Personal protective equipment keeps the responder safe so they can keep working. Nitrile exam gloves, eye protection, fluid-resistant barriers, and masks — the body-substance isolation that comes before patient contact, not after.
PPE underpins every step of the MARCH sequence. Stock it across IFAK and team kits, and build out coverage for MCI and workplace programs.
Standard precautions assume every casualty's blood and body fluids are potentially infectious. PPE is the barrier between you and that exposure, and the discipline of putting it on before you make contact is what makes it work. A responder who becomes a second casualty helps no one.
| Item | Protects against |
|---|---|
| Nitrile exam gloves | Blood and fluid contact; nitrile avoids latex-allergy risk and resists punctures better than vinyl |
| Eye protection | Splash and spatter to the mucous membranes of the eyes |
| Mask / N95 | Droplet and, for N95, airborne respiratory exposure |
| Gown / apron | Fluid soak-through to clothing and skin in high-splash situations |
Nitrile resists punctures better than vinyl and avoids the allergy risk associated with latex, which is why it is the standard for medical exam gloves. It also holds up well to fuels and many chemicals.
At minimum, a pair or more of nitrile exam gloves and a barrier for rescue breathing. Higher-risk and team kits add eye protection, a mask or N95, and a fluid-resistant gown or apron.
Before patient contact, as part of scene size-up. Standard precautions treat every casualty's blood and fluids as potentially infectious, so the barrier goes on before you touch the patient, not after.
Body-substance isolation, part of standard precautions, is the practice of using barriers, gloves, eye protection, and masks, to prevent contact with a patient's blood and body fluids regardless of known infection status.
Carry several pairs per responder, since gloves are changed between patients and can tear. Programs covering multi-casualty events should hold surge stock well beyond day-to-day needs.
MED-TAC International Corp. is a clinician-founded, veteran-led tactical medicine provider. Product references to CoTCCC reflect committee recommendations and do not imply FDA approval or certification. This content is educational and is not a substitute for hands-on training or medical direction.
We offer best-in-class products from every manufacturer, so you have variety and choice in the gear you need to save lives.
Each component is selected based on published clinical studies, field performance data, and professional user feedback -- not manufacturer marketing. We evaluate the entire equipment ecosystem, including the 90% of effective gear often missed by limited single-vendor review scopes.
Single vendors excel in one category but underperform in others. We select the best tourniquet from one brand, the superior hemostatic from another, the top chest seal from a third -- optimizing kit performance over vendor politics. Result: 13% higher effectiveness vs. single-vendor averages.
Components align with Stop the Bleed, C-TECC, and MARCH protocols. Government procurement documentation, competitive bidding support, and GSA schedule compatibility available. Component traceability and assembly quality control on every kit.
