One thing often tragically neglected by people who think they are prepared is the ability to respond to a serious causality incident, where a trauma kit and some knowledge of how to use it can save lives– even your own.
If the terrible events of the past several days have proven anything is that you can expect the unexpected to rear its horrible head when and where you least anticipate. In a world of domestic and international terrorism, if you live, work or play near a large city you can quickly find yourself in the middle of a nightmare where overtaxed first responders may not be available or are stretched too thin to control the situation until additional resources appear. On the opposite side of the coin, in a rural or suburban area where a small-scale accident or incident pops off, you could find yourself isolated with the nearest support vital minutes or even hours away. It’s these moments, where conventional civilian emergency medicine protocols fail, that are the most dangerous.
Thus, the need to be ready for trauma.
More in my column at Tac.44.com.
