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.