Mass Casualty Trauma Kit, by Thomas Christianson

Recently, the Safety and Security Team of my church had the opportunity to evaluate the Mass Casualty Trauma Kit assembled by Mountain Man Medical, of Colorado. Overall, the Team found the kit to be a quality item. The kit was smaller than the team initially expected based upon the “mass casualty” label. Further research revealed that the kit is designed to be used in tandem with a number of other kits, based upon the peak occupancy of the facility being supplied.

With excellent components and a price of $219.99 the Mass Casualty Trauma Kit offers good value for the money.

The Backstory

Our church started a Safety and Security Team about nine years ago. Our insurance company pointed out that violent attacks on churches were increasing in frequency, and suggested that we might like to take some steps to mitigate that risk.

Statistically speaking, our Safety and Security Team is much more likely to be called upon for a medical emergency than for an episode of violence. This means it is expedient for the majority of the Team’s training to involve responding properly to medical emergencies.

Up to now, our church first aid kits have been well supplied with Band-Aids, and not much else. In a sense, that was appropriate, because the majority of the first aid situations that we have faced over the years involved Band-Aid-level incidents. But the Safety and Security Team wanted to be prepared and equipped to respond to a more serious emergency if one should arise.

As a result, the Team was excited when they got word recently that they might be able to test a Mass Casualty Trauma Kit from Mountain Man Medical. They eagerly accepted the offer, and shortly thereafter, a package was delivered via UPS Ground.

The Description

According to Mountain Man Medical, “The Mass Casualty Trauma Kit is designed to be a self-contained bag that can treat 2-6 critically injured people during a mass casualty incident.”

They comment further, “During a mass casualty incident, you may have a large number of injured parties in varying parts of your facility. Instead of stocking a single large backpack style bag with medical trauma components, we recommend smaller self-contained pouches (like the Mass Casualty Trauma Kit) which can be distributed to trained individuals and taken simultaneously to the injured parties.”

 

They recommend stocking as many of the kits as are needed based upon the facility’s peak occupancy, with roughly one kit for every 50 people up to 200, with an additional kit for every 100 people thereafter.

Contents

The kit includes two TacMed SOF-T Tourniquets, two Dynarex 4″ “Israeli Style” High-Pressure Dressings, four pair of Blue Nitrile Gloves, one pair of Compact Trauma Shears, two North American Rescue Hyfin Compact Twin Pack Chest Seals, one Mini Black Permanent Marker, one Synarex Emergency Rescue Blanket, two Pre-Lubricated Combat Medical NPAs, two ChitoGauze 3″X4 yard PRO Hemostatic Dressings, two Dynarex 4 yardX2″ Rolled Gauze, one Dynarex Triangle Bandage, and two CPR Face Shields.

These items are contained within an Osprey Molle Pouch and weigh a total of two pounds, two ounces.

Opening the Box

The kit was smaller than I initially expected, arriving in a box that was just 8″X6.25″X6″. The whole kit can be carried on a belt.

The space inside the kit seemed to be used extremely well, with high-quality components.

I immediately turned the kit over to the Safety and Security Team for evaluation.

Thoughts from the Team

Our first evaluator was “State Trooper”, who is exactly what his name implies as well as a former EMT. State Trooper shared the following reflections:

Overall, decent equipment. At the end of the day, each piece of equipment matters and needs to be reliable. Always like to see quality brands like North American Rescue utilized. To me, this is more of an IFAK (individual first aid kit) or personal trauma kit. In an IFAK, you want a chest seal, tourniquet, combat gauze, and pressure bandage for each person. This kit has two of each. Would like to see it be a little bigger, with a few more of each item, to truly be a “mass casualty” kit. Overall, quality kit, just a little small.

“Rock”, the head of the Safety and Security Team, also shared some thoughts:

The soft side enclosure offers ample room for all of the needed components.

The kit contains everything needed for a small mass casualty situation.

The components are easily identifiable, with large writing and color-coded labeling.

The inclusion of adhesive tape in the kit would be helpful.

After familiarizing themselves with the kit, the Team deployed it next to the AED in our church narthex. They hope to secure additional first aid supplies in the coming days.

About Mountain Man Medical

Mountain Man Medical operates on four core principles:

  1. Training and Skills Trump Gear. Having the right gear matters, but knowing what to do with it matters more. As a result, they provide free video training to accompany each of their trauma kits.
  2. Proven and Tested. As they consider which products to manufacture or stock, the key question is, “Is it proven and tested?” Based upon a wealth of experience from both in-house and external experts, they offer only products with a well-established track record.
  3. We Don’t Need to Reinvent the Wheel. They believe in sourcing and providing existing, name-brand, proven products from US companies that have a track record of reliability and quality.
  4. Affordability Matters. They endeavor to make their kits the most affordable on the market while still including the most proven name-brand components. They back this up with a standing price match guarantee: Find any competing trauma kit for sale that has the same or comparable components for less, and they will match the price.
The Price Check

Mountain Man Medical claims that all of their kits cost less than the combined retail value of the included components, so that it is less expensive to buy an assembled kit than it is to assemble your own.

I tested this claim by seeking out the best deal on the various components of the kit that I could find online, and then adding together the prices of the individual items. The total cost of the individual items purchased separately would indeed come out to more than the cost of the Mass Casualty Trauma Kit. Mountain Man Medical’s claim was substantiated.

Videos

I also took the time to evaluate a number of the training videos produced by Mountain Man Medical. I found the videos to be very helpful. Many of the members of our Safety and Security Team are trained professionals. I am not. The videos helped prepare me to better employ the contents of the Mass Casualty Trauma Kit if I should be called upon to do so.

The Development of First Aid

One of the earliest literary references to first aid is in 2 Chronicles 28:15. The army of Israel had taken into captivity 200,000 women and children from the Kingdom of Judah. After the Army of Israel was confronted about this evil deed by the Prophet Oded, they appointed people to care for the captives, feed and clothe them, render first aid to the wounded, and return them to the land of Judah.

Jesus Himself refers to first aid in the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:15-37. A traveler who had been attacked by robbers had his wounds treated by a kind passerby prior to being taken to a local inn for further care.

It was primarily in the context of violence that the earliest developments in first aid continued. Armies noticed that basic treatment given immediately on the battlefield would often save more lives than more sophisticated treatment given later in a field hospital.

Subsequent experience has shown that simple immediate steps to protect an injured party’s airway, breathing and circulation can do much to preserve their life until they can receive more extensive, professional treatment.

Conclusions

The name “Mass Casualty Trauma Kit” initially caused our Team to experience some unfulfilled expectations. This is because we did not understand the rationale behind the design of the kit. The kit is designed to be used in tandem with a number of other smaller kits to allow the kits to be deployed in a number of separate locations throughout a facility.

 

 

The kit has excellent components, and is reasonably priced in relation to its contents. If a Safety and Security Team purchases an appropriate number of kits in relation to the peak occupancy of the facility that they are trying to serve, the Mountain Man Medical Mass Casualty Trauma Kit should provide excellent first aid resources for trained individuals to use in the event of even a large scale medical emergency.

Disclaimer

Mountain Man Medical was kind enough to provide one of their Mass Casualty Trauma Kits for testing and evaluation by the Safety and Security Team of our church. I feel that our Team did a good job of providing an objective evaluation of the kit. I did not receive any other financial or other inducements to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.