Could You Survive – First-Aid Supplies for a Survival Kit©

 

During the late 70s and early 80s, the Spokane Daily Chronicle, printed a column in the Outdoors section, called “Could You Survive”, which was written by U.S. Air Force survival instructors. 

 

An excerpt from the Spokane Daily Chronicle, March 28, 1978; “Could You Survive”; by Master Sergeant Ronald Kluck.

 

Soap dishes and Altoids tins make great survival containers, photograph by the Author.

In the column that was printed on March 28, 1978, Master Sergeant Ronald Kluck¹, asked what first aid supplies you would choose for a small, personal survival kit.  His question assumes that space is limited and that you must prioritize your first aid needs, since you only have room for one type first aid supplies in your two small containers.

 

So, what would you choose?  Would it be a pain killer, like aspirin or acetaminophen; some antibiotics, such as triple antibiotic ointment²; maybe some gauze pads, band aids and tape; or maybe you would choose an antiseptic, like BZK towelettes (read “Alcohol Prep Pads...BZK Towelettes…Hand Wipes…Wound Wipes...What?! ©”, HERE, for more on antiseptics).

 

Choice “C.  Compresses and tape”, photograph by the Author.

 

Air Force Master Sgt. Ronald Kluck wrote that, “In most survival emergencies your concern will be to stop bleeding and protect any injury...”.  This follows the military “Rule of Threes”, which prioritizes survival tasks and, according to the “Rule of Threes”, dealing with medical issues, particularly bleeding, is at the top of priority list.

 

Because of this, Master Sgt. Kluck, stated that the correct answer would be “C.  Compresses and tape”.  He felt that in most circumstances a few various sized band aids and two or three 2 x 2 inch (5 x 5 cm) sterile gauze pads would be enough to take care of most minor injuries and most situations.  The Master Sgt. continued by saying that “Any injuries that cannot be handled by these items would probably be beyond anything that you could carry in a personal survival kit”.

 

So, what item did you choose?  Did you choose “C.  Compresses and tape”, or did you pick a different first aid item?  If you didn’t choose “C.”, maybe you chose “A.  Pain killers such as aspirin”?

 

Choice “A.  A pain killer such as aspirin”, photograph by the Author.

Master Sgt. Kluck thought that “A.” was a bad choice because pain killers and other drugs or medicines can have negative survival side effects.  In the case of pain killers they might lessen your alertness, which he felt could increase your danger.  Many common drugs have side effects that can negatively affect you in a survival situation, for example the caffeine in a cup of coffee or the nicotine in a cigarette, are both vasoconstrictors of the blood vessels of the skin and by reducing the blood flow these drugs can lower the temperature of your arms, legs, fingers, ears and nose.  This is why the Master Sgt. recommended the following general survival rule, “Don’t do anything that will hamper the natural defenses of the body”.

 

All of this being said, if you do require medication for a personal medical situation, before including it in your survival kit, check with your Doctor and explain the situation so that he or she can prescribe a medication with the fewest number of negative survival side effects. 

 

Choice “B.  Antibiotic” and choice “D.  Antiseptic”, photograph by the Author.

Did you pick option “B.” or maybe choice “D.”?  Master Sgt. Ronald Kluck didn’t think that including antiseptics or antibiotics in your survival kit was a good option, if space is limited.  He also noted that since most “survival emergencies are of short duration”, and since statistics show that 97% of “misplaced” persons are found within 24 hours³, any infections from wounds, which will take some time to develop, can be taken care of by medical personnel after your return or you’re your rescue.

 

A small bar of soap inside a Ziploc® bag, from my large first aid kit, photograph by the Author.

Master Sgt. Kluck also suggested that you carry a small bar of soap in your survival kit, which you could use to clean any minor wounds to prevent infection.  Additionally, soap can be used to keep yourself clean, good hygiene and hand washing can prevent diseases from being spread⁴.

 

So, you are probably saying, “Okay BandanaMan, what did you choose?”  Well, that is a good question.  I built my current survival kit several years ago, long before I read Master Sergeant Ronald Kluck’s article and I included a couple of foil packets of triple antibiotic ointment in my kit.  I did this for two reasons: first, because it can be used to prevent infections in minor cuts or abrasions, but second, since it is made with a petroleum jelly base, it makes an excellent fire extender which will keep a flame going long enough for tinder to catch the kindling on fire.  I always like survival kit items that can be used for more than one purpose. 

 

The Author’s survival kit and his pocket first aid kit, with an Altoids tin for comparison.  For reference my survival kit weighs 7 ounces (198 grams) and my first aid kit weighs 2 ounces (57 grams).  Photograph by the Author.

Also, I always carry a small first aid kit in my vest pocket or in a pocket of my life jacket, in addition to my survival kit.  This first aid kit contains, pain killers, antibiotics, band aids, gauze pads, tape, and antiseptic.  So quite honestly, I had never thought of having to limit myself to just one first aid item, and I don’t!

 

Incidentally, I do carry a small bar of soap inside a Ziploc® bag, for hygiene purposes, in my large first aid kit, which I carry in my pack.

 

“Could You Survive”; by Master Sergeant Ronald Kluck, from the Spokane Daily Chronicle, March 28, 1978; which can be found HERE.

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at Bandanaman Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

¹ As far as I can tell, Richard Kluck was born August 27, 1938 in Milwaukee Wisconsin.  He entered the U.S. Air Force on October 9, 1957, retiring as a master sergeant on April 30, 1978.  He died on December 10, 2007 at the age of 69.

 

From https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27512844/ronald-alexander-kluck and https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2013/357/27512844_138795058642.jpg, both accessed December 26, 2020.

 

² Triple antibiotic ointment contains neomycin, bacitracin, and polymyxin, antibiotics work by stopping the growth of bacteria”.  Triple antibiotic ointment is only effective when used to treat bacterial skin (topical) infections.

 

From https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-1254/triple-antibiotic-topical/details

 

³ The searchers should find you in the next 72 hours, as long as you stay put, if you wander you simply make it harder for the searchers to catch up with you.  Devon O’Neill, writing in Outside online, noted that statistically most “misplaced” persons are found within 72 hours of being reported missing.  He also wrote that, according to Paul Anderson a 42-year veteran of the National Park Service who spent 11 years as superintendent of Denali National Park, 85% “misplaced” persons are found within the first 12 hours and 97% within the first 24 hours of being reported missing.

 

From “Survival Drill”, Updated and Explained ©”, HERE.

 

⁴ For more read “Winning The Germ War” by Morgan Atwood, if you don’t receive the magazine it can be found here, HERE.

 

 

Sources

 

Kluck, Ronald, Master Sergeant; “Could You Survive”, Spokane Daily Chronicle, Tuesday, March 28, 1978; https://books.google.com/books?id=fftLAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA10&dq=survival+kit&article_id=2906,2947774&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjb17Sp7-rpAhWRcc0KHY4ABvo4qgEQ6AEwAXoECAUQAg#v=onepage&q=survival%20kit&f=false, accessed December 26, 2020

 

Morgan Atwood, “Winning The Germ War”, Offgrid, Issue 40, [© 2021 Recoil Offgrid], page 50 to 55