After returning from my overseas tour, I was given an assignment within the training unit at my agency. It didn’t take long before I realized that there were some shortfalls to the First Aid and Self First Aid program we were offering.
The most outstanding concern was the lack of training concerning the use and deployment of a tourniquet. After taking a good look at our program, I proposed a lesson plan, which included the purpose and use of the tourniquet. It was approved after a short review and the trend began. Slowly, I was able to affect the entire agency, by exposing them to tourniquet training.
This is when I realized the enormous communication gap between our Military and Law Enforcement agencies. I began a personal campaign to bring attention to the fact that our soldiers (young as they may be) are considered trainable in combat life saving skills by our government and most of the Law Enforcement agencies in our country consider this type of training,”out of the realm or scope” and perhaps too difficult.
[Read More…]
We just received an email this morning about our ETA Trauma Kits being used out in the field to save a life. Here’s the account of the incident from the first responder. As he states, certain details have been left off, including his name and location.
I’d like to apologize first for the lack of proper medical terminology as I’m only trained minimally and anything beyond that is self taught. Due to OPSEC I have to be brief on my story, sorry.
None the less, we were under fire, seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. Making use of rubble as cover during a rain of fire, I noticed my buddy next to me hit the ground, getting hit with what looked like two ricochet rounds. Making sure all the targets were neutralized and covered, I then rushed to my buddy to assess his injuries. [Read More…]
The suspense that’s been killing some of you is finally lifted! We’re stoked today to announce our ETA Trauma Kit Pouch made exclusively for us by Zulu Nylon Gear!
The ITS Tactical ETA Trauma Kit Pouch was born out of the necessity in developing both a pouch that could hold our Vacuum Sealed ETA Trauma Kit, as well as the individual components of the kit if the end user needs to break the seal, or wants faster access to certain items.
We worked with Zulu Nylon Gear for nearly a year to design what we feel is one of the best medical pouches on the market today. With a simple pull on the red handle, the pouch quickly filets open to provide immediate access to your medical components without delay. [Read More…]
To quote the late comedian Mitch Hedberg, “You know that Pepperidge Farm bread, that stuff is fancy. That stuff is wrapped twice. You open it, and it still ain’t open. That’s why I don’t buy it, I don’t need another step between me and toast.”
Well that’s exactly how an Israeli Bandage is wrapped. You may asking yourself why this is important, so allow me to elaborate and to also explain the new changes in the 4″ Israeli Bandages. [Read More…]
Have you ever heard of mountain sickness? Altitude illness is very real, and effects even those who live at altitude. Mountain sickness is a direct result of lower barometric pressure and concentration of oxygen in the air. The lower pressure makes air less dense so your body gets fewer oxygen molecules with each breath.
It’s pretty rare to feel the effects of altitude below 6000 ft. Living, working, training or vacationing at altitude doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a period of time to become accustomed to it. If you’re used to sea level, chances are you’ll even feel the effects of altitude if you decide to fly in to the “Mile High” city for a Broncos football game. [Read More…]
The VALOR Project truly surprised me with information that changed what I thought I knew about self- and buddy-care in combat for law enforcement officers. Law enforcement shares many similarities with the military, though the missions are very different. Due to the the similarities, law enforcement frequently adopts methods, tools and techniques pioneered in military service.
Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), developed by the US military in the wake of the Battle of Mogadishu, is one of those protocols that is finding widespread acceptance in law enforcement. What if TCCC doesn’t properly prepare law enforcement officers for the realities of civilian combat? Is it possible that police officers are not learning the things they need to stay alive if wounded in combat?
That’s where the VALOR Project comes in. [Read More…]
This past weekend I had awesome experience of attending the ITS Tactical hosted Lone Star Medics Medicine X Course, which as the name implies, means to get yourself and any injury out of harms way and off the “X”.
Remaining static on a line at your local range can build bad training scars in my humble opinion. Training like Lone Star Medics provides not only gets you moving, shooting, communicating and thinking, but also throws in a surprise element not found in many tactical training scenarios; unforeseen care under fire. [Read More…]
We’re thrilled to host our first medical course exclusively for readers here at ITS Tactical! Instruction will be provided by Caleb and his crew at Lone Star Medics and take place Saturday, May 7th thru Sunday, May 8th.
Our Medicine X course will be held on a private range just outside of Weatherford, TX. The physical address will be disclosed to those registering for the class. There will be a limited amount of seats for the class, so be sure to get your registration in soon if you’re interested.
Below you’ll find information on the course, cost, prerequisites and an equipment list. [Read More…]
We were able to get a sample of the new QuikClot Z-Fold Combat Gauze LE at the SHOT Show this year and have been scrambling trying to find out the details for our readers.
It seems that this is the replacement for the standard “Rolled” Combat Gauze that Z-Medica is currently manufacturing and designed specifically for Law Enforcement and First Responders. The Z-Fold Combat Gauze has been available for Military and Law Enforcement only for some time; distributed solely through Combat Medical Systems.
We’ve offered the Military and Law Enforcement only Z-Fold Combat Gauze as an option on our ETA Kits and are truly excited that it’s finally looking like this Z-Fold Combat Gauze is going to be replacing the standard Combat Gauze. [Read More…]
We’ve just received a brand new batch of SOFTT-W Tourniquets after a brief absence from the ITS Store. You may remember our previous post on the voluntary exchange that was issued by Tactical Medical Solutions around a month ago so they could upgrade the webbing.
Below we’ll go over the changes that we can see visually between the new SOFTT-W and the older model. Most notably the webbing received an upgrade, but the windlass appears to have a better grip as well.
Along with our new tourniquets we also received a letter from Ross Johnson, CEO of Tactical Medical Solutions, which we feel is important to share with everyone. This letter also went to everyone that had sent in a tourniquet for replacement. [Read More…]
Recent Comments