thuong2lan
Newbie
Bullets and Bandages: Dark Angel Medical AAR June 26-28, 2015
Here are my thoughts on a class I attended in late June. I apologize for not being more timely but I just returned from a trip overseas.
Disclaimer: None. I am not associated with either Dark Angel Medical or Falcon Tactical. I have not received any course discounts or compensation from either entities or individuals.
Instructor: Kerry Davis of Dark Angel Medical (https://darkangelmedical.com ). Mr Davis is an an RN (Registered Nurse) with experience as a ER medic, Flight medic, and Officer Training School Instructor. He is the owner/co-founder of DARK Angel Medical. He is an instructor at Sig Sauer Academy where he teaches a similar class.
Coordinator: Matthew Shockley of Falcon Tactical. The website is www.falcontactical.net
For anyone not familiar with Falcon Tactical, it is a gem for training around the Houston area. The quality of the instructors and courses scheduled are phenomenal. There are upcoming classes with Mike Pannone, Sage Dynamics, Jeff Gonzales (Trident Concepts), Bob Vogel, Steve Fisher, William Petty, and Viking Tactics just to name a few. Mr Shockley is easy to work with and responsive to any questions/emails.
Course Registration: The course was $695, which included an IFAK from Dark Angel Medical. I thought the fee was reasonable considering it was 3 days, and that an IFAK was part of the cost. The IFAK was not just a bandaid package but contained numerous goodies; Nitrile gloves, HALO seals x1, Nasal airway x1, 4 inch Israeli bandage x1, Quickclot combat gauze x1, PriMed Compressed gauze x1, Mylar blanket x1, Trauma shears x1, and CAT tourniquet x 1. The price of this online without the course is $165. There was also an $80 range fee.
Location & Range Facilities: Eagle Lake, TX. The Range lies on a 400 acre property southeast of Houston. It has a lodge that was air conditioned and comfortable. The owner, Mr Nolan even made lunch for us and was very hospitable. Matt arranged for cold water and Gatorade each day and made sure we were comfortable both inside and outside. There were adequate tables and shade for everyone's stuff. A nice touch was a shed with an air compressor hose. The air hose was perfect for blowing out the dirt/debris from your clothes and gear.
Goal: understanding essential anatomy and physiology, and applying that knowledge to evaluate, identify, and provide aid (if possible) for medical conditions commonly encountered in the field. The following is the course outline (copied from the class description at Sig Sauer Academy)
Students: approximately 12-14 students for the first two days and 9 for third day. Some students could not attend the third day due to prior commitments. The student mix was great and interesting; web designer, software engineer, defense contractor, physician, veterinarian. Among the three women students, (one was an active LEO and the other was a rocket scientist!). There was even one student preparing for Ranger training. You could not ask for a friendlier group of people.
Personal Equipment:
•HK VP9
•IWI Tavor 16 inch rifle with Eotech optic, VTAC padded two point sling and Geissele Tavor trigger.
•Costa-HSGI leg rig. Arcteryx knee pads, Outdoor Research gloves, Sordin MSA ear pro,
•Camelbak hydration
•300 rounds of 9mm and 300 rounds of 5.56
Everyone else had AR type rifles, some with suppressors. One student had a 7.62 LWRC REPR and his partner had an SBR. Pistols were the usual mix of Glocks, M&Ps, HKs. Two students wore chest plates.
Goodies: Every student received a spiral booklet with ALL the slides that Kerry presented. This is a nice reference to review. The booklet is full of useful information. We all received a Dark Angel patch, sticker, and challenge coin. Most importantly, we all made new friends with Kerry and one another.
Class Description: This was a three day class. The first two days were didactic presentations of anatomy/physiology and injury concepts (airway, circulation, ballistic wounds, blood loss, penetrating injuries, pneumothorax, burns, snake bites, etc). While the thought of sitting in a class for two days may be daunting, I assure you that it is not only necessary but worthwhile. Since most of the students did not have a health care background, it was essential to teach the foundation of how the body works. From this, we learned what happens when the body doesn't work or fails. There were sufficient breaks during class to maintain focus. The third day was live fire while practicing first aid for ballistic injuries to self and others. The third day was cool (more later).
Instructor Review: I first knew about Kerry Davis via YouTube through the Trigger Time channel. I liked his low key personality and teaching style on YouTube. He was even better in person. Kerry Davis is a phenomenal teacher. I say this as someone who has taught numerous students and high level adults in the university for 11 years. I have been mentored by great teachers. Therefore I know a great teacher when I see one. Kerry is a great teacher. His personality is very friendly, funny when appropriate, and very approachable. Some teachers are stern and serious. Kerry is serious about his subject but teaches it in a personable and engaging manner. His teaching technique is highly effective. Kerry breaks down complex ideas into small digestible bites. He reinforces important concepts over and over but in a different way so that it is learned and remembered. He recognizes how to challenge students while also providing them with supportive feedback. This was very helpful for me as a novice shooter.
Class Positives: the medical didactic portion could have easily been a sleep simulator had Kerry not been the instructor. The concepts were many and a new language for some of the students. However, Kerry managed to present these challenging concepts in such a way that they were easy to understand and remembered. At random intervals during class, Kerry would yell out "Tourniquet, right arm (limb injury would vary among all four extremities)". We all dropped our pens, grabbed the TQ and applied it to the wounded extremity. This random drill kept everyone engaged and focused. It also was perfect practice for day three when we had to TQ ourselves and others during live fire. We also learned how to apply chest seals, pack wounds properly, and use different types of dressings and tourniquets. We practiced on ourselves and with a partner. Kerry brought tons of props for us to practice. There was a fake limb with entry/exit wounds for dressing packing, numerous practice tourniquets and Israeli bandages, different types of chest seals, etc
What Kerry emphasized was how we could improvise if the medical equipment was not available. I saw a new purpose to plastic wraps, chip bags, book covers, etc.
Day 3 was awesome! Mr Shockley reviewed safety and medical evacuation protocols. We all geared up for the range and started the day with pistol until noon. After lunch, we transitioned to carbine. Approximately 200 rounds were fired for each. Once Kerry felt that everyone was warmed up and had good safety skills, we began incorporating shooting with rescuing. Each drill added on to the next until we had the prerequisites to perform more complex tasks. The last day was an integration of how to apply our newly learned medical aid skills while returning fire. Although I signed up for the class to learn from Kerry's medical aid experience, I was pleasantly surprised by his skills in also teaching shooting.
Sample drill: while firing at a threat, your dominant hand (DH) is wounded. You had to continue engaging the threat with only the support hand (SH) until slide lock. Then you ran to cover and use the SH to apply the TQ tight to the RH. Once TQ was on, you reloaded with SH only and re-engaged the threat and assess. We did this iteration while changing which limb was wounded. To perform this complex drill, Kerry had us drill with both hands firing, then one hand firing, then running to cover, then reloading with one hand. Only when we showed proficiency with each step was the TQ application added.
Another cool drill was with a partner. Partner A is wounded. Partner B provides suppressive fire while (A) crawls to cover. (A) tries to TQ the injured limb but loses consciousness. (B) continues to engage the threat until neutralized, then notices (A) has passed out. (B) now performs TQ application and evaluates (A) for additional injuries, revives (A) and reloads and assesses the scene.
Following lunch, we used the carbine and repeated many of the same drills. This was the most difficult portion as performing single hand manipulations and firing a carbine with only one hand was very challenging. Kerry would start timing us once we became proficient with the mechanics.
I cannot overstate how amazing this course was.
CLASS NEGATIVES:
I wish we had more time for live fire drills with rescue. The hot weather was taking its toll. Although the class time was necessary, I wished we had a little live fire during the first two class days. Ending each class day with a some shooting would have been ideal.
The range was a little difficult to find. I somehow was not on the email list for more precise directions and so my GPS led me to a nice pasture field on the first day. However, Matt was able to voice guide me by cell and I drove early enough to still make the class only 10 minutes late.
LEARNING POINTS:
•bad things happen when someone shoots at you.
•worse things happen when you are wounded while still fighting
•you only have seconds to stop bleeding before losing consciousness (depending on the size artery). We saw a video of a femoral artery wound where the man passed out within 17 seconds of being wounded due to blood loss.
•Carrying IFAK or a TQ at minimum is more important than a spare magazine. It is a must. You have no time to run to the car and grab the kit. It must be on your body or your body will cease to function.
•Skills we learned applied not only to GSW but many other more common injuries (car accidents, fractures, etc)
•"Stop the bleeding, start the breathing" and "HIgh and Tight (positioning of tourniquet)" are vital concepts to remember.
•Hydration in these classes is so key. I wore a Camelbak and sipped constantly. Others who only drank during breaks suffered much more. I felt alert and not as tired as many others and I believe my hydration played a big factor.
•shooting an AR effectively with one hand is highly challenging. AR manipulation (releasing magazine, reloading, charging, safety, etc) with one hand is also difficult.
EQUIPMENT LESSONS
•really, really need to carry a TQ on your body.
•Staging a TQ properly makes all the difference. "Staging" refers to how you fold the TQ and where you place it. Proper staging allows rapid access and application. For example, I folded my TQ improperly before one of the drill. When I tried to access it, the TQ came out quickly but was twisted so I lost valuable seconds unraveling the device. I could have bled out during the 25 seconds extra time.
•There are many types of TQ, not all are equal.
•Single handed firing with a carbine is very difficult. Everyone had significant difficulty reloading with one hand. Even greater difficulty was re-engaging the threat with the carbine using only one hand. The front-heavy weight distribution of the AR was a challenge, especially if the AR was front loaded with suppressors, flashlights, lasers. On the other hand, I had much less difficulty (still not easy) with either reloading or re-engaging with my Tavor bullpup. The ergonomics of the Tavor are superb for both clearing malfunctions and balancing with one hand while firing.
•One student had FTF with his HK P30 LS. This student simulated falling when wounded and had his pistol slide open when it fell. The range was red dirt and some dirt must have contaminated the firing mechanism. This malfunction resolved after field stripping and air blowing the internal mechanisms.
CONCLUSION: If you use a firearm, then you need this class. I believe that part of being a responsible gun owner/user is to learn how to treat ballistic injuries, period. It is just as important as muzzle control and trigger safety. I came into the class expecting to learn how to save a life or a limb with ballistic wounds. My expectations were more than fulfilled. I not only learned how to use field medical equipment but also learned how to improvise when such tools are not available. I expected that Kerry Davis would be a good teacher for tactical medicine. What I did not expect was the bonus of him being a very good firearm instructor as well. The combination of live fire and rescue maneuvers amped up the stress level (in a good way) and left me wanting and needing to learn more. Prior to this class, I usually had an IFAK nearby (in the car, range bag, etc) but it was not always accessible urgently. Now, not only is the IFAK on body or within arm's reach, but I actually know how to use each component. Thank you to Kerry for the education, to Matt for the course arrangements, and to my fellow students for the camaraderie.
Here are my thoughts on a class I attended in late June. I apologize for not being more timely but I just returned from a trip overseas.
Disclaimer: None. I am not associated with either Dark Angel Medical or Falcon Tactical. I have not received any course discounts or compensation from either entities or individuals.
Instructor: Kerry Davis of Dark Angel Medical (https://darkangelmedical.com ). Mr Davis is an an RN (Registered Nurse) with experience as a ER medic, Flight medic, and Officer Training School Instructor. He is the owner/co-founder of DARK Angel Medical. He is an instructor at Sig Sauer Academy where he teaches a similar class.
Coordinator: Matthew Shockley of Falcon Tactical. The website is www.falcontactical.net
For anyone not familiar with Falcon Tactical, it is a gem for training around the Houston area. The quality of the instructors and courses scheduled are phenomenal. There are upcoming classes with Mike Pannone, Sage Dynamics, Jeff Gonzales (Trident Concepts), Bob Vogel, Steve Fisher, William Petty, and Viking Tactics just to name a few. Mr Shockley is easy to work with and responsive to any questions/emails.
Course Registration: The course was $695, which included an IFAK from Dark Angel Medical. I thought the fee was reasonable considering it was 3 days, and that an IFAK was part of the cost. The IFAK was not just a bandaid package but contained numerous goodies; Nitrile gloves, HALO seals x1, Nasal airway x1, 4 inch Israeli bandage x1, Quickclot combat gauze x1, PriMed Compressed gauze x1, Mylar blanket x1, Trauma shears x1, and CAT tourniquet x 1. The price of this online without the course is $165. There was also an $80 range fee.
Location & Range Facilities: Eagle Lake, TX. The Range lies on a 400 acre property southeast of Houston. It has a lodge that was air conditioned and comfortable. The owner, Mr Nolan even made lunch for us and was very hospitable. Matt arranged for cold water and Gatorade each day and made sure we were comfortable both inside and outside. There were adequate tables and shade for everyone's stuff. A nice touch was a shed with an air compressor hose. The air hose was perfect for blowing out the dirt/debris from your clothes and gear.
Goal: understanding essential anatomy and physiology, and applying that knowledge to evaluate, identify, and provide aid (if possible) for medical conditions commonly encountered in the field. The following is the course outline (copied from the class description at Sig Sauer Academy)
- Mind and body reactions to environmental stress
- Maintaining the combat mindset
- Basic anatomy and physiology of life-sustaining systems
- HABCs – hemorrhage, airway, breathing, and circulation
- Individual Med Kits (IMK): what you need and how to use it
- Basic first aid and advanced wound care, including use of tourniquets
- Recognition and treatment of injuries
- Response to an active shooter situation
- Proper use of cover vs. concealment
- Recovery of a casualty during active shooter situations
- Emergency Medical dialect and lingo
Students: approximately 12-14 students for the first two days and 9 for third day. Some students could not attend the third day due to prior commitments. The student mix was great and interesting; web designer, software engineer, defense contractor, physician, veterinarian. Among the three women students, (one was an active LEO and the other was a rocket scientist!). There was even one student preparing for Ranger training. You could not ask for a friendlier group of people.
Personal Equipment:
•HK VP9
•IWI Tavor 16 inch rifle with Eotech optic, VTAC padded two point sling and Geissele Tavor trigger.
•Costa-HSGI leg rig. Arcteryx knee pads, Outdoor Research gloves, Sordin MSA ear pro,
•Camelbak hydration
•300 rounds of 9mm and 300 rounds of 5.56
Everyone else had AR type rifles, some with suppressors. One student had a 7.62 LWRC REPR and his partner had an SBR. Pistols were the usual mix of Glocks, M&Ps, HKs. Two students wore chest plates.
Goodies: Every student received a spiral booklet with ALL the slides that Kerry presented. This is a nice reference to review. The booklet is full of useful information. We all received a Dark Angel patch, sticker, and challenge coin. Most importantly, we all made new friends with Kerry and one another.
Class Description: This was a three day class. The first two days were didactic presentations of anatomy/physiology and injury concepts (airway, circulation, ballistic wounds, blood loss, penetrating injuries, pneumothorax, burns, snake bites, etc). While the thought of sitting in a class for two days may be daunting, I assure you that it is not only necessary but worthwhile. Since most of the students did not have a health care background, it was essential to teach the foundation of how the body works. From this, we learned what happens when the body doesn't work or fails. There were sufficient breaks during class to maintain focus. The third day was live fire while practicing first aid for ballistic injuries to self and others. The third day was cool (more later).
Instructor Review: I first knew about Kerry Davis via YouTube through the Trigger Time channel. I liked his low key personality and teaching style on YouTube. He was even better in person. Kerry Davis is a phenomenal teacher. I say this as someone who has taught numerous students and high level adults in the university for 11 years. I have been mentored by great teachers. Therefore I know a great teacher when I see one. Kerry is a great teacher. His personality is very friendly, funny when appropriate, and very approachable. Some teachers are stern and serious. Kerry is serious about his subject but teaches it in a personable and engaging manner. His teaching technique is highly effective. Kerry breaks down complex ideas into small digestible bites. He reinforces important concepts over and over but in a different way so that it is learned and remembered. He recognizes how to challenge students while also providing them with supportive feedback. This was very helpful for me as a novice shooter.
Class Positives: the medical didactic portion could have easily been a sleep simulator had Kerry not been the instructor. The concepts were many and a new language for some of the students. However, Kerry managed to present these challenging concepts in such a way that they were easy to understand and remembered. At random intervals during class, Kerry would yell out "Tourniquet, right arm (limb injury would vary among all four extremities)". We all dropped our pens, grabbed the TQ and applied it to the wounded extremity. This random drill kept everyone engaged and focused. It also was perfect practice for day three when we had to TQ ourselves and others during live fire. We also learned how to apply chest seals, pack wounds properly, and use different types of dressings and tourniquets. We practiced on ourselves and with a partner. Kerry brought tons of props for us to practice. There was a fake limb with entry/exit wounds for dressing packing, numerous practice tourniquets and Israeli bandages, different types of chest seals, etc
What Kerry emphasized was how we could improvise if the medical equipment was not available. I saw a new purpose to plastic wraps, chip bags, book covers, etc.
Day 3 was awesome! Mr Shockley reviewed safety and medical evacuation protocols. We all geared up for the range and started the day with pistol until noon. After lunch, we transitioned to carbine. Approximately 200 rounds were fired for each. Once Kerry felt that everyone was warmed up and had good safety skills, we began incorporating shooting with rescuing. Each drill added on to the next until we had the prerequisites to perform more complex tasks. The last day was an integration of how to apply our newly learned medical aid skills while returning fire. Although I signed up for the class to learn from Kerry's medical aid experience, I was pleasantly surprised by his skills in also teaching shooting.
Sample drill: while firing at a threat, your dominant hand (DH) is wounded. You had to continue engaging the threat with only the support hand (SH) until slide lock. Then you ran to cover and use the SH to apply the TQ tight to the RH. Once TQ was on, you reloaded with SH only and re-engaged the threat and assess. We did this iteration while changing which limb was wounded. To perform this complex drill, Kerry had us drill with both hands firing, then one hand firing, then running to cover, then reloading with one hand. Only when we showed proficiency with each step was the TQ application added.
Another cool drill was with a partner. Partner A is wounded. Partner B provides suppressive fire while (A) crawls to cover. (A) tries to TQ the injured limb but loses consciousness. (B) continues to engage the threat until neutralized, then notices (A) has passed out. (B) now performs TQ application and evaluates (A) for additional injuries, revives (A) and reloads and assesses the scene.
Following lunch, we used the carbine and repeated many of the same drills. This was the most difficult portion as performing single hand manipulations and firing a carbine with only one hand was very challenging. Kerry would start timing us once we became proficient with the mechanics.
I cannot overstate how amazing this course was.
CLASS NEGATIVES:
I wish we had more time for live fire drills with rescue. The hot weather was taking its toll. Although the class time was necessary, I wished we had a little live fire during the first two class days. Ending each class day with a some shooting would have been ideal.
The range was a little difficult to find. I somehow was not on the email list for more precise directions and so my GPS led me to a nice pasture field on the first day. However, Matt was able to voice guide me by cell and I drove early enough to still make the class only 10 minutes late.
LEARNING POINTS:
•bad things happen when someone shoots at you.
•worse things happen when you are wounded while still fighting
•you only have seconds to stop bleeding before losing consciousness (depending on the size artery). We saw a video of a femoral artery wound where the man passed out within 17 seconds of being wounded due to blood loss.
•Carrying IFAK or a TQ at minimum is more important than a spare magazine. It is a must. You have no time to run to the car and grab the kit. It must be on your body or your body will cease to function.
•Skills we learned applied not only to GSW but many other more common injuries (car accidents, fractures, etc)
•"Stop the bleeding, start the breathing" and "HIgh and Tight (positioning of tourniquet)" are vital concepts to remember.
•Hydration in these classes is so key. I wore a Camelbak and sipped constantly. Others who only drank during breaks suffered much more. I felt alert and not as tired as many others and I believe my hydration played a big factor.
•shooting an AR effectively with one hand is highly challenging. AR manipulation (releasing magazine, reloading, charging, safety, etc) with one hand is also difficult.
EQUIPMENT LESSONS
•really, really need to carry a TQ on your body.
•Staging a TQ properly makes all the difference. "Staging" refers to how you fold the TQ and where you place it. Proper staging allows rapid access and application. For example, I folded my TQ improperly before one of the drill. When I tried to access it, the TQ came out quickly but was twisted so I lost valuable seconds unraveling the device. I could have bled out during the 25 seconds extra time.
•There are many types of TQ, not all are equal.
•Single handed firing with a carbine is very difficult. Everyone had significant difficulty reloading with one hand. Even greater difficulty was re-engaging the threat with the carbine using only one hand. The front-heavy weight distribution of the AR was a challenge, especially if the AR was front loaded with suppressors, flashlights, lasers. On the other hand, I had much less difficulty (still not easy) with either reloading or re-engaging with my Tavor bullpup. The ergonomics of the Tavor are superb for both clearing malfunctions and balancing with one hand while firing.
•One student had FTF with his HK P30 LS. This student simulated falling when wounded and had his pistol slide open when it fell. The range was red dirt and some dirt must have contaminated the firing mechanism. This malfunction resolved after field stripping and air blowing the internal mechanisms.
CONCLUSION: If you use a firearm, then you need this class. I believe that part of being a responsible gun owner/user is to learn how to treat ballistic injuries, period. It is just as important as muzzle control and trigger safety. I came into the class expecting to learn how to save a life or a limb with ballistic wounds. My expectations were more than fulfilled. I not only learned how to use field medical equipment but also learned how to improvise when such tools are not available. I expected that Kerry Davis would be a good teacher for tactical medicine. What I did not expect was the bonus of him being a very good firearm instructor as well. The combination of live fire and rescue maneuvers amped up the stress level (in a good way) and left me wanting and needing to learn more. Prior to this class, I usually had an IFAK nearby (in the car, range bag, etc) but it was not always accessible urgently. Now, not only is the IFAK on body or within arm's reach, but I actually know how to use each component. Thank you to Kerry for the education, to Matt for the course arrangements, and to my fellow students for the camaraderie.