Respond The Right Way
News is coming in of a horrific attack inside the subways of New York City. Multiple people have been shot, and things are still confusing as to what exactly happened and just how bad things really are.
It’s very common after an incident like this to point fingers at New York’s famously restrictive gun laws, and think that if only the people in that subway station were armed, this might not have happened. That may or may not be true. What is 100% true, is that someone will have to deal with the effects of a human-caused mass casualty event, and if that someone is you, you’d better be ready for it.
Consider the photo above, taken in the immediate aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. What good is that Glock going to do in that policeman’s hand? Is it going to stop the bleeding? Will it save someone’s limb? No, of course not. A tourniquet and some bandages would have been much more handy than a sidearm in that situation. So it is after pretty much every mass shooting event.
Carrying the gear needed to save a life is not all that hard. I’ve carried the gear on the right for years on end, and I’ve carried through the checkpoints at the TSA and through every theme park in central Florida. Is it a full IFAK? No. Does it have enough gear to stop the bleeding and save a limb? Yes. Do I have the training to use that gear effectively in a stressful situation? Yes. Do I expect to use it? Good lord, I hope not.
But if I need to, I’ll be ready.
Look, maybe you’ll be in the right spot at the right time to make the shot and save countless lives by dropping an active shooter in his tracks. What’s more likely to occur in that scenario is you’ll be part of the team of actual first responders (aka the victims) and you’ll be called upon to save a life with your knowledge of improvised emergency medical care.
Will you be up to the challenge?