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How to properly place a tourniquet pouch. A guide for military and rescuers
In emergency situations, when every second can be crucial, a hemostatic tourniquet is one of the most important life-saving tools. Its effectiveness depends not only on its quality and design, but also on how quickly it can be applied. This is where the correct placement of the tourniquet on the equipment comes to the fore.
The design of the tourniquet pouch plays a key role in ensuring instant access, preventing its accidental loss and allowing you to act without unnecessary movements. Whether it is military operations, extreme tourism or a rescue operation - the correct location of the pouch determines how quickly you can stop bleeding. In this section, we will look at how to optimize its placement for maximum effectiveness.
Basic principles of tourniquet pouch placement
Accessibility: the tourniquet should be located so that it can be quickly reached by both the right and left hands. This is critical in cases where one hand is injured or disabled. The optimal solution is to place the pouch on the front of the military body armor or in a convenient place on the belt or vest of a civilian rescuer, allowing easy access even in a stressful situation.
Logical location: The pouch should be placed according to the user’s dominant hand to ensure intuitive and quick access. If the right hand is dominant, the tourniquet should be placed on the left so that it can be easily reached even in the event of an injury to the dominant hand. Similarly, a right-sided location is recommended for left-handed people. It is also important to consider personal preferences and training to avoid unnecessary movements during an emergency.
Openness: The pouch should be positioned so that it is not blocked by other items of equipment or clothing. This will avoid losing valuable time searching for it in a critical situation. It is important that access to the tourniquet remains free regardless of body position or additional equipment.
Reliable fixation: the pouch should be firmly attached to the equipment to prevent its loss during active actions or physical contact. The use of high-quality fasteners, Velcro, MOLLE-system will help avoid accidental detachment. It is also important to check the fixation before going on a mission to ensure its reliability in critical situations.
Optimal places to place the pouch on the equipment
Placement of the pouch under the tourniquet on a body armor
The location of the tourniquet on the front of the body armor or plate carrier provides the fastest access to the tourniquet, allowing it to be used with one or both hands. Placing the pouch in this area minimizes the time for its extraction, which is critically important in stressful situations.
Placing the pouch closer to the side of the "body armor" allows you to quickly extract the tourniquet according to the dominant hand. If the right hand is the main one, the pouch should be placed on the left side and vice versa. This approach provides a natural and intuitive movement during emergency use, minimizing the time spent searching for and retrieving the tourniquet.
Tourniquet Pouch Placement on a Shoulder Strap System (RSS)
The front of the RSS is one of the most convenient places to place a tourniquet pouch, as it allows for maximum speed of access. This location is especially useful in cases where you need to act instantly, without wasting time on additional movements or searching for equipment. The front location also facilitates easy integration of the pouch with other items of equipment, which reduces the risk of it being lost or damaged during active actions. It is worth considering that the pouch must be properly secured and not interfere with the user’s natural movements to ensure optimal effectiveness at a critical moment.
Meanwhile, the sides of the RSS provide the optimal combination of accessibility and comfort, allowing you to quickly retrieve the tourniquet without having to change body position or interrupt tasks. This location is especially convenient during active movement, as it minimizes the risk of catching on other items of equipment. In addition, it allows you to evenly distribute the weight of the equipment, which contributes to comfort during prolonged wear. It is important to choose high-quality mounts and check their fixation before going on a mission to ensure the stability of the pouch even in dynamic conditions.
Is that all?
Although we have considered only the main places for placing the pouch, in fact there are much more. Each user can choose the best option depending on personal needs, features of the equipment and the conditions in which he works. Using a special pouch for a tourniquet allows you to significantly unload the equipment and provide quick access at a critical moment. It is important to experiment with the location and test it in real conditions to find the ideal solution for maximum efficiency.
