The Essential Gear and Equipment for Farm First Responders: What Should You Start With?

Coming from a farming community in KZN that has had its fair share of incidents we have been able to see what see what works and what should be prioritised in your kit.

1. The Essential Gear and Equipment for Farm First Responders

   
   

   Coming from a farming community in KZN that has had its fair share of incidents, we have been able to see what works and what should be prioritised in your kit.

   
   

   A Handgun - The modern day sword.

   
   

   Your EDC (Every Day Carry) is your primary source of protection whether you are on the farm tending to your crops or responding to an incident. Yes, a rifle is better suited when you are responding, but you might not always have it when a Mayday call comes through. You will need this to ensure your own safety and the immediate area when arriving. If you do not have a method to protect yourself, you might end up becoming a casualty as well.

   
   

   You do not need the most Gucci looking handgun on the market with a red dot, compensator, extended mag, trigger job, and WML (weapon mounted light). What does peak performance look like then? Your flavour of stock standard handgun. A weapon mounted light because most of the incidents occur at night or early mornings, and then a well designed holster that goes with it all. Lastly, a spare mag.

   
   

   Peak performance comes from taking the money you would have invested in all the Gucci add ons and buying ammo to train with. Here is a link that reinforces the point above.

   

   Stock Standard CZ P10C with a Olight Weapon Light.

   
   

   IFAK - (Individual First Aid Kit)

   
   

   In 90% of our incidents we have responded to, this is the most used skill set out of all. When an incident occurs, there is a high chance that the farmer or victim has been injured to some extent. Depending on proximity to the incident, the chances are that by the time you get there, the perpetrators have already fled the scene.

   
   

   So you can not exactly leave the victim lying there in their own blood while you Rambo after the attackers (which finding them is an art in itself and timely process). Having the correct lifesaving equipment on hand is the difference between life and death.

   
   

   A different scenario could also play out that you are attacked at your farm, you are shot/stabbed as you respond to your neighbours mayday, you are driving kids to school and you are in a car accident, your foreman gets caught in the prop shaft of the tractor. The sky is the limit to when you could use your IFAK.

   
   

   What makes a good basic IFAK?

   
   

   • Tourniquet

   • Wound Packing

   • Pressure Dressing

   • NPA size 28

   • Chest Seal

   • Rescue Blanket

   • Gloves
     

   The trick is to get reputable equipment. Unfortunately, the South African market has been flooded with less than optimal equipment. We usually use EDC-S to get our medical gear.

   
   

   Comms - You can be the best shooter, best medical guy, but if you do not know where to go, you will never be in a position to utilise your skills.

   
   

   Repeater System: Most farming communities have their repeater system radios. This allows you to communicate to a large net of people. Great for sending out maydays or relaying information out of an incident area. The biggest failure of this is that once you dip over a hill or go down into a valley, you lose all comms with people in the surrounding area. The worst part is when everyone starts to arrive and you get the annoying beep beep signaling the channel is blocked with chatter. Meaning if you have vital information that needs to get out, you have to wait for others to finish their "tea party".

   
   
   
   

   Handheld radios: The Baofeng UV5's are a great way to have comms within the incident area. These are cheap and effective at what they need to do. You can get them for R500 - R750 a radio.

   

   Baofeng UV5Rs with extended batteries and one foldable antenna.

   
   

   Phones: Play a big role in the initial mayday call as it usually goes out on WhatsApp groups and pin drops can be followed from there. You might know exactly where your neighbour lives, but the farmers responding from 40km away don't.

   
   

   So in short, you will always have your handheld with you and your phone. These are vital and play an important role in your responders comms PACE plan (Primary, Alternative, Contingency, Emergency).

   
   

   Plate carrier/Battle belt/Chest rig. Which one?

   
   

   The most exciting topic of all for most. This is where peoples dreams, hopes, and aspirations get met with their budget.

   
   
   

   

   

   Plate Carrier: I made the common mistake of getting a plate carrier first. I bought an HRT RAC and got it all setup for R4000. Then scrambled to get plates, walked into the local gun shop, another R5000 gone for level IV plates. After a few months, realised most affordable level IV plates are ICW (In-conjunction-with), meaning I had to buy another soft insert which was another R2500. I spent R11500 to weigh an extra 12.5kg without a rifle setup and mags. With a Type 56 and mags, I was bogged down trying to run to get into cut off positions which range from 100m to 2-3km sometimes. Then you still need to try catch and assist arresting the suspects. A lesson learned.

   
   

   The other issue was my medical kit was either in an awkward position where you can not lie down, otherwise you look like a beached whale, or inaccessible on the back which also made the drive when responding unbearable.

   
   

   You should also consider your threat levels and compare that to what level of protection you need.

   
   

   Chest Rig: We mostly use chest rigs when we have to do on foot patrols when our area starts to flair up. It is also a nice way to scale it with your battle belt. A chest rig is also the least expensive out of the options we use.

   
   

   It weighs nothing and can carry all the equipment you need plus a bit more than your battle belt. It comes with all the pouches you need, you can put your IFAK into a ziplock bag then into one of the pouches, so you really do not need to go and buy anything else.

   
   

   This is also a great one to leave in your bakkie or go bag as it can be folded and rolled to be compact. Compare it to a R11500 plate carrier where plates could potentially be damaged in the bakkie.

   
   

   Prices range from R500 for old SADF/SANDF ones to more modern ones for R1500.

   
   

   Why the battle belt is king for starting off with? In 2022, we were chasing a suspect and he ducked into mature sugar cane which was about 3m tall and thick. This is a very common tactic used here by us as most farmers/security companies and SAPS wont follow them in as the risk is too high. 15 seconds before this, we were in a foot pursuit and he had dropped his cane knife, because of the weight of the vest I could not run fast enough to catch him before he made his escape. Seeing that he dropped his cane knife, I ran in, hand stretched out as your visibility is 0. Long story short is my hand made contact, but my other hand still had my pistol in it, I could not holster as my appendix holster was blocked by the plate carrier, I could not put the pistol on the floor in case it turned into a scramble on the floor and then potentially losing my pistol in the dark. He eventually broke free while I was puzzling all of my options.

   
   

   In our AAR (After Action Report), I made the decision to go and get a battle belt and set it up straight away. A new world of mobility was unlocked for us. No longer were we struggling in vehicles, if you have ever appendix carried with a plate carrier, you will know the pain. Also looking back, there was no way to effectively draw in a vehicle.

   
   

   The obvious thing to point out is that you do not have ballistic protection. In most of these cases, mobility is key and the first rule is to not get shot.

   
   

   Price wise, you can set one up excluding the IFAK for under R3k. This is a massive saving and cost to benefit ratio is much higher compared to the others. Another benefit is that it’s always with you in the bakkie. If mayday was sounded during work or on the way home from church, you have all the basic kit you need to make a difference.

   
   

   A good battle belt setup:

   
   

   • The Belt.

     
     

   • Duty Holster (We mostly use Alpha TACTIX as he is most reasonably priced, R1200+-)

     
     

   • IFAK

     
     

   • Mag Pouch (Two Pistol and one rifle)

     
     

   • Foldable Dump Pouch.

     
     

   If you can afford a battle belt and plate carrier setup, then that is probably the best all rounder in these type of scenarios.

   
   

   Long gun - Not your oupa's .303

   
   

   What is the optimal long gun to carry when responding?

   
   

   It comes down to a few factors such as budget and being competent with that weapon system. A Daniel Defence would be very nice with an eotech, a magnifier, suppressor with a charging handle to back it, and a nice trigger, but at almost R100k, that will be sitting in my safe for a good few years. Rather spend the money on a lower tier rifle and use the money on ammo.

   
   

   The other is your environment and the legal aspect of it all. Here are some questions you need to ask yourself.

   
   

   What is my average distance I might need to engage at for self defence (Key aspect)?

   
   

   Most incidents occur at night, will I be able to see 100-300m with my LPVO?

   
   

   Am I responding in the dense sugar cane fields of KZN or am I in the Free State where I can see for km's?

   
   

   Shotguns are a fantastic asset in our area, maybe not in the Karoo.

   
   

   What should all of these longer weapon systems have in common?

   
   

   • A WML (because you can not eat enough carrots to see in the dark)

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   • Quality sling (The equivalent of a holster for your pistol.)

   Living and responding in a place like KZN teaches you quick what gear matters and what’s just extra weight. A handgun keeps you safe when the mayday hits, an IFAK stops the bleeding when you get there, and comms whether it’s a Baofeng UV5 or a WhatsApp pin gets you to the right spot. A battle belt gives you the edge to move fast, and a long gun, whatever you can shoot well, covers the rest. We’ve learned the hard way that fancy kit doesn’t beat basics you can trust and train with. So strip it down, spend smart, and be ready because out here, it’s not about looking good, it’s about efficiency.