What's in the Bag? And Which One?

What’s in the bag, and which One? By: Mark “Six” James CPO, EPS, CAS I have always said, “protective services is often dynamic, but it should never be random.” I take that same approach when it comes to my gear. For me, situation always determines the tactics and the tools.

Stick around the world of private security, law enforcement, military, preppers or survivalist, and no doubt you have heard terms like “go bags, bug out bags, medical bag, and survival bags.” The problem has been depending on who you talk to those terms have often been used interchangeably. However, from my experiences those bags have quite different meanings and functionality or maybe that is just my Virgo OCD talking. Ask yourself, do you desire your bag to be overt or covert? If this is a go bag, I often prefer for them to be covert, so it does not elevate my profile. Prevention is the ultimate goal of protection, so anything that enhances our situational fluency that allows my client and me to blend into the environment and not be viewed as a target is a win. I generally prefer to stay away from the mole-type bags, so it does not scream, law enforcement, military or security, particularly if I am traveling abroad. When it comes to fighting bags or survival bags, stealth can also be valuable but usually is a little less of a concern as the environment is already deteriorating around you, and the cards may have already been dealt. Regardless of the function of the bag, my experiences have taught me, if you can compartmentalize your bag, it helps enhance your efficiency. When time is life, efficiency comes at a premium. You can buy a bag that is set up that way or create it through inserts or easily identifiable pouches. When I think about bags to include trunk or hatch carry, I think about the environment, duration, and the assets I am charged with protecting. Before we get into the functional types of bags, lets first review some critical risk mitigation terms which help me determine the formula for how I build a bag.

The Terminology

Threat is the potential harm that can come to an asset (the thing you are trying to protect). That could be any range and number of things including: rain, cold, bear, heart attack, lack of clean water, starvation, political/religious or racist extremists.

Risk is the likelihood that the harm will be realized.

Vulnerability is the weakness by which the harm can reach the asset.

The Formula

Are all the water sources contaminated? Is this a stronghold for an extremist group? Is this the dead of winter? How vulnerable are you to the threat or do you have a plan to address it? If so then the risk becomes low.

The most important thing to calculate and assess is risk. Not threat.

Threat + Vulnerability = Risk to Asset

Components

• Handgun • Handgun Magazines • Carbine Magazines • Shotgun Shells • Flashlight • Knife • Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) • Batteries to support the flashlight and any optics on the long guns • Rope or flex cuffs for restraining an intruder or combatant.

Bug Out Bag

A bug out bag is a fighting bag. It is minimalistic in its approach it is highly focused, yet versatile. B.U.G. stands for Back Up Gun. It is designed to support any long gun I decide to defend with whether carbine or shotgun, or it may stand alone in defense.

Go Bag

A go bag is a primary working bag. It is designed to support the objectives of the mission or help enhance operator or team efficiency, client convenience, or medical challenges. It is 70% standard and 30% client-centric, based on how we construct our protective strategies..

Components

• Back up charger (Brick) • (2) Chargers (Electric and/or solar) • Batteries • Comms (Smart phone and/or 2 Way Radio) • (2) Flashlights • Glass break tool/seatbelt cutter • IFAK • iPad or Android tablet • Markers (Light and dark) • Multi-tool • Tire pressure gauge • OTC Meds • Roll of Tape • Tide Pen • Bottle of water • Protein Bars • Underwear • Wedge it • Windbreaker • Client related items (Convenience or Medical)

For some clients, their greatest threat is their blood sugar being out of balance, so carrying a few candy bars in my go bag may be more beneficial than my driving skills or my firearm.

Traditional IFAK

• Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) - Surgical Mask and Gloves • CAT Tourniquet • Chest seal • Emergency Trauma Dressings 4” • Elastic Bandage • 4” x 4” Gauze Sponges • 1 Roll Adhesive Tape • (4) 1” x 3” Adhesive Bandages • Nasopharyngeal Airway (NPA) • Trauma Shears • OTC Meds (Aspirin, Benadryl, Ibuprofen, Imodium AD, Pepto- Bismol, Tylenol)

This is the formula I use to determine what equipment is required whether planning a detail or a wilderness trip.

Medical Bags/Kits

I have several medical bags and the situation dictates which one I may carry. If I am in a formal setting carrying a large medical kit or smaller tactical IFAK one may be not practical with a tuxedo. For those engagements I carry a modified IFAK with a CAT Tourniquet, chest seal, compression bandage, and gauze shrink-wrapped to fit in my suit or tuxedo jacket pocket. My brother and fellow protector Eric Konohia designed one that he calls the Tuxedo IFAK.

When working in urban and suburban environments with malls and formal

offices, I may also scale back the size of the medical bag, as those environments are required by law to have first aid kits to include AEDs on property. If I am doing celebrity protection at a concert, the municipalities often dictate that EMS are required to be on site for emergency crowd support, so I know I have the full support of advanced life support tools, staff, and training to support the protective strategy. If I am working with one of my legislators in the rural parts of their district, I will travel with a very comprehensive medical bag, as the EMS response time in the rural parts of the district may be 30 – 45 minutes. If we are responsible for providing large-scale event security, I recommend the full medical bag complete with AED.

Tuxedo Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK)

• CAT Tourniquet • Chest seal • Emergency Trauma Dressing 4” • 4 x 4 Gauze Sponges

Squad Bags like the one pictured below are a bridge between a traditional IFAK and a complete comprehensive medical bag. complete comprehensive medical \bag.

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Squad Bags

Comprehensive Medical Bag

A comprehensive medical bag is typically carried by the team paramedic. The working environment, space, training, budget and legal considerations ultimately dictate the pack out.

Sample Components

• (6) Nitrile Gloves – Large • (2) N95 Masks • (6) Surgical Masks • (1) Anti-Bacterial Hand Sanitizer – 4 oz. Bottle • (2) NPAs • (2) CAT Tourniquets • (2) SWATT-T Tourniquets (great for buddy-aid for use on small framed adults, kids or K9s, however it is a little more challenging when it comes to administering self-aid) • (2) Chest seals • (2) Emergency Trauma Dressings 4” • (2) 5” x 9” ABD Pads

• (6) Knuckle Bandages • (6) Fingertip Bandages • (2) Adhesive Tape Rolls 2” • (3) 2” x 4” Oval Adhesive • (1) Quikclot • (1) Celox Homestatic Gauze • (8) 4” x 4” Gauze Sponges • (2) Water Jel Burn Dressings 4” x 4” • (1) Eye Wash • (2) Oval Eye Pads • (2) Eye Shields • (6) 1” x 3” Adhesive Bandages • (8) Alcohol Prep Pads • (1) Tube Liquid Skin • (1) Emergency Mylar Blanket • (1) SAM Splint 36” • (1) SAM Finger Splint (3 Pack) • (2) 4” Elastic Bandages • (2) Triangle Bandages • (1) BVM (Bag Valve Mask) • (1) CPR Pocket Mask • (2) Cold Pack • (1) AED • Trauma Shears 7.5” • Light and Dark Markers • EpiPen (Epinephrine Auto- Injector) • OTC Meds (Anti Itch Cream Aspirin, Benadryl, Dramamine, Ibuprofen, Imodium AD, Pepto-Bismol, Tylenol)

Survival – The Rules of 3

When it comes to survival, most people are not planning/building traditional outdoor wilderness type survival bags, but may find themselves building get home bags designed to protect/service them during unplanned extended emergencies (i.e. icy roads or downed trees where the roads are not passable, digging a car tire out of snow, or mechanical car failures). Or instances where they are possibly forced to shelter in place for days or consider hiking to safety. The time of the year you are traveling or the environment you may be traveling through may also greatly impact your preparation, i.e. whether you are preparing for heat or cold related challenges or two or four legged predators. Harshness of the environment, duration and condition of the assets, in conjunction with space dictates and personal conditioning help determine the ultimate pack out.

Sample Components

• (1) NPA • (1) CAT Tourniquet • (1) SWATT-T Tourniquet (great for buddy-aid for use on small framed adults, kids or K9s, however it is a little more challenging when it comes to administering self-aid) • (1) Chest seal • (1) Emergency Trauma Dressing • (1) Celox Homestatic Gauze • (2) 4” x 4” Gauze Pads

• (1) Water Jel Burn Dressings 4” x 4” • (1) Eye Wash • (2) Oval Eye Pads • (6) 1” x 3” Adhesive Bandages • (4) Alcohol Prep Pads • (1) Tube Liquid Skin • (1) Rolls of Gauze • (1) Elastic Bandage • (1) Roll Adhesive Tape • Disposable Lighter • Firestarter • Box of Waterproof Matches • (1) Emergency Candle • Rope • Tarp or Emergency Tent • (1) Durable Survival Knife • (1) Roll of Duct Tape • (2) Emergency Blankets • (2) Emergency Sleeping Bags • (1) Multi-tool Shovel • Survival Whistle • (2) Flashlights • Batteries • (2) Light Sticks • (1) Life Straw • Water Purification Tablets • (1) Portable Stove • Cooking Utensils • Meals Ready to Eat (MREs for your desired duration recommended 3 days minimum) • Communication Equipment (Smart phone, 2 way radios and AM/FM radio)

The time of the year you are traveling or the environment you may be traveling through may also greatly impact your preparation

When it comes to survival most people are not planning/building traditional outdoor wilderness type survival bags, but may find themselves building get home bags designed to protect/service them during unplanned extended emergencies (i.e. icy roads or downed trees where the roads are not passable, digging a car tire out of snow, or mechanical car failures) where they are possibly forced to shelter in place for days or consider hiking to safety. The time of the year you are traveling or the environment you may be traveling through may also greatly impact your preparation whether you are preparing for heat or cold related challenges or two or four legged predators. Stay prepared and stay safe! Special thanks to Hugh Maxwell, Sylvester Piercel and Eugene Youngl for their professional feedback.

Mark “Six” James is Founder and Executive Director of Panther Protection Services, LLC. He is an internationally published author, keynote speaker, security consultant to educational institutions and frequent contributor to several print, broadcast and online media. Panther Protection Services is a full-service protection agency focusing on Risk and Crisis Mitigation, Protective Services, Self-Defense Training, and Firearm Instruction.