I attended CavMedic's class today at Riley and wanted to give some quick thoughts without being too long-winded about it. I had been trying to make it to one of these courses for a while and just hadn't succeeded for one reason or another. I can say that I'm really glad I finally made it.
I thought the class flowed in a very smooth and logical way. CavMedic starts with the initial priorities of stopping the threat and applying a tourniquet before progressing down the line to assessing the victim in a more methodical way. I think most people in the gun world are aware of tourniquets and their general use but CavMedic gave some very good information and tips that I had never heard before. There is definitely more to tourniquet knowledge than just slapping it on and tightening it down.
The next portion of the class was tactical field care. Without going too deeply into the details, CavMedic provided a ton of useful information about basic care of injuries, body positioning, airway protection, broken bones, shock and numerous other things I'm probably forgetting without having my notes handy. All of these things were very important immediate steps to take until a higher level of care can take over.
Honestly, this review could be very long, so I'll stop here and just give the advice to attend one of these classes. There is a lot of information presented so note-taking is a must. With that being said, I didn't feel like it got too far into the weeds to where it became hard to manage all the information. I think CavMedic presented the class in a logical and useful way without burying us in unnecessary details. I also didn't feel like there was anything presented that was outside the ability of the average person. It was also stressed that the concepts presented were not just useful in a one-off mass casualty event like an active shooter. These skills could be used for range accidents, car crashes, accidents at home, mishaps at work, or just about any accidental injury situation. The likelihood of being involved in a shooting is extremely low compared to the likelihood of being present for such an injury situation.
I want to end this by saying "great job" to both CavMedic and his stunt dummy, Phil. Both of them were very knowledgeable in answering the questions that came up and gave plenty of opportunity for those questions. I can say that I didn't leave the class feeling like they just glossed over anything or that I was unclear on any of the material presented.
As Tim Kennedy says, the goal is to let the blood out of the bad guys and keep the blood in the good guys. This class covers the second half of that, and much more.
I thought the class flowed in a very smooth and logical way. CavMedic starts with the initial priorities of stopping the threat and applying a tourniquet before progressing down the line to assessing the victim in a more methodical way. I think most people in the gun world are aware of tourniquets and their general use but CavMedic gave some very good information and tips that I had never heard before. There is definitely more to tourniquet knowledge than just slapping it on and tightening it down.
The next portion of the class was tactical field care. Without going too deeply into the details, CavMedic provided a ton of useful information about basic care of injuries, body positioning, airway protection, broken bones, shock and numerous other things I'm probably forgetting without having my notes handy. All of these things were very important immediate steps to take until a higher level of care can take over.
Honestly, this review could be very long, so I'll stop here and just give the advice to attend one of these classes. There is a lot of information presented so note-taking is a must. With that being said, I didn't feel like it got too far into the weeds to where it became hard to manage all the information. I think CavMedic presented the class in a logical and useful way without burying us in unnecessary details. I also didn't feel like there was anything presented that was outside the ability of the average person. It was also stressed that the concepts presented were not just useful in a one-off mass casualty event like an active shooter. These skills could be used for range accidents, car crashes, accidents at home, mishaps at work, or just about any accidental injury situation. The likelihood of being involved in a shooting is extremely low compared to the likelihood of being present for such an injury situation.
I want to end this by saying "great job" to both CavMedic and his stunt dummy, Phil. Both of them were very knowledgeable in answering the questions that came up and gave plenty of opportunity for those questions. I can say that I didn't leave the class feeling like they just glossed over anything or that I was unclear on any of the material presented.
As Tim Kennedy says, the goal is to let the blood out of the bad guys and keep the blood in the good guys. This class covers the second half of that, and much more.
