tourniquet

My current non-firearm everyday carry

My EDC used to be heavier than it is now, but I’ve learned to ‘cut the fat’ through training, practice, and education. My EDC is a pretty basic setup compared to most, but that is because I prefer simple which leads to being habitual with carrying it. Every morning I walk down the steps, into my office and take my EDC items from my EDC tray and it all goes into my pockets.

In my front left pocket in my Streamlight Protac 1AAA handheld flashlight. In my front right pocket, I keep my folding utility knife, which could be used for self-defense if it came down to it and my Chums minimalist wallet. In my back, left pocket is my SWAT-T Tourniquet. The subject of tourniquets can become somewhat of a debate depending on who you talk to. The SWAT-T works for me and has proven to be the best low-vis type tourniquet for me. I’ve trained with it and am comfortable with using it. I also wear a bad-ass watch from either Resco Instruments or NFW watch company which levels up your whole EDC.

JTactical Tuckable Tourniquet Pouch for law enforcement and military

The real test of a newly designed piece of gear, in my mind, is a two-part question of its function.

Is there currently a problem?
Does this piece of gear solve that problem?

JTACtical identified a problem through his experience as a Law Enforcement Officer and his experiences in the military. The problem was that he was having a hard time finding a good way to securely carry tourniquets on his body armor without sacrificing attributes that were important to him. Having a TQ near the centerline, a universal fit for all plate carriers, flexibility for different types of TQs, and protection from the elements.

JTACtical designed the tuckable tourniquet pouch. It answered the call and solved the issues he was having. It is an excellent option that fits the needs of having TQs readily accessible and protected and it does it without costing you any precious molle space.

Author – Wes Nanny is former Marine with combat deployments to Afghanistan. He is now pursuing a career in law enforcement.

AlphaPointe Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet (TMT)

When it comes to personal preparedness in today’s world, one of the most highly recommended items that a person should carry is a tourniquet (TQ). Originally designed for use and application in the combat environment, the TQ has evolved to become easily accessible and usable by the average layperson in any situation.

One company that has thought outside the box when it comes to the TQ, is AlphaPointe Tactical, the manufacturer of the Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet (TMT). The TMT was designed with ease of application and reliability in mind during what could potentially be your most stressful and mentally challenging situation.

The TMT was designed for “true one-handed application” unlike many of the tourniquets on the market today, and it fits into the current field TQ carrier, eliminating the need to purchase extra accessories to place into service.

AlphaPointe’s TMT is so effective, that during a comparison study on seven different extremity TQ’s by the Naval Medical Research Unit, the TMT was one of the only TQ’s to have little-to-no blood loss after five minutes of application; and this was done at a lower pressure than others! Even the popular and highly recognized CAT tourniquet (Combat Application Tourniquet) was shown to have 100mL of blood loss after the same period of time!

Below are some of the features of the Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet (TMT):

True one-handed application for upper & lower extremities

Co-poly resin acetyl with IR/UV protection

Weighs 2.9 oz

TMT’s signature “Audible Click” when securing the torsion bar

Wider band ( 2”) for occlusion at lower pressure (less force and turns of the torsion bar)

Easy to separate for two-handed application, with no “tail” to thread through a buckle under stress.

Dual locking mechanism to prevent slippage or inadvertent release

Author – Tony Kuhn, full-time firefighter/paramedic.

Dark Angel Medical | Why Training Tourniquets Are Important

Real-world tourniquets are designed for real-world situations. Use a ‘training’ tourniquet for training.

Shop Now for Tourniquets

Civilians in combat: Preparing yourself medically

Gun control is a topic swirling in the hearts and minds of many Americans today. Will restricting the use of firearms help lower the amount of mass shootings? Or will it enable the shooters who procure illegal firearms to meet less resistance? One thing most everyone can agree on: these situations are always going to be a possibility, one way or another. When that happens, an increase in medical training for the average person would severely reduce the loss of life.

Former Army Ranger medic Jessie Milaski has worked as a paramedic for the past four years. “Mass shootings are always going to be a threat,” he says, “but accidents happen too. Someone falls in the shower right through a glass door, you could have a life threatening bleed on your hands. You can’t prevent everything.”

He stresses the importance of medical preparedness in the context of trauma. CPR is mandatory in a lot of high schools around the country, it would make sense to initiate similar programs in regards to gunshot wounds and similar injuries. If children are taught to apply tourniquets, pack wounds and assess their handiwork, they would become an asset to emergency personnel should a life threatening incident occur.

In 2015, the White House started the Stop the Bleed campaign. It is an effort to educate and train bystanders to effectively control bleeding and potentially save a life, teaching skills like tourniquet use and packing wounds. They also cover basic positioning and airway management–all skills “that you can realistically treat.”

“If you’re not trained, you’re not going to be useful. It’s that simple. I know guys that still think using a shoestring as a tourniquet is better than nothing, or using tampons can actually help to stop bleeding. No. Get trained and don’t take shortcuts.”

Another, more in-depth option for medical training is through the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT). They offer TCCC certified courses that may be a more practical choice for those with some prior first aid or medical experience. Milaski was sure to recommend this to veterans who kept up with their combat first aid training and wanted to be an invaluable asset in a crisis.

“It’s also incredibly important to continue to train,” Milaski reminded me, “Medical skills are perishable, and if you learned something a few years ago, you’re going to need to brush up. Don’t expect things to magically come back to you in the heat of the moment. I’ve been consistently practicing some form of trauma medicine for about eight years and I’m still constantly refreshing myself on the basics.”

With a growing number of medically skilled civilians, Milaski also recommended venues keep first aid kits with the bleeding basics nearby. They often have AEDs prepositioned in key locations, but “having the means to stop bleeding could be just as useful. I’m talking concert halls, airports, schools, malls… really, any public place where something could happen.”

Find classes in your area.

Featured image courtesy of DVIDSHub

*Originally published on SOFREP and written by Luke Ryan

My top four battlefield tips and tricks

I’m sure we’ve all seen the soldier in a movie (or real life) with his two magazines taped together upside down or the dude rocking the single knee pad so he can retain freedom of movement. My personal favorite comes from the days before Magpul Industries when high-speed dudes used to tape 550 cord to the bottom of their magazines, creating a makeshift literal Magpul so they could extract their mags from pouches easier. But seriously, what are the best tips and tricks that are relevant to modern combat of the modern age? The following are in my opinion some of the best that come to mind but I’m sure there are others out there that I have yet to discover; always learning, never static.

Expedient tourniquet placement: Having your TQ in a location that is readily accessible can mean the difference between life or death. Your teammates may not always be able to get to you and render aid during a firefight so be able to provide self-aid if you are capable is incredibly important. There are several methods to tackling the obstacle of finding the best location for your TQ and to be honest it’s all dependent on the individual’s personal preference. I personally prefer to strap one to my rifles buttstock if I’m able and to have second exposed on my body; currently the latter is located on my battle belt via a quick release molle strap. OEF/OIF vets are all to familiar with the classic rubber banding it to a shoulder strap on the armor carrier which can be good as well but again in the spirit of personal preference I like to keep my shoulder space clear. I’ve even seen guys cut holes in their uniforms so they can run them through set location (as high as possible) on all four limbs so all they require is a few twists to apply them (not sure I recommend that one but to be fair I’ve never tried it). There are a lot of options out there to accomplish this but find what works best for you.

Tape and lube: Ok, while you won’t see me running around with a roll of duct tape and a can of WD-40, I will always carry weapon lubricant and electrical tape plus some 550 cord and maybe some zip ties, they’ll basically accomplish the same thing or provide the same solutions. I keep the roll of electrical tape on my battle belt via a carabiner so I can access it at a moment’s notice, I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to strap down a piece of gear or hastily repair some form of equipment in the field and that small roll of tape has more often than not been the solution to the problem. Sure a mini roll of Gorilla tape or Duct tape would be better but I’ve never had trouble finding electrical tape in the third world and it’s the perfect size to carry exposed without worrying about it getting in the way. Weapon lube can be a lifesaver when a machine gun or rifle starts malfunctioning, this lesson I learned the hard way but you won’t catch me without some in the field now to include my cleaning kit. One particular incident that comes to mind, I was manning an MG3 machine gun in a turret during a firefight and the damn thing just kept jamming and I mean bad! Nobody brought lubricant (derp, boot move) so finally, someone ran some motor oil over to me and applied that shit to the internals graciously. Sure enough, it was up and running, functioning flawlessly after that. But thank Allah it didn’t need to remain operational longer than it did; if the fight had lasted longer than it did we could have been in real trouble. So don’t forget to bring lube.

550 cord laces: I always replace my boot laces with paracord. Not only does it generally increase longevity over standard boot laces, but in a pinch, you have paracord on hand; minus the loose boots you’ll have to clunk around in. Hey, that’s just the way it goes sometimes. If you lose your kit and find yourself in an escape/evasion scenario some paracord might just be what the doctor ordered. Be sure to make the excess material (the portions you use to tie your boots) fairly long, this way you don’t short yourself and you can always tuck them in so they’re out of the way. Also given the properties of paracord, you can tie your laces together and use them to saw through zip-tie cuffs by making a friction saw (fun fact) so don’t be stingy with the material.

Specialized tools: Depending on where I am and what I’m doing, I will carry specific equipment that if I ever needed in the situation I would be ecstatic to have in my kit. For instance, while with the Peshmerga I always carry an expended 12.7mm DShK casing because if the charging handle for a DShK mount is broken you can load the weapon and rack the bolt back using a casing via an insert on the right side of the weapon. Sure you could use one of the rounds already belted up, but it can sometimes be very difficult to break them free from the belt. Plus if taken from anywhere but the ends of the belt, it will create a stoppage at some point, it’s much easier to pull one out of my pistol pouch and use that when under pressure and my adrenaline is pumping. Another thing I always carry is an M2 Browning machine gun go/no-go chuck. Having a headspace and timing gauge can be a real godsend since they are incredibly rare here and the M2 requires one to be maintained and operated correctly/safely. Combine these with a multi-tool and there are few problems I can’t solve between these two weapon systems. Specialized equipment can come in many variations and is entirely dependent on situation and mission.

I’m out of ninja tricks so here’s a bunch of solid tips:

Buy quality footwear, your feet are your life
Bring baby wipes everywhere
Use foot powder regularly, again take care of your feet
The last three rounds minimum in your magazine should be tracers
Wear the same camouflage as everyone else, blend in
Use quality gloves, cant fight with messed up hands plus guns get hot with prolonged use
Use a weapon that shares a common round with whoever you’re working with, if you run out you’ll be happy you did
Carry extra water and food, sometimes a re-supply doesn’t happen
GPS’s are great but a map and compass are king, sometimes electronics fail
Laminate anything made of paper that you can’t afford to lose, rain or not shit happens
Tape the spoons down on your grenades just in case but fold the end so you can pull the tape off with ease
Don’t buy cheap gear if you’re planning on staking your life on it
Tie or tape down anything that makes noise
Keep your workspace/gear tidy (don’t look like a mall ninja gear bomb)
Use quality eye protection, if you can’t see, you can’t fight (antifog spray is pretty excellent as well)
Use quality socks and change them often, again feet
Your weapon is your life, so take care of it
If it’s reflective or shiny, you have no business wearing it

If you’ve got some solid tips or tricks feel free to post in the comments!

*Originally published on SOFREP