Law Officer Volume 6 Issue 6 In a critical incident, people revert to their life’s training and experiences to react effectively and efficiently—sometimes referred to as “muscle memory.” In a gunfight, mere tenths of seconds can make the difference between who lives and who doesn’t. That’s why we conduct firearms training, right?
Law enforcement officers are required to remain current in first aid and CPR. Being current means doing refresher training every two years. The vast majority of cops I know would prefer to never have to put that training to actual street use, let alone use it to save the life of another officer. However, what if you found yourself in a situation where the life of your partner depended upon your ability to rapidly and properly place a tourniquet or pack a wound? Would you have the equipment necessary to save your partner’s life? If you did have the equipment, would you know how to apply it under the extreme stress of knowing that your failure to do so could result in the death of your partner?
For many, the answers to either one or both of the above questions may well be “no.” For those, there’s a very simple, cost-effective solution: the MOJO LE Range Ops Bag by Combat Medical Systems. This kit is the brainchild of Brad Gilpin, a highly trained tactical medic and former law enforcement professional for a well-known, three-letter federal law enforcement agency. Gilpin’s background in military, law enforcement and tactical emergency medical care makes him qualified to provide a cop-proof trauma kit that will save lives. One of Gilpin’s often-quoted truisms is, “If your emergency medical plan consists of calling 9-1-1, you don’t have a plan.” The range operations bag can and should be a part of an emergency medical plan.
The LE Range Ops Bag is a fluorescent-orange, zippered nylon bag that opens like a briefcase. The exterior has reflective silver stripes and a battery-powered red LED strobe light that is approximately the diameter of a quarter. These features make the kit easy to locate in the dark (say, for instance at a low-light qualification shoot at a range). The bag opens out and has three compartments that lay flat on the ground, trunk of a car or other surface.
There are nine consecutively numbered and labeled directions. Each direction, in order of importance, includes a simple two-to-five word direction (e.g., “expose wound,” “pack in wound/apply pressure”) and the equipment required to follow the direction given (e.g., gloves, scissors, combat dressing, QuikClot Combat Gauze, CPR mask). The first direction—“call for help”—even includes a clear plastic sheath that is designed to display a piece of paper with the address, emergency numbers and emergency point of contact of the training location. This would be helpful for a remote training facility.
Although primarily designed for a traumatic injury, such as a gunshot wound, the kit also includes several supplies for more mundane first-aid, such as Band-Aids, sunscreen, burn cream, insect repellant and hand sanitizers. The ability to carry both trauma gear and basic first-aid supplies together in an easily stored kit makes this ideal for the trunk of all patrol cars. At a minimum, every police range should have this kit.
MOJO LE Range Ops Bag
Pros
• Simple step-by-step instructions
• Rugged, high-visibility carry bag
• Easy to resupply
• Portable, easy to store
Cons
• None noted
CONTACT
Combat Medical Systems
910/426-0003
Choose 50 at www.lawofficer.com/rs.