term is nothing more than a small personalized aid bag that an operator/protection agent carries on their person while working in the field. The blow out bag should contain various pieces of medical aid items that reflect the needs of that specific protective agent as well as the environment and threats that may be encountered.
Keep in mind that the kit you put together should contain the basic items you need to treat common traumas (airway, bleeding, shock, burns). The purpose of the blow out kit is not to heal a wound; it is meant to keep you alive and in the fight until you are able to be MEDEVACED to a location that has the advanced medical facilities needed to properly care for your injuries.
In the summer of 2006 while assigned to A PSD Team operating in Iraq, I carried in my personal blow out kit the following items;
1. Two ratchet-strap tourniquets. (In Iraq it was not uncommon to have multiple injuries that may require the use of an additional tourniquet.)
