Fast Response Bag.

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Fast Response Bag

I don't see much value in this idea. If you are seconds from a shooting situation, and you are a police person, you darn sure should have on you, what you need.
Fumbling around in some bag for emergency RIGHT NOW needs, does not seem prudent to me.
 
I’m not a cop, but I can see the need.

If all your toys are strung out all over your car/house and someone yells, "All hands," It would be darn good to have all the stuff you need in one grab and go kit.

Thanks for being there for us.
 
Mannlicher wrote:

I don't see much value in this idea. If you are seconds from a shooting situation, and you are a police person, you darn sure should have on you, what you need.
Fumbling around in some bag for emergency RIGHT NOW needs, does not seem prudent to me.
Click to expand...

Well, I have been accused on more than one occasion of going forth carrying more hardware than Isaac Hayes character "Hammer" in "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka!", but even I don't routinely carry enough Rifle mags on my person for a prolonged fight.

Unless you are Military in a Combat Zone, or SWAT on a call, you likely don't either. It's just not practical.

As an adjunct lesson to this, do you know why LEOs carry a Pistol the whole time they are On Duty? Because it is impractical to carry a Shotgun or Rifle!

It is a noble sentiment to not depend on the 'Magic Bag' from the car for an unanticipated fight. That is not what the Fast Response/Go Bag is for. It is for those little extras when you have a little Notice that trouble is coming. If you have time, you grab the Shotgun/Rifle. If you have that much time, wouldn't it be nice to grab enough ammo to keep the long gun going for more than one Magazine?

Futuristic
 
Thus the recommendation for my simplified version... Instead of bringing the whole world and a squadron of mall ninjas in your bag it should really just contain ammo/mags, a light, a knife, and a crowbar (and something to use as a torniquet or quick clot).

Ammo for shooting, light for lighting, knife for... well, all sorts of things, and crowbar for breaking things/people. You could omit the crowbar; I just happen to like the utility of being able to bust doors, windows, and suchlike for a hasty bugger off from inconvenient locations. Just a 12 or 16 incher would do.
 
I decided to go out and get all of the stuff mentioned in this thread and I think I just went over the 1/2 ton limit on my truck.
 
While I have no need for this type of bag myself I do like the suggestion of something like quick clot. I've always kind of wondered why people's emergency bags seem to have things like little shaving sized bandages and anti-itch creme. I wasn't familiar with it and that actually looks like something worthy of being called emergency gear.
 
Sorry that it's taken me so long to get back to this thread.

I see a lot of ideas here that I would not have thought of. Some of those ideas are not going to be feasible for what I have in mind. Some might work, but I'm taking it in a different direction. And some, I'm going to use.

For example, a small black Sharpie type marker would be a good idea. Low weight, marks rooms that you've cleared, and marks tourniquet times. Also could be a triage device, if you're medic trained (I'm not, officially.).

The crow bar is a great idea to have in the car. I'm shopping for the right one to get, but will in the end probably go the old cheapie route. I should keep one in the car for getting into wrecked vehicles, anyhow. It's just too damned heavy to carry in a fast bag.

Extra magazines for distribution. If I could guarentee that the other officers were from my department, that would probably be a good idea. But in my little town, backup usually comes from a deputy or a cop from the town next door. No one knows what type of weapon or caliber that his backup will carry, except in long guns (everybody carries a 12 ga, almost everybody carries a .223 semi auto rifle.). My duty gun is (blech) a Glock .357 sig. The deputy who backed me on an open door the other night had a Springfield Operator .45 acp. Our BUGs didn't even match. :)

The question was asked about a loadbearing vest. It's a good option. I won't deny it. Jeff White (whom I respect the opinion of) likes to use them, with extra body armor. We do keep an extra tac vest in the car, and I could try to hang all of this stuff off of the tac vest. I have several reasons why I don't want to do that. First and foremost is laziness. I don't practice tactical techniques daily. Why? Well, I've got a life that demands that I attend to other things. So, while I shoot more than most cops, I'm not running around with tactical gear on, practicing assaults on buildings, much. Tac vests are worn on the body, and the gear is not immediately apparent to the wearer. In a light bag, one can simply take cover and LOOK into the bag. Also, a light response bag can be transferred to another. The bag can be left at a staging area. The bag can be supplemented to a vest. The bag doesn't interfere with the stuff on the belt. The bag doesn't hide one's badge of office. The bag is discreet, for when the "All Clear" comes down, and we stand down, exiting with cameras in our faces and soccer moms driving by. (The model that we use on Active Shooter training is for a school shooting. Let me tell you-- you park ONE cop car in front of a school, you get upset looks and calls from parents. Two patrol units parked in front of a school will cause a whole-scale panic, with 911 lines tied up.) I also like the idea of having the oversized web belt along to sling up a downed person for evacuation. Let me tell you-- moving a 250 cop with a team of 4, while keeping yourself aware of your surroundings, is a chore. A sling around the chest would ease that a LOT.

I plan to try out the LBV option. Who knows? I may find it the best option.
 
I don't see much value in this idea. If you are seconds from a shooting situation, and you are a police person, you darn sure should have on you, what you need.
Fumbling around in some bag for emergency RIGHT NOW needs, does not seem prudent to me.
Click to expand...

I understand the sentiment, too, Manlicher. Really, I do. But does that mean that I shouldn't take the extra seconds to grab a long gun in the case of an active shooter, too? While I'm proud of my skills with my pistol, I don't kid myself that I can always (or even most of the time) take on a rifle-wielding bad guy (who doesn't, by the way, care about IFF or backstop) with my pistol. Frankly, it would be foolish and arrogant of me to do so. Most of us can probably make good hits on a man-sized target at 100 yards with a cheap Marlin .22 LR. But try that with a pistol, and you'll find that it's a challenge, especially with moving targets and adrenaline. (And a Glock! Blech! Yech!) Better grab the long gun-- be it the patrol rifle or the 12 ga. with sights, slugs, and sling. While you're doing so, why not grab the bag and sling it over your shoulder?

Add in that the training calls for at least two-man teams. One of y'all is going to get there first, and probably will wait a second. Why not just run in solo? Well, for one thing, if you run in and get shot too, you've just added to the armament of the bad guys and even given them a cop uniform to confuse the issue. You've made one more problem for your mates to evacuate and worry about, and even if you don't get shot, you're moving WAY too slowly and ineficiently, and you've put a good-guy into the zone of fire, which your mates behind you have to watch out for.

Oh, trust me, if the baloon goes up and I'm not in the car, I'm not running out to the car to "gear up" before addressing the threat. But if we're about to enter the unknown from the outside, knowing only that the bad guys are in there killing people, it behooves us to take the extra second or two to assure that we can address the threat effectively.
 
I carry all of my active shooter response equipment on a plate carrier. It's not a complete LBV, (I have one, a Paraclete RAV for Tac Team use).

I have a Diamondback Tactical plate carrier with level IV ceramic plates. There are two pouches that each hold 2 AR magazines and a blow out kit (trauma kit). It takes just a couple of seconds to don the plate carrier and I've got everything I need. The rest of the equipment (light, extra pistol mags, multi tool etc.) are already on my duty belt. If the AR comes out of the rack the plate carrier goes on.

Over the years I've experimented with carrying an extra rifle magazine on my duty belt (the Bianchi UM84 double column pistol mag pouch holds a 20 round AR mag almost perfectly if you remove the plastic insert), a bandoleer that I coud thow over my shoulder as I exited the car with the rifle and a coulpe methods of carryin an extra magazine on the weapon.

The plate carrier is the best solution I've found for my needs. With it, I get extra armor protection and the ability to carry extra equipment that I might need in a way that's easily accessible. It rides high enough to allow me to access everything on my duty belt which means I don't have to carry extra pistol mags and other things on the vest or use a drop leg holster like you do with some tactical vests.

The OD plate carrier does look kind of funny with my light blue uniform shirt, but if the situation has deteriorated to the point where the rifle comes out, I'm not worried about things being color coordinated. Forutantely I work for a small agency and there are no real uniform nazis like there are in many big departments.

Jeff
 
Related Problem

Jeff White wrote:

The OD plate carrier does look kind of funny with my light blue uniform shirt, but if the situation has deteriorated to the point where the rifle comes out, I'm not worried about things being color coordinated. Forutantely I work for a small agency and there are no real uniform nazis like there are in many big departments.
Click to expand...

This is a symptom of a related and serious problem. There was a time when an Officer picked up a Long Gun as soon as they got out of the car at the first thought of trouble. Now, we assume that if an Officer touches a Long Gun, the 'World is Ending' because that is the only circumstance under which many Officers are ALLOWED to grab the Long Gun.

I've said it before, 'Do you know why every Cop in America wears a Handgun all day long at work every day? Only because a Rifle or Shotgun is too inconvenient!!!'

We should be encouraging Officers to grab the Long Gun for most 'Tactical Situations'. Think about it, would we be seeing 51 shots into a car if half the Officers on scene had 12 Gauge Pump Guns? The shear Firepower advantage of a Long Gun is a Fight Ender, not to mention the possible Intimidation Factor. It's the same argument we use to allow Hollowpoint ammo: the fight will be over quicker, with less collateral damage. (Yes, less collateral damage, even with Rifles, because Officers would be Practicing with them and Using them much more often.)

Futuristic
 
(...Yes, less collateral damage, even with Rifles, because Officers would be Practicing with them and Using them much more often.)
Click to expand...
(...and hitting what they're shooting at more often, which has a nice habit of stopping their projectiles.)
 
OK. Trying to think but it won't be easy. Bag isn't in front of me. I have a slightly larger bag (Galls large duffel type bag). It has at least:

Camelback with water & spare camelback bladder (gets hot in AZ, you may need less but remember that tactical ops, perhaps with full armor take alot out of you even up north)
all the rest of my pistol mags loaded & a couple of boxes of ammo (we only carry one pistol, maybe you have two?)
all my AR mags loaded & a Blackhawk mag carrier that will velcro around any belt (duty belt) or will attach to my vest (I need one for the extra pistol mags)
some 12g buck and slugs and a stock mounted ammo cuff and some more in a small ammo pouch
a spare light (Stinger) & a small task LED red light
spare batts for radio, night vision, GPS, and lights (might be an all-nighter)
a couple of power bars
small medical kit with several military trauma dressings (on the camelback should strap)
a small compass, whistle, handcuff key and small light all on a dummy cord adn in a military compass pouch. Strobe in another one. (Both on the camelback in the back)
Small laser pointer
Mirror (signal type, I'd like to have the real look around the corner type)
T paper in a ziploc bag and some baby wipies
a leatherman
clear glasses and sun glasses both in hard cases, on of which is on the camelback
headgear (flop hat in the summer or watch cap in winter, maybe cold weather gear if you are up north)
small poncho (many uses)
spare gloves (I'm always losing one)
spare handcuff and many flexcuffs
any extra less than lethal (baton in my case as we only have to carry one and I carry the OC)
latex gloves
some miscellanous fixer upper stuff like electrical tape, duct tape, a hose clamp or two, some wire, and some 550 nylon cord
pen and pad
small binos or monocular
usually have a few magazines or books (you may have some tarmac time)

That's all I can think of right now. Obviously, I'd grab the bag plus my duty belt and vest(which will carry some items). I also have a larger medical bag that would come along, mostly trauma and airway stuff, but I'm a former Medic so most guys wouldn't carry this.

The duty bag usually stays in the truck, while I load what I think I will actually need in and on the camelback or my vest and duty belt. It may change for day or night, etc.
 
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Futuristic,
Our policy is to use the long gun whenever the officer feels he needs it. Believe me it is employed in every tactical situation. And the hard plates go on when the rifle comes out.

I suppose you'll have to define tactical situation for me so we can decide if we're on the same page or not. Anytime I know I'm dealing with an armed suspect, a felony vehicle stop etc. I have the AR.

Jeff
 
new 2007 Blackhawk catalog-SWAT items...

I just got my new copy of the 2007 Blackhawk gear catalog. Blackhawk is a well known VA based company(started by a former US Navy SEAL) that offers a lot of high speed stuff that you may want to look at, www.blackhawk.com .

As far as food stuffs you may want to pack 2 or 3 MREs or maybe some high protein energy bars. I saw an ad for a new type energy bar in SOF(Soldier of Fortune). I do not recall the name but pick up a copy and look at the ad. ;)

Rusty

:D
 
Wow. I have so clearly NOT made the point of what this bag is for.

nemoaz describes a great extended duty duffel, with some good ideas to bring along for stakeouts and the like, but does that thing come with rollers?!?

RustyShackelford suggests MREs. Might be nice to keep in the trunk for extended stakeouts or perimeter posts, but NOT for my little light response bag. NO FOOD.

This a bag for a first responder to grab and git with, to respond to an immediate threat.

Yes, I keep a patrol bag. Yes, I keep water in the car. Yes, I believe in keeping high energy snacks in my patrol bag. (Found that the local food mart was selling big packs of Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds for $.50/pack. I bought 6 today to put into my patrol bag.[I recommend the jalepeno variety])

Yes, I'm going to put a crowbar into the car, and am strongly considering a Ti one. But NOT in my fast bag. Here's the deal-- if I roll up first to an active shooter, I'm grabbing the best long gun that's handy, and that bag, locking up the car, and getting to the door to listen. As soon as I've got a single cover unit, we go in, fast and hard. The idea is to let this donut eater have SOME mobility left, while giving some more tools. If I find, while my cover is rolling up, that I've grabbed the shotty rather than the AR, then the AR mags go into a planter, or a mailbox, or behind a bush. No unnecessary weight, PERIOD.
 
Here's the bag exactly: http://www.galls.com/style.html?assort=general_catalog&style=BG185 No rollers necessary. :) It's easy to carry, but it's not the sort of thing you run with for two miles.

The camelback is one of the smaller ones, Hawg I think. It is easily carried, is suitable for a run, and kinda sort serves as LBE also when you put a pouch or two on the shoulder and kidney belt. An over the shoulder bag could substitute for the camelback except you cannot carry water as easily. That may not be as big if you don't live in Southern AZ. Here, without water you die.
 
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I like what you have so far and certainly the other options that have been posted are also good here are my additions.

A good pair of cuff's I would suggest the ASP style but whatever you want to spend, they come in handy for more than just detainment too you might be suprised.


Dont go cheap on your flashlight I would trade extra ammo for a better light

Might consider some sort of Less than lethal option either a stun gun or pepper (I dont know what kind of enviroment your working in)



NOW some other options that I have heard people tossing into these things but have mixed feelings about

1. A cheap pre-paid cell phone preferably with a different carrier than your primary phone. A buddy of mine did this with the same phone MODEL but different provider so he could swap batteries but still had diversity of service

2. Small concealable .38 revolver, I think the idea behind this idea was to arm a trusted allie.

3. An airsoft grenade that launches hundreds of those little 6mm bb's. To be used either as distraction or impromptu less than lethal, I am pretty against this but seems interesting to think about.

4. Loud body alarm, never know when noise my be helpful


EDIT


OK well after re-reading I realized your a cop with a lot of this stuff actually on your belt so you already have cuffs and OC and stuff. Anyway I will keep the post unedited incase anybody else finds it useful.
 
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Is there some reason why you're taking a 5-round box of buck for the shotgun instead of a 5-round box of slugs?
Click to expand...

ALERRT Active Shooter school teaches door breaching with 00 buck not slugs. if you are going to an active shooter incident at a school chances are you will need to breach doors.

i like my 12" Remington 870 SBS with Mesa Tactical stock and a Viking two point sling for that job.

also ive seen that Eagle Active Shooter bag. really i dont like it. i cant believe Eagle made it to tell you the truth. i think a Maxpedition Fatboy or similar "man purse" would work much better.

i prefer to use a plate carrier with pouches in lieu of an active shooter's bag. the individual MOLLE pouches allow you to stow gear in separate pouches thus eliminating the need to fumble around for the thing you need at that given point in time.

off the top of my head, i remember my active shooter school recommending:

-eye bolts to secure doors that open outwards or some sort of door chalk
-silly string to check for the presence of monofilament trip wire
-extra 00 buck
-a few extra pistol mags
-a few flex cuffs
-flashbangs, if your dept will issue them to you
-basic first aid kit which is a compression bandage and a big gauze pad
-small battery powered light like a SureFire G2 or 6P, and maybe an extra set of batteries
 
DOOR STOPS!! I forgot about those! I'm going to keep a couple of rubber or vinyl wedge type stops to put in the bag. Makes self-locking doors stay open, and makes pie-slicing easier to do correctly.

Maybe a spool of monofiliment. Thinking of the cost-benefit of that. (I keep 5/50 cord.)

PM coming.
 
nemoaz, I have one of those bags. I've used it extensively since 2000. It's called a Patrol Bag.

It's a huge (HUGE) frickin' bag. It's great for keeping my gear organized in the cruiser, especially for when I occasionally have to move from one car to another. I keep all of my paperwork forms in it, like a briefcase. I keep extra cuffs, zipties, rope, water, security belt, rubber gloves, lights, and the like in it. It's got extra ammo. It's got bandage scissors.

And if you think that I'm grabbing that monster to run with into a fast response type situation, then you're smoking some gooooood stuff. :)

Smaller. Lighter. Faster.
 
Because it sounds like we’re talking about an on-duty response, we already would have handguns, backup and full size flashlights, armor and the Bat Belt full of stuff, as well as uniform pants with extra pockets in the legs. I keep my rifle in the trunk in a case that has an extra pistol magazine and 4 extra rifle mags. Assuming I’m going to be one of the contact guys, all I’m planning to do is grab the rifle and an extra rifle mag or two to put in the pants pockets and go. It’ll take about 5-10 seconds more than getting out on a routine call. I can get anything else on the fly. There will be enough junk in the halls and closets to serve as doorstops, I can drink water from the sprinklers that will be going off all over or slurp it from the floor, rip clothes if I need bandages. Yeah, I know, we can do a bunch of what if’s with booby traps, etc., but almost all of the junk is going to have been dropped in plain view in the hallways by scared people trying to escape. The only thing I would consider waiting for is another person or two, but that’s about it. Won’t be pretty.

If I’m out of my car, oh well, no rifle, but I’ll already have all my other stuff.
 
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