The class started at 10 am and lasted into the afternoon. The classroom at Shooter's World offered a great environment for this class. Plenty of room and all the resources we needed. We were given a brief outline of the entire medical process from injury to the hospital, however for the class we focused on a few critical procedures to keep ourselves or friends / family alive until other emergency help arrives

The class was taught by John "Chappy" Chapman, and Yancey Harrington. Two instructors who have 'been there, and done that' so we weren't simply learning from people who had only read about the subject. Their knowledge exceeds what we learned in this one day class, and they did a good job of keeping the class on topic while providing us some real world tactics to stay alive in and after a fight.

Students paired up and were given some new equipment to use in class. One lesson we learned is the importance of training the right way with the actual equipment we plan to carry.

Starting with the basics means starting with the simplest gear.. sterile gauze. There is more to treating a wound than pressing down on it however and while this was an abbreviated class we did learn some simple yet effective lessons about how and why to apply dressings in the field.

Chappy is obviously comfortable with this course of instruction and while not scripted he was able to efficiently demonstrate some various methods of applying a sterile dressing to an appropriate wound

Next in complexity and next in order of treatment is an compression bandage. We discussed how and why the various brands are packaged, how to open them correctly and of course why, when and how to apply them to a wound

The preferred bandage presently is the H bandage, while others work well in the field, the obvious advantages of the H bandage were evident to us as we used the various brands and types of compression bandage on ourselves and our partners

Treating another person is simple when compared to treating yourself. Some tips and techniques were offered to make treating yourself possible when there is no other option

Students learned to treat wounds all over their body, which is interesting and a real eye opener. It's not as easy as it may sound to wrap a bandage around yourself even without any pain and blood.. this really made the importance of this type of training obvious

Cavalry Arms has introduced their own tourniquet and we learned why it was designed and how to stow and deploy it properly. Of course a tourniquet is a last case option, but a very necessary one under the circumstances we might encounter in a shooting situation

There is no perfect piece of kit, so we discussed the other options along the way. another tourniquet offers features the Cavalry Arms does not so it's recommended to carry two for the various situations we might encounter

Some gear however is plain garbage, and rather than simply dismissing all of it, we were entertained with a quick demo on why some of the stuff on the market does not belong in our med kits. This kind information alone is worth the time and cost of a class like this, it could literally save your life by keeping junk out of your hands in a crucial time.

After describing the tourniquets we practiced using them. There is a correct way to put one on, and of course a correct way to use each style. we covered them all and practiced them multiple times on both ourselves and others

Learning when, why and how to apply a tourniquet is a crucial piece of knowledge that again made the time and cost of the class worth while. Knowing what to do, and how to practice allows the students to take home knowledge that can literally save lives

We did not stop for a lunch break, but we did stop for a few breaks which gave us time to chat and catch up. Many of the students had trained together at prior shooting classes and most of us knew each other from the various shooting websites

Cavalry Arms knows that medical equipment can be hard to find at any price, so they work with a few partners who offer their supplies

About half way through the class we moved the tables to create some floor space and we practiced treating ourselves and our partners. Students went through a series of scenarios which allowed practice of various treatment on various parts of the body which illustrated the reasons why this kind of practice is critical. Bandaging your own arm while laying down is not close to as easy as it sounds..

We did more practice applying the various levels of aid to ourselves and others. While laying down, and under simulated combat conditions. Knowing how to apply aid sitting at a table in a chair is nothing like trying to apply aid to another person on the ground while you are both lying flat to hide behind cover

Past treating the serious wounds we touched on the 'after action' of medical treatment, including assessing the patient to look for more wounds, etc. All the while keeping aware of our situation assuming we might be treating ourselves or others after a shooting incident

Shawn from Cavalry Arms was there too and offered some information about their new products and alternative items they have begun to stock for putting together low cost kits that can be placed around the house, workplace and automobile. For more information on Cavalry Arms and their medical supplies, contact them or shop one of their many partners www.CavalryArms.com

None of the students left thinking they were Paramedics, but they did retain a few new skills to use the medical gear most of us carry effectively to save ourselves or those around us. We also learned the importance of further practice with the gear we plan to carry. Training like this is invaluable, and while this abbreviated training was presented as a fund raiser for Cavalry Arms, LMS Defense does offer a full two day Defensive Medical training class. One is planned for Arizona later in 2008, or if you have a few students interested in a  class sooner, contact LMS and see about scheduling one.

www.LMSdefense.com

This LMS Class was held at Shooter's World in Phoenix. It's just off I-17 so it was easy for those of us from Tucson to find and centrally located for students in Phoenix. The classroom was comfortable and the selection of shooters supplies and tactical gear is unmatched by any other gun shop I've seen in Arizona or anywhere else

Shooter's World
3828 North 28th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85017
Located at 28th Ave. & Indian School, West of the I-17
602.266.2600
www.azshootersworld.com

Shooter's World features 46,000 square feet of retail area dedicated to firearms, firearm accessories & gear, ammunition, apparel, safes, knives, and much more