Airsoft Action - January 2021

SURVIVAL
IFAK - INDIVIDUAL FIRST AID KITS
IFAK:
INDIVIDUAL
FIRST AID KITS
REAL LIFE MILITARY PERSONNEL CARRY INDIVIDUAL FIRST AID KITS AND, AS MORE
AIRSOFTERS ARE DOING THE SAME, SURVIVAL EXPERT, PAUL YELLAND, LOOKS AT WHAT
ITEMS SHOULD BE INCLUDED FOR AIRSOFT.
First aid kits are becoming quite a common item to
carry in Airsoft. Also known as IFAK’s (Individual
First Aid Kits) there seems to be a trend to model
these kits on those carried by the real-life military. But
what is acceptable to carry and where should the line
be drawn? I am going to look at what items are really
needed in an IFAK for Airsoft - and what should be left
at home!
I read with horror on one popular Airsoft forum,
about an individual who
carries a well-packed
IFAK including a chest
decompression needle!
The qualifications of the
person who was making
this claim to carry out a
chest decompression are
probably questionable
and it worries me that
there are potentially
untrained individuals who are running around with
items such as these needles under the illusion that they
are some kind of Combat Medic in a war zone.
The other item that tends be carried by players
are Arterial Tourniquets. CAT and SOF-T are two of
the more common makes and yes, in the event of
a catastrophic haemorrhage AND with the correct
training, tourniquets can be life-saving. But there
seems to be players who are turning up to skirmishes
with these items and willing to use them without any
training at all. Looking the part for Mil-sim is one thing
“DRESSING UP AND PRETENDING
TO BE SPECIAL FORCES IS ONE
THING BUT PLAYING AT BEING A
PARAMEDIC IS AN EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS GAME INDEED.”
but practicing skills beyond your scope of training is
dangerous.
Another issue that I have picked up on is training.
The level of first aid training required for Airsoft is
very different from that of a military medic or Close
Protection Officer/PMC who are actually working in a
hostile environment.
A basic first aid course such as the one day
Emergency First Aid at Work or the full First Aid at
Work qualification is
more than suitable
to prepare anybody
involved in airsoft
for the types of
injuries or medical
emergencies that
could be encountered
on the skirmish field.
Instead of focusing
on the basic levels of
first aid training, people seem to be drawn to the
“glory courses” and I have recently seen an advert
for some kind of “Special Forces” combat medic
course. Worryingly, there was a high level of interest
being shown by people in attending this course
which claimed that it would introduce people to the
skills of a combat medic. But going back to the issue
of decompressing a chest – really? Dressing up and
pretending to be Special Forces is one thing but playing
at being a Paramedic is an extremely dangerous game
indeed!
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JANUARY 2021