“The older I get the more I desire simplicity.” – Andy Mineo
During our Armed Vehicle Defense courses we demonstrate the utility of the Resqme tool and allow students to get some practice with it.
The Resqme is a small, lightweight, combination glass breaker/seat belt cutter which attaches directly to one’s key chain.
Deployment is simple, just grab and pull, and the tool will pop off its key chain retainer – You then hook the seat belt and slice. Brilliant design!
For glass, flip it over, make contact with the window and push. As you push, the protective glass breaking tool is retracted and loads the spring of the glass breaking pin for deployment. As you push, eventually the pin is released and the window shatters. It’s a one-handed operation – no “pre-setting” or fumbling. Once you grab it, it’s ready to go!
Grab it
And pull
Additional pointers regarding technique
When slicing seat belts, we cut at a 45-degree angle to the edge of the belt. This prevents the blade from clogging and becoming tangled in fibers.
Proper cutting angle
When breaking glass, we position the tool at a corner of the window, not the center, and press. This helps prevent extension of the hand into, and through, broken glass as we press the tool forward. This is especially important on glass covered in window tint sheeting, as the window will shatter but not fall with gravity as the film holds it in place.
Deploy breaker at window corner. This window is marked Tempered
Window shattered with Resqme.
As a vehicle glass breaker, it will only work effectively on most side and rear windows. Windshields (front glass) are laminated and layered to absorb impact from rocks, as well as being shatter-proof to prevent fragments and shards from embedding into the occupants during accidents. Thus, the Resqme has little effect on laminated glass. On the contrary, tempered side and rear glass is designed to break into small, pebble-sized pieces and is easily dispatched for escape and extraction.
That being said, all vehicles possess laminated windshield glass, but some also possess driver and passenger side laminated glass, as well. All of us need to check our personal vehicles and make a mental note that we may have to escape out the rear should laminated side glass be the case.
All vehicle windows have print in a corner describing the type of glass it is. This is a laminated side window displaying two strikes with a Resqme tool. The glass was unfazed.
Seat belts, generally, will not unlock when under tension. When we find ourselves upside down in a vehicle there’s a high probability that we will have to cut the belt to escape since our body weight is pulling against the release mechanism. In order to do so, the cutter must be stowed and secured within reach, not in a manner which sends it airborne during a roll over!
The Resqme is not just for removing yourself from a vehicle, but also for removing drivers and passengers in other vehicles. Thus, we keep one attached to the outside of all of our vehicle medical kits. On a crash scene it’s all a race against the clock. Running back to our own car to retrieve this tool is a waste of time – it should leave our vehicle with us.
Imagine having to remove an infant in a car seat from a burning vehicle. That should be enough motivation to add this to our daily carry, as well as our first aid kits.
Every vehicle med kit should have a Resqme attached to the outside for quick access
For our students who fly, reports, thus far, are that TSA widely ignores them.
The Resqme is available in multiple color options – we recommend the yellow or orange for better visibility during emergencies.
Retail is around $10.
Every member of the tribe should be trained in their use and be carrying one!
“Strategic planning is worthless – unless there is first a strategic vision.” – John Naisbitt
