At this time my department does not support wearing much in the way of medical gear on duty belts. No TQ’s, shears/raptors. Does anyone else carry a medical kit behind their trauma plate on a concealed vest? I can fit a chest seal,Cellox powder, a SWAT-t or a RATS and cheap shears (somewhat awkwardly). Have I lost my mind or is this worth doing/encouraging with your fellow officers? We wear elbecco zippered shirts and the trauma plate is Velcro closed to remove from the pouch. Please share your thoughts.

Why the resistance to duty belt holsters?

I know some guys who secure their tourniquet under the strap of their vest.

I keep my combat gauze in my shirt pocket.

Not sure old school I guess.

Would this work?
https://www.tacmedsolutions.com/TacMed-Uniformed-Medical-Kit-2nd-Generation

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Another option would be on the ankle, https://www.rykernylongear.com/

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Best placement of med gear IMO-

1.  Belt, up front where you can reach it with both hands for TQ and blowout pouch with dressings and whatnot somewhere on the belt.

2.  Pocket, preferably a cargo pocket assuming small kit.

3.  Ankles...this sucks but it works.  You can put a small TQ and an Izzie, maybe some flat tape.

4.  Concealable vest- you can buy a thin pouch that velcro's to the front but it makes you look fat and odd shaped IMO

5.  Off body- This sucks and is useless for self aid.  Primary med gear to stop blood loss must be on your person.  Secondary gear can be in the car.

Bottom line...carry that gear on your belt.  Make them put it in writing that you can't.  Make them sign it in blue pen and put it in your CYA file.

I  thank you all. The ankle kit is interesting as it seems to have more options than what I have seen online. I have seen the chest carrier, while more organized it seemed bulkier than tucking the above mentioned with a rats or swat-t tq in the trauma plate pouch. Anyone actually deploying this way what are your thoughts?

Also no cargo pockets in the dept. slick leg all the way.

Came across this awhile ago: https://www.phokusresearch.com/collections/medical/products/deployment-trauma-kit-2

I personally think it's impractical (maybe even more so in a concealed vest), but better than nothing if you're not allowed to carry on your belt.

Other option would be making your own kit, vacuum sealing it and keeping it in your BDU pocket.

I used the first generation of This for several years.  It worked for a RATS/celox/ small Israeli.

Still carrying revolvers too?

Rapidly accessible tourniquets are one of the most mission critical pieces of gear you can carry. In addition to my PD job, I spent a couple years teaching tactical medical skills for the DoD and I now have my own business teaching bleeding control and doing consulting for corporate and public sector clients.

Rats and swat-ts should not be your plan for self aid.

PM me if you need more info or guidance on how to get your department up to speed on why this is so important.

Is that to use on someone else? Or for self-aid? Because carrying med equipment where it's most likely to have holes poked in it if something happens seems...

No idea.  I know of it and it fit what the OP was looking for so I posted a link to it.  I do own the AFAK that I posted about and have found it is the best design out there for AFACKs.

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Blue force gear makes a nice kit that fits right at the small of your back.

If they still fight you about it, do what the other poster suggested and get it in writing.  Make sure you have a folder with CYA paperwork for your next of kin to use in a lawsuit.

we issue these. Throw a set of shears (if you need em) under your strap of your vest. I also carry a cat in one of my pants cargo pockets and an extra one under a strap of my concealable vest.

trauma plate kit

I also carry a small but more indepth kit on my duty bag when I'm not in the office.

J-

That's where I carry all my stuff. I've always been concerned about the fact if I need that stuff, they are probably shooting center mass, too, and so I don't want a chest seal with a new hole in it...

Your dept “does not support” basic first aid in saving yourself/fellow officers? Can you elaborate on why that is? Awful policy, IMO.

Anyway, I’m not a big fan of the kits on the ankle. If you take a round in the abdomen, femur, etc, that kit may be difficult to get to. Think about how easily it can be to bend with a vest/belt on, now try it after taking a round. Or how easily it can be grabbed while seated in a car.

That being said, my dept has been forward in their IFAK issuance/policies. I carry a SOF-T Wide and Hemostatic gauze in this. . Worn as close to 12 o clock as my belt allows. Ambidextrous accessibility , in any position, and most of the guys carry it in the same spot. (Remember in buddy aid, your going to there belt, not yours.) Chest seals go behind my rifle plate in my vest. I leave a cuff key in that pouch, to break the Velcro a bit easier if I’m in a rush. I have an EMS radio pouch, which has my pressure bandage, nitrile gloves (Blue in color, not black), and trauma sheers. Another TQ in my left cargo pocket as well.

It’s a personal decision, but what would be the penalties of carrying that on your belt? My ability to save my life/life of my teammates is more important than what my dept says i can have on my belt. YMMV.

That said, stay away from the Rats TQ. Difficult to use correctly, and do not have the same capabilities as a SOF-T or a CAT. CATs are not great in my opinion due to having to thread the Velcro end through the buckle. The SOF-T has a metal clip to make it easier to don on a leg. Bending after a femur shot is not something i want to think about (also why I’m against wearing the kit on your ankle),  and the SOF-Ts buckle is quick and easy to get that done.

Most importantly, practice with what you have. All the Equiptment in the world won’t help you if you cannot deploy it rapidly, and correctly.

Just my $.02. What works for me, may not for you.

I keep a med kit on my plate carrier.  Medical supplies in a bail out bag which goes in the trunk, and a TQ in my cargo pocket.

I would start requesting policy changes in writing. There are probably hundreds of police reports, news articles, and even you tube videos to reference. Heck while on patrol ask citizens what they would think of officers carrying minimal first aid stuff on their person, as they will often enough benefit from this, and use that info.

If you can't deal with the ankle kit, secure your wallet in the squad car and put a tourniquet in your pocket, having it in general is more important than it being in the best spot.

If the department is solely concerned with the image, look for leather gear pouches that can fit a tourniquet or pressure bandage and still look shiny. Think double handcuff pouch, i just did a google search and there are leather tq pouches out there.

If I may make a tangential suggestion, ditch the celox powder. Powder is an absolute PITA. The celox gauze is the way to go. Also, scissors are a waste of space as long as you carry a decent folder with serrations.

this and this.

J-

I've been looking for the same thing as well. I can get away with a tourniquet holder, especially since I can get that in basket weave. A small trauma kit on the other hand, I cannot seem to find one that fits the bill. Ideally one like that of the Blue Force Gear placed at the small of the back where a glove pouch would normally be, and in Basket weave because god forbid it's not in basket weave

I use the North American Rescue ankle kit with my patrol uniform.  I don't have any room on the belt due to myself being the skinny guy.  I don't put anything on the small of my back.  The ankle kit holds a TQ, gloves, and gauze and is very comfortable, secure, lightweight.  It is a good first aid solution.  I would recommend to others because I would buy it again. I have used it everyday on patrol for 5 months now.

Start hitting up the surrounding agencies for their policies on IFAKS. They may have a justification/ policy you can present to your brass.  Look into TECC as well.  What do you guys teach for active shooter? ALERRT has resources that may help as well

My agency obtained a few hundred older IFAK’s thru DRMO for every dept building and vehicle. Check into federal grant money as well, we purchased 5k CAT Tq’s a few years back and already have several documented saves. Take charge of the idea, make it happen and use your success to make another rank while you save some lives along the way. Win win
Also FLETC has free training and you can have them come to your agency and train everyone if the numbers are right. Not sure of the attendance threshold they require.