Polish Rescue Association (PARAMEDiC): Tactical first aid equipment from Rhino Rescue revealed

Some time ago, the market was flooded with very low quality products from China and this dogma, if I point out the error, also punishes the companies mentioned - in this case it is difficult for companies from this part of the world to exist in the market.

Many of their products are approved for sale in the EU (they have the CE mark). In addition, they have FDA approval and the products are sterile, so Rhino Rescue is not the type of company that used to think inherently, but an interesting player in the market. I would just like to add that many American products or their components are made in China, but no one wants to be so sincere as to admit that - it's the hard truth.

As I mentioned before, I received a complete RHINO RESCUE™ IFAK Trauma Rescue Kit in a multi-coloured camouflage colour scheme to test. On its own, the first aid kit looks nice and cool, with a large capacity, lots of internal compartments and rubber straps, and an additional removable pouch for smaller gear. It has a D-ring and a MOLLE system.

I decided to talk about the gear that I think is more important, rather than focusing on bandages, clips, gauze, scrapers or small items like NRC scarves or membranes ;)

I don't have any major objections to this chest closure chest seal patch. It is a gel dressing with good adhesion and durability. The inside of the dressing is filled with gel, which increases its adhesion. Gauze is also included in the package. It is double folded. The only changes I would make would be to change it to a single fold (the double fold may break in some cases after "ageing" during use) and to add more openings to the package to make it easier to remove from the package. This product is CE, MD approved, sterile and FDA approved for 5 years.

This is a ventilated chest seal patch. It is also made of gel and has good adhesive properties, but the dressing has a margin. It has three ventilation channels which are centrally located and have small circular closure holes. My recommended solution for a better solution would be to extend these channels to the edge of the dressing, although the current design is also very good. Gauze is also included in the package. Again with the double fold, I would make changes and add more openings. The product is CE, MD approved, sterile and FDA approved for 5 years.

I appreciate the more obvious difference between the two chest seal patches - the packaging is similar and the difference is the addition of the prominent label. A very big plus for both chest seal patches placed in the first aid kit.

I already had the Rhino Rescue Pulmonary Ventilation Puncture Needle earlier in the day, which I had purchased before I contacted the company for training purposes. It comes in standard sizes: 14 grams and 3.25 inches in length. The catheter is quite stiff and I can compare its quality to that of an ARS, TPAK, DART or HH needle. It is packaged in pen form, so the hard casing protects it from any possibility of bending, no matter where you store it. And that's one of the rare specialised lung drainage puncture needle features: a silicone (or rubber) one-way valve! Once the catheter is placed in the chest cavity, the valve is placed over the end of the catheter and it emits an acoustic signal (squeal/whistle) until the pressure in the chest cavity is reduced (i.e. the lung is fully expanded during a single puncture chest deflation).

From what I understand from the manufacturer, this is a 1S grade product. The gauze generally performed well, was in good shape within the wound, was easy to remove from the pack and was very absorbent. I do not have many comments and am very pleased with its quality. The packaging is yellow on one side and clear on the other, with four red perforations on the packaging. It is CE, MD certified, sterile and approved by the FDA for 5 years.

This is a bandage based on the popular Israeli first aid bandage. It is vacuum packed through a double layer and is sterile. The plastic sleeve holds the bandage and absorbent material well. I received two sizes: 4" and 6" (6" is the main size used in first aid kits). The bandage package has 5 perforations. I compared the quality of the bandage itself (elastic bandage) with the original Israeli bandage and in this respect the Rhino Rescue bandage was of comparable quality. For either bleeding or practice, I think it is suitable. It is CE, MD certified and approved by the FDA for 5 years.

This NG tube is blue in colour and measures 7.0 (28FR). It is not as hard as other tubes on the market, but not as soft as the Rusch tube either, this is a really good degree. Inside the package is filled with gel, which is very rare anywhere else. This is appreciated. It is CE, MD approved and has been approved by the FDA for 5 years.

This is a wide splint in orange, measuring approximately 92 cm. It can be used on the upper and lower limbs. It is soft, flexible and easy to shape. It used to be made only by SAM Medical, but now there are many companies that can produce this splint, and Rhino Rescue is of very good quality. And it is CE, MD approved and FDA approved for 5 years (although I don't think splints generally expire unless many years have passed).

The first aid kit contains two sterilised aluminium eye shields for the eye, supplied in the form of bandages surrounded by white elastic. We need to be aware that eye injuries are important, but I feel that in our area, eye protection is not given very much attention. This eye shield is therefore a benefit of the Rhino Rescue First Aid Kit. It is CE, MD approved and FDA approved for 5 years.

For this regular scissors they cut very well and are sharp. One blade is smooth and the other is serrated. The scissors have a clip on them which makes it easy to attach them to places such as trousers. It is CE, MD approved and FDA approved for 5 years - however, I don't think it will expire.

The tourniquet in the first aid kit is black and the plastic part is beige/light brown. The length and width of the band is the same as the CAT's.

The end of the tourniquet also has a beige/light brown coloured tip and the band has a double-layered channel. In this version of the tourniquet, the sturdy carabiner made of plastic has a non-slip texture designed to provide a better grip. I tried to bend this snap in various ways - but I failed, and the band is also very strong. The strap for recording time is grey/graphite in colour. In the first aid kit there is also a mini black marker to record the time of application of the tourniquet.

The available tourniquet colours are: khaki, orange, blue (for training), tactical black and rescue black. The tourniquet is CE, MD approved and FDA approved for a period of 5 years.

There is another version of the tourniquet (metal one)

The difference is that this version has a carabiner made of hard aluminium. The interesting thing about this carabiner is that it has a pen inside for recording the time the tourniquet has been applied. The length and width of the band is the same as the CAT. The tourniquet also has a red tip at the end and the band has a single, toothed channel. The band used to record the tourniquet application time is white and clearly marked with the word "TIME". Both the buckle and the band were tested. The tourniquet is CE and MD approved and has been approved by the FDA for a period of 5 years.