TFAC Update - Full Day Course May 8th

AAR on Tactical First Aid Course  

I attended the tactical First Aid Course put on by Josh Smith of Strike First on March 20th.  I have to say I was really impressed with what I learned.  In the past I have always avoided first aid courses because they just weren’t as exciting as sending stuff down range.  I have to say, I was wrong.  This is one of those courses that is a must attend for any gun owner and their family.  It was evident from the course that he has been there and done it in IRAQ as well as having the latest knowledge being taught in the DOD community.

This course is not just about gun shot wounds (GSW).  It is about any bleeding or first aid emergency that you could get around the house, camping or in a car accident.

I have multiple Blow Out Kits (BOK) with tourniquets, bandages, hemostats, etc. I even have a video on how to use everything.  But I did not have the knowledge on how to use it in a life and death situation.  I now feel very confident that I could save a life with my kit or at least give them a fighting chance until paramedics arrive.    I also know what to keep and what to throw out of my kits.

While this was only a half day introductory class, I walked away with a lot of practical information.  The best of which was hands on experience and application of the following (minus the decompression needle).  .  Until you actually practice this along side a knowledgably person, you don’t really know what you don’t know.

Some of the things we learned in no particular order include:

Time to form a stable clot
Time to bleed out from femoral sever
How to apply a TQ
Where to apply a TQ, how tight to apply.  Where not to apply
Patient’s response to TQ – how to handle it
Stopping bleeding in your hand
Biggest mistakes in applying a TQ
Stopping bleeding under your arm
Securing a TQ
Application when TQ is to large for a small limb like a child
Assessment and backing off.  When and how – femoral concerns


Direct Pressure Application
First response procedure for direct pressure
Gun Shot Wounds
Packing a wound
Marking a wound, size, time, notes, bleeding assessment


Hemostatic Agents

What works, what doesn’t (All the hemostatic agents I have are going in the backup drawer and being replaced with the correct type)
How, where, and when to apply.  When not to apply
How to get the agent in the wound

Sucking Chest Wounds
Results from penetrating wound into the chest cavity and introduction of air into the pleural cavity. Can lead to Tension Pneumothorax (TP)

Why and how of three sided and four sided occlusive dressings
Asherman chest seals
100MPH  tape application
How to diagnose TP, when TP occurs
How to perform needle decompression, location, application, plugs, depth to push, fluid flow to pop plug, etc.

This was the one area where I did not get any hands on practice.  I am looking for a volunteer for the needle decompression practice

I highly recommend this class and a TFAC class in general.  Every hunter, camper, hiker, or gun owner should know these basics.

“No training equals hesitation, equals loss of blood and life, Josh Smith”

Any idea when they are going to do another one? I was at a wedding on the 20th




Where are they located? I like OFA a lot, but the drive is a bit long - so if First Strike is in the PDX region I would love to go there.

I attended the course as well.  I can't remember when I spent a better $60!  It was an exciting class to be a part of.

Josh and his assistants displayed a depth and breadth of knowledge that really impressed me.  His knowledge (and actual experience!) of not just one system and type of equipment but several made the instruction significantly better than most.  This was no academic/booklearning course.  It was hands-on taught from extensive real-world experience.  His lively presentation and excellent visual and demonstration aids kept the class totally engaged.

On a side note, the course was scheduled to run thru noon.  But to cover the topics to his satisfaction, Josh and crew ended up going until 2pm.  Without complaint - essentially 2 hours of free extra instruction.  A professional team taking pride in doing an outstanding job no matter what it takes.  Thats an attitude one doesn't see much in these days of clock-watchers and bean-counters.

If (when) Josh decides to teach and advanced tactical medicine course, I'm THERE!

I was signed up and ready to go when I remembered I had a prior commitment that had been scheduled long before I found out about the class.

I am super bummed I missed it.

I was in the same boat.  I WILL sign up for the next class.  Please offer another one soon, there is plenty of interest.

Yah, I'd kinda like to take that class as well.  It'd be nice to have a west-sider's location...  Did anyone attending the class have prior formal medical training?  (like firefighters, ambulance jockeys, nurse, docs...   veteranarians
)



What's Josh's background/experience?  I grew up with a Josh Smith that ended up as a special forces medic mostly out of Japan I think...





cheers, Benji

Just post when the next class is !

Update on New TFAC Class

I spoke with Josh.  How does May 8 or 15 sound for another class?   May 22-23 is the Oregon Sniper Challenge, and June 5-7 is the Magpul Dynamics Handgun-1 class, so the next opportunity will be mid summer when we are all out playing.

This will be a full day class with more hands on positions, and added information. In the previous class (trial run), we did the practice sessions with people in sitting positions due to space considerations.  This allowed the patient to support himself which would not happen in the real world.  We will open up the room and have people lying on the floor, propped up, or you drag them to where you can make it work.  It is much mor difficult in my opinion to apply proper techniquie when you have to pack their weight.

If there is sufficient response, I will schedule a class.  If you don't like the dates provide some alternatives.

Also:  What other classes do you want to see?   I like learning new things - maybe an LRP class, SERE, Recon, etc.  The fun stuff we did when we were kids?

I am in for the next class on that date

May 8th please.

I would be interested to attend a May 8th class in the PDX area....

I would love to attend the class but the son's ball games go through May so no free Saturdays.

May 15th PLEASE ! May 8th is the PR 3 gun Match.

See the update at the top of the AAR for a new date - full day course