Range First Aid
The caveat: I am not teaching anyone anything, I am not certifying anyone in anything. I am sharing my opinion regarding first aid in a hobby that we all enjoy.
Range First Aid falls into two categories:
Blow out or Boo-Boo.
The decision can be made quickly upon seeing the injury pattern. A bullet in a body is generally a blow out. You need a blow out kit and you need to know how to use it.
A blow out kit will address the three killers in field trauma. Field trauma is GUNSHOT WOUNDS for all intents and purposes. If you read any of the Tactical Combat Casualty Care guidelines (THE authority on which all current battlefield trauma protocols is based) you will find that the vast majority of preventable battle field death is due to hemorrage from a limb. Then Tension Pneumothorax, then airway problems.
You don't have to be a paramedic to stop the bleeding, start the breathing. That is what the Individual First Aid Kit or IFAK is for. It should have at the MINIMUM, a tourniquet, (Either a CAT or Soft T) packing gauze and occlusive chest seal.
You SHOULD know how to use the gear. (Tourniquets are no longer the "boogey man" they once were. We know that tourniquets save lives. Stopping bleeding is no longer a secondary concern. It is a primary concern especially in gunshot injuries. Current tourniquet times have exceeded 6 hours without loss of function from the battlefield. Tourniquets are many times first line treatments any more. (See TCCC recommendations.)
Weather we shoot recreationally or train to defend ourselves, this hobby carries inherent risk. That risk is ventilation of ourselves or someone else on the range, in the home, in a gun fight. Have you ever stopped to consider what you would do in the event of catastrophic injury?
We know from studying the battlefield that the preventable deaths occur from:
1) Bleeding out from a limb injury
2) Tension Pneumothorax
3) Airway obstruction
A typical first aid class can miss the vital interventions that can mean the difference between life and death in trauma. If you carry a gun, you MUST be familiar with the tools and techniques that are can save lives. It's folly to think that you can prevail in a gun fight without getting wounded. (As it applies to a range setting, an errant shot should be an embarrassing learning experience and not a deadly one.)
We spend hundreds of dollars on a carry gun, ammo, holster, and training. I recommend you spend $160 to get yourself a GOOD kit that has the tools you need in the event of the unthinkable.
The kit that I've decided to carry is from Dark Angel Medical. It's a no-nonsense pack. It holds a pair of gloves, chest seals, quick clot gauze, plain packing gauze, nasal airway, trauma shears, and a CAT Tourniquet.
Buy the kit, then learn how to use it:
Youtube CAT Torniquet Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3-WnRUi5UZIYoutube
Halo Chest Seal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZcKpOI_3KR0Youtube Quick Clot Packing Gauze
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Cj4gSDivxt0
Take a class. Dark Angel Medical does a fantastic job with this stuff. Professional, friendly, and based in evidence based medical practice, everything Kerry Davis teaches is the good stuff.
The biggest take home point is this: Keep the life saving gear where you can get to it NOW. Leave the boo-boo stuff in your big kit in the car/home. Eye injuries, hypothermia, shock, burns, etc are all important to know what to do, but saving lives on the range due to TRAUMA of a bullet wound is simple. It requires a simple but specialized kit. Get one, carry it, learn how to use it.
I will be doing a Shooter casualty class as part of the course offering at Adaptive Defense Concepts in NW Ohio as well. Stay tuned for that. ADAPTIVE DEFENSE CONCEPTS
I am a SWAT Doctor for a regional Tactical Team. I am a former Navy Physician, and have 10 years of experience in Emergency Medicine. I am an NRA Certified Instructor. My kit is the D.A.R.K from Dark Angel Medical, LLC.
First aid for workplace bumps and bruises is important too, and little things like band aids and bandages go a long way. Maybe some burn cream, antiseptic like peroxide or betadine, or even motrin or tylenol is nice to have. A few band aids, some gauze, some kerlex, and tape is good to have. Saline solution for eye wash is also a plus.
I like having redundant stuff in my kit. I like to have maxi pads. Not only can you put them on pretty sizeable cuts and scrapes, but you never know when someone may need one for what they're designed for. Duct tape is awesome to have. I prefer Gorilla Tape. It seems to last longer. You can use duct tape to hold on gauze and to hold on chest seals.
Consider some multi purpose bandages: Israeli Bandages and/or Olaes Bandages from Tactical Medical Solutions are good ones to look into. The Olaes are a bit bigger, but for a range kit or car kit are pretty good to have.
Here is the video for the Olaes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om_xyrA4ClA
First aid truly is a custom needs type deal. If you have any injuries you usually see, I would be happy to tell you what gear I would use to treat that in the field. (If you think that would help.)
Thanks for reading.
RJ