SKEDCO

I mentioned earlier that I would be highlighting some gear from SKEDCO that I felt was worthy of a more in depth look. FYI, the link takes you directly to the SKEDCO military sales page, not just the generic home page.

The items that have caught my attention are:

The Field Expedient Bleeding Simulation System (FEBSS)
Knife, Extreme Medicine®/Rescue
Combat I.V. Pak™ 500cc
SKEDCO, KIT, COMBAT CASEVAC, SOF MOBILITY
SKEDCO WarFighter Utility Knife

The knives I plan on discussing in a larger post about the various knives and rescue hooks that a Combat Medic should probably focus on. The evac kit requires a little more investigation. I'd like to be able to compare it to the WALK from NARP.

The FEBSS looks interesting and definately is in need of it's own post. And the Combat IV Pak looks like and overpriced infuser. But I'm willing to try anything that makes my job easier.

So all that aside, Basically I'm saying that I'm not going to discuss these particular pieces of equipment in any detail right now. What I do want to talk about is the classic SKED. I mentioned in the earlier post that everyone hates it. It's versatile, it's somewhat easy to put together, and it's easy to move. But, it's a pain to carry around and makes you curse God trying to put it away. Well, throughout the course of my career, I've grown to actually appreciate what it can be used for. For one, it is easily the most versatile litter in the Army's inventory. Also, it gives one man the capability to evac a Soldier. I guess what I'm saying is that next time you're preparing for a CLS Class, take a minute and actually break out the instructions on the SKED and learn how to use it in its various incarnations. It really is a good learning experience.

If anyone has any experience with the aforementioned equipment, please leave a comment. Also, in the future, I plan on writing a post on my personal TTP's and whatnot, so if you have anything to add in that vein, leave a comment. Like I said, I'm always looking for new ways to do stuff.

I'm Back

Mostly I've been lazy, but also I haven't had a whole lot of new equipment to talk about. I am still in Iraq, with a MTT Team, and find myself with more time so I can stop neglecting this project.

As has been noticed, I'm sure, I really like North American Rescue Products. It's good quality stuff, and packaged well to make them easy to use, and a lifesaver when speed is essential. Plus, they have a lot of NSN's making it east to order them. One company we overlook, though, is SKEDCO. We all hate the SKED. Yeah it works and it's versatile, but carrying it is a bitch. Recently, I've started visiting the site though and looking at their other gear. So hopefully, in the next few days, I can provide some product reviews.

Also, I've worked out a good dismount rig for a medic. I posted a few months ago about the awesomeness of the M9 Aid Aid Bag. Unfortunately, it's not an easy piece of equipment to get ahold of. Then it hit me one day: an IFAK has everything I need to treat one casualty. So how do I get a few of those on me, with all the ammo and other stuff.

I acquired a drop leg panel, usually used for more ammo or a dump pouch. I attached 2 IFAKs to it and modified those a bit. The normal IFAK doesn't come with a 14g needle for Needle Decompression. I added that and replaced the compressed gauze with QuikClot's Combat Gauze, and added a Hyfin Chest Dressing. So that's two on my body (not including mine) and then I threw 2 more in my MULE Camelbak and there you go. A lightweight way to carry enough gear to treat 4 casualties on the ground.