How do use a tourniquet

This is a crucial skill for anyone. Especially if you shoot or carry a firearm. I work in TacMed training and I would recommend not just how to use a TQ but also wound packing(direct pressure at wound site) chest seals, airway management and hypothermia prevention. TQ should be placed on a limb 2-3" above the wound, never on a joint (elbow, knee, wrist,ankle) This in a non- active threat environment for arterial bleeding. When in doubt put it on. If you're in an active threat environment like an active shooter or combat situation where bullets are still a potential of coming your way, apply the TQ "high and Tight" this allows you to stop bleeding quickly until you know where the wound is and can expose it. EMS or ED can do a TQ conversion as needed. Use- Apply the TQ to the limb. Pull ALL slack from the band, and turn windlass until bleeding stops. Secure windlass and tail (CAT TQ) with time stamp and mark time. (SOF-T TQ) you will lock windlass into the Triangle Delta Ring and mark time on tail. If you move the person immediately check the TQs again once you're behind a place of cover (stops bullets) reassess the TQ and apply a second or less than ideally tighten the one in place. If bleeding hasn't been stopped. Wound packing aka Direct pressure at wound site- Use Z-fold or Hemostatic gauze on junctions wounds that cannot be treated with a TQ. This would be shoulders, hips, neck or other places a TQ can't safely be applied. - Use- Expose wound area, Remove Gauze from packaging, roll a small ball of gauze around your finger and insert into the wound at the site of pulsing blood. This will be towards the heart. Pack the wound tightly going from North, South, East and West of the wound and continue to pack the wound cavity until no more gauze will fit. Now hold heavy direct pressure for a minimum of 10 minutes on the standard gauze, 3 Minutes for Combat Gauze or Celox. If you have additional wounds, have someone else hold pressure. Do not check to make sure bleeding has stopped in the 3 or 10 mins. Once bleeding has been controlled you can apply a pressure dressing over the wound packing in some cases. Again reassess after moving. NEVER PACK THE CHEST OR ABDOMINAL CAVITY!! Chest wounds- this is where you would use a chest seal. Ideally vented to help equalize pressure from a chest cavity being breeched. Find the hole, expose the wound. Wipe the chest of blood with gauze or anything else to clean blood. Now apply the chest seal over the hole, lined up with the venting hole. Now check for exit wounds. Any wounds on the exit, repeat above steps. Airway management- For the untrained person the easiest option is for you is to put the person in the recovery position to prevent the tongue from blooding the Airway. If you have a properly sized NPA ( nasopharyngeal airway) you can insert a lubricated NPA into the nostril down the throat to keep the airway from being closed by the tounge. Tape this to the nostril while keeping the opening of the hose open. Hypothermia prevention- Blood lose can cause you to get Hypothermia easier. Hypothermia by even 1 degree F° can cause issues with bleeding. More detail than I want to get into. Even if you think it's hot out. Unless it is over 98.6° F outside you need to wrap the person I a mylar space blanket, regular blanket and get them in a vehicle with heater on. Don't just throw a blanket over them, burrito wrap them under and around on all sides but the face. If you are on a range and do not have immediate access to EMS or other advanced care. You need to have a multi level plan for evacuation of a wounded person. Primary, Alternative, Contingency and Emergency plans. or PACE. Primary- keep them alive to transfer to EMS at location Alternative- Meet EMS at a place en route to the hospital, transfer person in a central location to EMS. Contingency-Drive them to a regular hospital where an assement can be done and then transported via helicopter or EMS transport for surgery in a trauma hospital. Emergency- Drive them directly to the closest trauma hospital. This should ideally be done by EMS but this is why you have an emergency plan. You may not have local EMS available for an hour or more depending on how rural the area. If you can get a call out you may be able to also meet in an area that allows for a helicopter to land for an evacuation. If you're in an extremely rural area with limited cell service I would also recommend having a Ham capable radio and the channels for local responders. This may or may not work but many rural areas have channels available to hikers or other outdoors people in emergency situations. Know the channels, know the radio enough to make sure you can use it and know the location and surrounding area. EMS may call in a medivac and you should know the area they're planning on landing. This typically on open field without power lines, parking lot and even a highway. Know mile markers of the roads you're on and where you may need to go. Pre-planning for these events prevents panic and making mistakes when someone's life is on the line. I would highly recommend doing some scenario based trainings to learn how to do these skills on role players and manikens under a simulated stress environment. These are typically based on real life situations that have happened to others. Some may seem unrealistic but we typically pull the worst-case scenario to let students work through the shit show. https://preview.redd.it/cggm0vlcw0na1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81a77189dad559d02fd34f38cd0985dec53c98b8