First Aid Kit, 10 Person

First Aid Kit, 10 Person Medical Module 069 is the mandated minimum first aid provision for cadet range activities. Getting hold of these bags can be difficult, and many units simply use a standard 10 person first aid kit, however a civilian bought bag will most likely not have some of the equipment necessary. The purpose of this article is to describe the contents of the module 069 kit and, for those of you who may be First Aid at Work qualified and unfamiliar with some enhanced equipment, to teach you how to use it effectively.

It’s important to note that this list is subject to change by the MOD, and the items I have chosen to include may be a different style or manufacturer to the ones issued, but the ones below meet the specification required.

Kit Contents

Use of specialist items

There are three main items in this first aid kit that are unlikely to be in a standard civilian 10 person kit. These are the hand burn dressing bag, the emergency bandage and a tourniquet. I’ll go through each one of these, explain their reason for being in the module, and then how to use them.

Hand burn dressing bag

In standard first aid, the treatment for burns (non-chemical) is to hold the affected part under running water for 10 minutes, then dress with a link-free dressing. Advice also includes loose wrapping of cling film around the limb. A hand burn bag is a more suitable alternative to cling film. With an adhesive strap closure around the wrist, the bag serves two purposes:

1. Protects the exposed tissue from further contamination.
2. By covering potentially exposed nerve endings from moving air, we drastically remove the pain the casualty will be in.

Why do we need them?

Conducting military training has a number of hazards associated with it, all that come with the risk of burns. I have included a short hazard and risk appraisal, all of which an existing control measure would be “first aid trained person equipped with a medical module 069 first aid kit.”

How to use

1. Run the wound under water for 10 minutes.
2. Open the sterile packet and remove the burn bag.
3. Insert the hand into the bag, expose the self-adhesive strap around the wrist and seal.
4. Elevate the injured had to reduce swelling, possibly apply an elevation sling to support the hand.

Emergency Care Bandage (ECB)

These bandages comprise a bandage and a wound dressing pad. They are sometimes referred to as a field dressing, but in reality are more technical than a traditional field dressing.

Why do we need them?

Because of the increased risk of serious trauma when working on military ranges and exercise areas. Primarily in the event of a gunshot wound due to a range incident, the large Emergency Care Bandage provides the absorption and pressure not found with standard dressings in a civilian first aid kit.

How to use the ECB

• Open the sterile, compressed packet and discard.
• Open bandage sterile pad without touching or contaminating it
• Place the pad onto the wound applying pressure. The dressing should be placed directly onto the skin unless it’s not possible to remove clothing. Hold the elasticated bandage in one hand to stop it dropping to the floor.
• Wrap elasticised bandage around the pad and limb covering all the pad and applying pressure.
• Once dressing is complete secure with the closure bar.
• Dressing should be placed directly onto the skin unless clothing is adhered and will cause unnecessary trauma to remove.

Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T)

The use of tourniquets has come in and out of favour in civilian first aid, but in recent years following the number of terrorist incidents resulting in large scale catastrophic bleeds due to trauma, they are being introduced again. A tourniquet should only be used when there is a catastrophic haemorrhage, to the extent where if no intervention is carried out the casualty will die within minutes. The issued tourniquet of choice is the Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T), an effective device that can be self applied as well as using on others.

During the lesson on the advanced primary survey, I talked about catastrophic haemorrhage and the quick treatment needed to prevent death. The tourniquet was that treatment.

Why do we need them?

It is highly unlikely that we will undertake cadet activities in such a manner that would result in a tourniquet being required, however; when we need them, we really need them. And it’s your responsibility to know how to use them effectively. Injuries resulting in a catastrophic bleed as a result of cadet activities could include:

• Gunshot wound as a result of an ammunition accident or incident.
• Vehicle collision resulting in lower limb injury or traumatic amputation.
• Accident involving disused or historic ordnance on a military range or training area.

It is important to note that I have not yet heard of any incident during cadet training that has been this serious, mainly due to the control measures that are in place to prevent it. However we practice these skills so we hopefully don’t have to use them.

How to use the CAT

The CAT tourniquet comes in a plastic wrapper. It is a good idea to keep it in this wrapper until needed, mainly to stop dust and dirt getting into the velcro and reducing the effectiveness. However, if your equipment is stored and carried in a sealed first aid bag, then you should take it out and prepare it for use.

1. Open the rod securing strap, and remove the windlass rod from the rod locking clip.
2. If you are going to wrap the tourniquet around a limb, remove the strap from the buckle.
3. If you can slide the tourniquet over the limb, you can feed the strap end through the friction buckle.

1. Once around the limb, put the strap through the friction buckle (if not already done) and pull the strap tight, securing the velcro strap to stop it coming undone.
2. With both hands (or one if self applying) start to wind the windlass. You will need to do complete turns. Once the bright red blood has stopped flowing (you will most likely still get some venous bleed), secure the end of the windlass in the rod locking clip and fasten the rod securing strap over the top.
3. Using a permanent marker, write the time the tourniquet was applied (24 hour clock) on the rod securing strap.

Summary

The 10 person first aid kit, module 069 is the mandated kit for range activities, however it is not always possible to get one. The additional items to deal with trauma in this kit mean that it is not just a replacement for a workplace 10 person kit.

It also contains items that you may be unfamiliar with, but items that in the event of an emergency, you will need to be able to use quickly and efficiently in order to preserve live.

It is therefore important to make sure you have the right equipment and are trained and practiced in using it.