Although dedicated medical equipment is always preferred, if the only thing that is going to keep someone from dying is a creative solution, you better get creative. Using everyday items, including a Zebra F-701 pen, we complete an improvised surgical …
It’s always better to have proven, dedicated medical equipment in an emergency. But when you don’t, you improvise.
At some point in your life, you will be someplace where you simply won’t have dedicated equipment available. In Army Special Forces, there is a PACE mnemonic used in planning: What’s the Primary plan? The Alternate plan? The Contingency plan? The Emergency plan? The Emergency Plan is sometimes referred to as the “Everything went to shit plan.”
If you have a fire in your house, it’s best to use a fire extinguisher to attempt to put it out while waiting for the fire department. However, you’ll settle for a bucket of water if you have to, rather than standing back watching the fire get out of control and potentially burn down your house.
Improvised techniques can save lives. The more you begin to see improvised equipment in your everyday surroundings, the quicker you’ll be able to respond and save a life without dedicated equipment.
The techniques posted here have some evidence and proof of concept to support their use in an emergency when better materials simply aren’t available.
Kneeling on the casualty’s groin for distal hemorrhage control When I was in the Special Forces Medical Sergeants course a very long time ago, I was taught a stopgap measure…
Never underestimate the power of an improvised litter to make moving casualties easier. This technique works best in residential structures because in many commercial buildings, the carpet is not “wall…
Moving casualties is always hard. Use a tool whenever possible. Even a folding chair makes it easier to carry casualties quickly and over distance. Humans are hard to carry. They do not fit into our hands well like a barbell …
In our race to use tourniquets for controlling hemorrhage, we often lose sight of the value of good direct pressure as a hemorrhage control technique. Proven commercially available tourniquets are almost always going to be better options for controlling significant …
It’s challenging to creatively free think under stress. Plan on using chairs to evacuate casualties. With rolling chairs, you can really move out. See more improvised techniques in our articles archive.