{"id":13973,"date":"2012-04-10T15:07:00","date_gmt":"2012-04-10T20:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/?p=13973"},"modified":"2012-04-11T08:09:19","modified_gmt":"2012-04-11T13:09:19","slug":"first-aid-gear-for-the-range-bag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/first-aid-gear-for-the-range-bag\/13973\/","title":{"rendered":"First Aid Gear For The Range Bag"},"content":{"rendered":"

About the Author:<\/strong> Andrew Tuohy served in the US Navy as a Hospital Corpsman HM2(FMF). After completing Field Medical Service School (FMSS) he was assigned to the 5th Marine Regiment. Today Andrew is the Firearm Technical Consultant at LuckyGunner.com<\/a>, where he tests their ammunition and ensures it functions correctly in a wide range of firearms.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The author instructing Marines on the treatment of abdominal injuries while deployed to Anbar province, Iraq, 2006.<\/p><\/div>\n

As an FMF Corpsman, and previously having worked in an emergency room, I have received training and gained experience related to the treatment of trauma victims in the pre-hospital setting. I have treated, and assisted in the treatment of, gunshot wounds from handgun, carbine, rifle, shotgun, and medium machine gun platforms, as well as penetrating and non-penetrating injuries and burns from blasts such as improvised explosive devices and artillery shell\/mortar round explosions.<\/p>\n

When it was suggested that I write an article about the medical gear I bring with me when I go shooting, I thought about how narrow that topic was. Yes, having the right gear is important, but it would be somewhat of a disservice to simply give a list of what’s in one of my medbags without covering other topics that could be essential during emergencies at the range or in the field.<\/p>\n

Whether you’re setting up a medical kit for the first time or you’ve already bought one, there are a few things that are probably not at the front of your mind. I’ll start from the top in terms of life-saving importance.<\/p>\n

Having a Plan<\/strong>
\nEmergencies, by definition, occur when they are not expected. Getting over the shock that something bad has happened can take time – often too much time. The sooner you call for help, the better off the injured person will be. But before the paramedics arrive, you need to take effective action. In order to do that, you should have a plan in place for how to respond to an emergency. It doesn’t have to be complicated.<\/p>\n

Preparing can be as simple as letting everyone know where the medical supplies are located and determining who has the best cell phone signal, if you’re traveling in a group. Have an idea of at least two people who can provide immediate first aid – if you only designate one, Murphy’s Law states that they are probably going to be the person who gets injured. When traveling as a pair, both of you should be ready to provide aid and call for help.<\/p>\n

If you shoot or hunt alone, make sure your location is known and establish a time for your return. This is an oft-repeated piece of advice, but the number of times it is ignored is surprising.<\/p>\n

Communications<\/strong>
\nThe very best thing you can do in the case of severe trauma is to get the victim to a higher level of care immediately. There is only so much you can do with the amount of gear you can fit in the trunk of a car or bed of a truck. None of that involves trauma surgeons and an operating room, along with three or four more doctors and a dozen nurses and technicians, all of whom are probably more “current” in terms of treating trauma victims than you or I.
\nWith that in mind, keeping communications with the outside world can literally mean the difference between life and death. For shooting ranges close to populated areas, this is less important, because there are probably land line phones nearby, which you can use to call 911. Even so, it’s a good idea to have a cell phone – and to make sure that you have service at the range.<\/p>\n

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Communcations are vital during an emergency situation<\/p><\/div>\n

When shooting or hunting in secluded areas, cell service can be spotty or nonexistent. I do venture to such locations quite frequently, and I am hardly ever without a satellite phone, a satellite tracking device, and\/or a VHF radio (which can be used to contact aircraft). While these devices sound expensive, they have come down in price in recent years. Satellite phones can be had for the cost of a mid-range rifle scope, handheld VHF radios for even less, and the satellite tracking devices are around $100. Another option is a ham radio, although they require training and licensing.<\/p>\n

If you shoot or hunt in remote locations that might require an air ambulance response, consider having signaling devices, too. Mirrors are exceptionally effective (if used properly) during daytime, and a glowstick attached to a short length of paracord, and swung rapidly in a circle, will help aircraft find you in the dark. However, there are many other ways to signal aircraft and I highly recommend researching this topic further.<\/p>\n

Training and Education<\/strong>
\nWhile not everyone needs to be a paramedic, having a basic understanding of human anatomy & physiology and emergency first aid techniques will help in a wide variety of situations, and having a trained person on scene with no medbag is better than having a medbag and no training or knowledge. It’s good to take classes from organizations such as the Red Cross, but in the meantime, picking up a few good books on the subject can’t hurt, either.
\nIn addition, knowledge of CPR is good to have – and CPR has become a lot simpler in the last few years. “Rescue breathing”, also known as \u201cmouth-to-mouth, has been removed from the equation, primarily because recycled air is not very helpful, and the pauses in chest compressions to allow “rescue breathing” are, in fact, detrimental. Therefore “continuous chest compressions CPR” has been shown to result in higher survivability rates. Plus, it can be learned quickly, and you don’t need to take a class to learn it, really – you’ll get a very good idea of how to do it from a simple and entertaining YouTube video:<\/p>\n

httpvh:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ILxjxfB4zNk<\/p>\n

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Protect Yourself First<\/strong>
\nRushing forward to help someone in the event of a catastrophe sounds romantic, but you should make sure that it’s safe for you to do so before you jump in. If the injured person has been shot, secure the firearm. Mechanical failures are rare, but an injured person continuing to pull the trigger of a self-loading firearm after an injury is not uncommon. Also, the injured person might be downrange after having been shot by a careless person on the firing line – make sure that they aren’t going to put any more rounds downrange before you go to help.<\/p>\n

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Nitrile gloves are the best choice for protecting yourself from bodily fluids, but shooting gloves will work in a pinch<\/p><\/div>\n

You should always have gloves with you at the range – nitrile gloves are a good choice. They will serve to protect your hands from bodily fluids, which you might soon come in contact with. You want to help your friend, but you also don’t want to find out the hard way that they brought home a few special gifts from that shore leave in Thailand back in the ’90s. Plus, you might be coming to the aid of a total stranger. Gloves are a must.<\/p>\n

Equipment & Supplies<\/strong>
\nHere we go: the supply list. It is, after all, the core of this article; yet even here, I must answer with several caveats. Buying a big medical bag loaded with a ton of stuff is tempting, but detrimental if it takes up too much room in your car and you end up leaving it at home. On the other hand, having too few supplies might also be detrimental.<\/p>\n

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A medbag (left) and an IFAK (right) serve different purposes<\/p><\/div>\n

This is the difference between having an individual first aid kit, or what the military terms an IFAK, and a true medbag, which can vary from the size of a purse to the size of a large backpack. IFAKs are commonly available online, but their asking prices sometimes exceed the value of the items they contain by a large margin.<\/p>\n

IFAKs are useful for treating one major injury, or, if you’re lucky, two. They are not intended to be used for a mass casualty scenario, and may not be enough for multiple gunshot wounds or other trauma. They are, however, extremely useful, they do not take up much space, and they do not cost very much to put together.<\/p>\n

Medbags can be used to carry the supplies required to treat multiple injured persons. They can be large and heavy, preventing the carriage of other items that might be more useful, such as water or ammunition. The supplies required to fill a large medbag could easily reach over $1,000. While deployed, I carried extra supplies in my medbag to replenish the supplies of other Corpsmen I encountered who did not have regular access to supply lines.
\nWhatever supplies you choose, you must understand their purpose, function, and application.<\/p>\n

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A typical IFAK (individual first aid kit) with supplies<\/p><\/div>\n

When I set up IFAKs, I generally include the following:<\/p>\n