Ah man this rings very true. I’ve trained many kinds of combatives at this point, and live and travel in some notoriously dangerous places. The most useful thing by far of anything I’ve learned has been the combat medicine/advanced first aid etc training I’ve received. Most of my medical training has been from SF medics, and I am in awe of those guys. They have an amazing ability to cut through the shit and get to what really works. I’m not able to carry a full medkit on me most of the places I go, but even in a suit pocket I will carry a tourniquet. I feel with most other stuff I can improvise, but the tourniquet is the one thing I wouldn’t want to have to be trying to improvise in a real situation. I’ve had to apply two for real, both following car accidents, and the sheer volume of blood, the noise, and the aggressive resistance (and surprising strength) badly injured people can exhibit really brought home to me the importance of always carrying one. I can put my fingers in a bullet hole and shout for someone to tear up a shirt for improvised bandages, I reckon I could improvise a Russel chest seal in a pinch, or treat some burns, but holding someone down covered in their blood, with it in my nose and mouth and eyes, trying to put on a tourniquet while holding my knee in their groin was sufficiently difficult that I reckon both people would have died had I not had a tourniquet in my hand at the scene.
I would bet there are exits through the back of the food shops in the food court, or at least some kind of loading dock/delivery area. In a real emergency (which that could have easily been the distraction used to send the crowd into a solid chokepoint), hop the counter and head through the back. At a minimum it separates you from the crowd, which as you pointed out was the real threat.
Kind of surprised there was a stampede due to some guy taking his clothes off. Not that I want to watch some random dude give me and my family the helicopter, but it doesn’t qualify as a ‘get-the-fuck-out’ emergency in my book.
I don’t really know, but, I am guessing around 120 lbs. I don’t think there is really any difference in picking it up and slamming it to the ground. The arms on dummy help for grip and realism but you heavy bag is fine for hard work. I have used both and the heavy bag with no arms actually requires you to have a stronger grip.
Not long winded at all, I appreciate your experience and knowledge, thanks.
That pretty much sums it up, right? YOU ACTED, YOU MADE A DECISION AND YOU EXECUTED Great job, brother.
As far as medical kits go, If someone here knows how to search this thread for back postings, we have discussed various med kits before. I really don’t know how to search this thread. If I cannot find them I will post some kits this week.
You are 100 % correct about EMT’s not getting paid anything, it really is criminal and a sad reflection on our society. EMT’S / Paramedics save lives, from rich to poor. Fuck, pisses me off just writing about it.
You are ahead of the game there. Your wife is part of your security detail and no plan can be executed without prior planning.
Good communications, cell phones always charged and ready to go. Before going into any structure, like you said, know the entrances and exits. Two sets of vehicle keys, if you get separated from your family, they may need to exfil the area without you. Small flashlight for you both, in case of power loss or smoke. I don’t know the firearms laws in your area, so I will leave that to you. Small folding knives for both of you, thousands of uses. a prearranged meeting place outside the structure if you get separated.
Damn straight, a tourniquet is the most important thing you can carry. I have four on my kit and carry several in the vehicle and even two in the gym bag. Hey, brother, thanks for sharing your experiences, be safe.
I agree with you, don’t see it either. I will give them the benefit of the doubt about seeing a “active shooter” unfolding , but, probably one person just panicked and ran and the rest of the crowd just followed. hell, who knows.
Thought for the day:
Yesterday’s work and skill:
6 mile trail ruck and trout fishing.
EMT in my church quit to take a job driving a trash truck to get a little better pay, but to actually get medical coverage. How you like them apples?
PS
Trout fishing is the kind of work a guy could get used to.
That is a very good point I hadn’t considered. Thanks.
Agreed, but somehow in the confusion there were reports of a gun being waved around, hence the armed police response. But we had a pretty bad terrorist attack a few years ago, so that’s probably a part of the fear response.
Great idea.
Tricky, as there are lots of rules about this, but I have a very small pen knife with me.
Know the rules, push the boundaries of the rules, be discreet. If u get searched & a blade is found just be sure it’s within bounds of the law…
Next thing they’ll try to regulate the size of tree limbs we can leave in our lawn - blunt weapon storage laws or some shit. Neighbor kids might pick one up and beat someone u know…
F’n restrictions on knives pisses me off. When I was in 1st damn grade I had a Case XXX in my pocket every day. It came out if something needed cut. Teacher occasionally asked to borrow it. Times sure have changed…
Motivational Monday: " My gym is where my feet land"
This is what I carry:
The D.A.R.K. (Direct Action Response Kit) Gen 3 trauma Kit is a small package that contains everything you will need to save a life. The D.A.R.K. was designed with simplicity under stress kept in mind. It comes complete with a Gen 3 Molle pouch that has a shear retention strap on either side to hold a set of medical trauma shears, a Gen 7 CAT (Tourniquet) and the following:
1 pair Nitrile gloves, size L,
1 pair HALO Seals,
1x Nasal Airway,
1x 4” Israeli Bandage,
1x QuikCLot Combat Gauze LE or ChitoGauze XR Pro(MIL-SPEC Kits contain QuikClot Combat Gauze MIL)
1x Compressed Gauze
1x Mylar Blanket
Polycarbonate Eyeshield (current USMC issue eye shield and is recommended by the Committee on Tactical Casualty Combat Care)
1 x Ten Tac Med Tips Assessment Card
1x TCCC Casualty Documentation Tool
1x 14 Gauge ARS Decompression Needle
QuikClot Combat Gauze MIL
Electricity off for a few hours in NYC.
What if widespread for several days?
Not EOTWAWKI, but no electricity or other services for several days.
Can you stay at 98.6 if it is mid winter?
Fresh water? Any water?
Any way to deal with human waste? Question - have you ever defecated without a toilet or paper?
Food and any way to fix it?
40 stitch cut, but no way to get to doctor - what do you have in supply/skillset?
What if on coast and this drags out 2 weeks?
What if in city and people start getting freaky because they haven’t done any planning or sourcing?
No zombies, marauding gangs, martial takeovers - just temporary loss of utilities.
My IFAK is:
2x SOF Wide tourniquets
2x Olaes bandages
2x chest seals
Medic scissors
All available from Tactical Medical Solutions.
My range kit and/or supplemental bag build on the above with additional gauze, pads, tape and quick clot gauze for hemorrhage control, gloves, cpr mask and a space blanket for shock.
I used to all the time. I let my parents talk me out of it for some silly reason I can’t remember.
The med kit question is a very interesting one. My med kit also came with the cpr mask, I kept it stuffed with rubber gloves, and when I first got it and knew I knew how to use every item in it properly, I felt real pride. I’ve been very lucky to have pretty good combat medical training over the years, and have been on a couple of courses where a lot of money was spent making it maximally realistic (actors who were vets that had had amputations following combat injuries with prosthetics that shot blood everywhere, simulation minefields, flares, guys firing all around you and screaming at you etc). I couldn’t have asked for more to be better prepared.
As a non-EMT though, on both occasions where I’ve had to apply a tourniquet I have forgotten to put on gloves. Both times there was blood absolutely everywhere, in my eyes, nose and mouth, my arms were covered up to my elbows. Both times I never realised that I had forgotten to put on gloves. I suspect the same would be true if I had to do cpr, that I wouldn’t be fiddling around trying to apply the face mask to avoid skin on skin/skin on puke/skin on blood contact.
I don’t mean it in a reckless way, but as someone who isn’t dealing with people dying badly regularly in the way an EMT is, there is a shockingness/immediacy to seeing someone dying quite quickly in front of you as their blood fountains that makes dealing with the injury more important than getting the gloves on. I was surprised how personally I took their survival in the situation.
Good Post. NYC, no power for 48 hours anywhere, communications down, police have only talkies, no way for public to call in. Talk about “self defense is a human right". I am sure” His Honor" would have the situation well in hand. Goes back to the basics: Always be prepared.
Well said. Even trained individuals will sometime go catatonic on their first major bleed out. Taking it personally is just natural to someone who gives a shit, having someone you are working on die out, is as bad as killing someone in the first place.