Three Reasons for Medical Training
I’ve put together a list of three reasons why you might want to make medical training a priority in your life and your family’s lives. For those of you who prefer the TLDR version; evil exists, accidents happen, you are responsible for your own survival not strangers, plan accordingly. For those who prefer to know “why,” read on.
1. Relying on 911 isn't always an option or practical.
Examples:
- Response times across the nation are continuing to increase, some major cities like Austin have over a two-hour response time for police to respond to traffic accidents involving DUI’s with injuries. EMS is not doing any better. Some areas are now relying upon ambulances from neighboring towns or counties that may be over an hour away. Staff shortages of public safety officials such as police and EMS are a national problem. There are not enough 911 dispatchers either. The other day, the city of Dallas, Texas was victim to a ransomware attack. When folks in Dallas call 911 the 911 dispatcher has to take the caller’s information, write down that info with pen and paper, then call the appropriate public safety department’s office on the phone and relay that information for them to respond. They are not using their computer systems until they get the ransomware attack under control. (Here is a link to the report from ABC’s WFAA 8 https://tinyurl.com/4bpnmmuc) What does this mean to the public calling 911? You are on your own for a bit longer than you want to be…. You better have some medical training, among other skills.
I attended a police conference recently and spoke with several officers from around the US. It was alarming to hear how many cities and towns are in dire need of more officers. Major cities like Austin and New Orleans have straight up told the public they do not have nearly enough officers to respond to all the 911 calls. This isn’t something new, there haves always been times when there is an influx of calls, but nothing like what is happening now. EMS isn’t any different; several colleagues of mine in the prehospital industry around the country are saying the same thing. Public safety responders are drastically burnt out and have zero support from elected city leadership. What the public doesn’t see or know about is the chain reaction created. Several communities have contracts with private ambulance companies. In those contracts it states that if certain demands are not met (required response times, for example), then that company may lose their contract. So, the companies try to save money by paying meager wages, cutting back on available ambulances to respond to 911 calls, or providing BLS crews instead of the sometimes more expensive ALS crews. That also means those companies can’t pay for repairs or upkeep of the trucks themselves. What that means to you is that if your plan is to simply call 911 and wait for someone else to show up, your plan sucks.
- I haven’t even mentioned what happens when you travel outside those normal jurisdictions for responding agencies! Last year a friend invited us out to an overland event with Calvary Overland. We were taken in with open arms, had a great time, and made some very cool friends; even without having a tricked-out rig. One thing I noticed while researching overlanding and even during our first overlanding adventure; these trips can be way out in the boonies. You may not see another person or vehicle for a while. That’s the draw of being outdoors and exploring. That is very similar to when my family goes camping or hunting. However, that peaceful isolation comes at a cost, and when the rent is due it can be expensive. Your environment certainly has a say in your activity planning, gear selection, and emergency contingencies. Simply calling 911 isn’t so simple when there is no cell reception. Even if I use my HAM radio or SAT phone; chances are it is going to take responders time to get to you. Oh, yea, let’s not ignore terrain or inclement weather adding to that delayed response time as well.
2. Acts of violence.
Examples:
- We can’t go a week without a news report covering a mass killing event, road rage that ends in injuries or death, people throwing violent fits over incorrect fast-food orders, or neighbors slaughtering each other over small stuff. FBI stats show that one in four Americans will be the victim of a violent crime within their lifetime. That doesn’t sound so bad… unless you’re standing next to three other people. I’m also reminded of what John Hearne of Rangemaster said not too long ago. “It ain’t the odds, it’s the stakes.” John has a point. Here are a few other quotes to think about. “This sort of thing never happens in this neighborhood.” “I never thought this could happen to me.” “Why did this happen to me?” And one of my all-time favorites, “What could anyone have done?” Those are all quotes from actual victims how victims. Another quote from another good friend, William Aprill (a brilliant mental health specialist who focused on criminal psychology) who developed an entire training course devoted to this concept; “Your understanding and consent are not required for someone to take your life, kill your loved ones, and destroy all you hold dear.” It amazes me that when violence happens, people are so caught up on the “why” instead of focusing on accepting the fact evil exists and there is nothing we can do to prevent it all the time. Focus on being prepared for it so we can limit evil’s carnage when it does show its face.
- Civility is collapsing more and more every day. I’m not using fear mongering or making this about politics here; just simply open any news app on your phone and examples abound. If you’re still not convinced society has lost its mind, take a look around your own neighborhood. Bet you see homeless folks wondering around who weren’t there a few years ago. How many places have signs out front desperately begging for employees? The cost of everything has skyrocketed in the past few years. I’m a pretty levelheaded guy and as jaded as I am I’m still a fairly happy-go-lucky type of person. However, storefront businesses are closing shop due to economic failure, continuous violent crime in stores or their immediate surroundings, rampant blatant theft ultimately encouraged by voting citizens who elect officials who refuse to prosecute criminals. Sure, online retail giants are responsible for some of these stores closing. Yet even giants such as Wal-Mart and Target are packing up and leaving town. Fashion icons such as Nordstrom and Saks Off 5th are also closing up shop due to overwhelming violent crime. Grocery stores and even some gas stations have hired armed and unarmed guards to try to deter criminals; and yet stores like Whole Foods are still forced to close their doors due to violence and crime.
- A family in San Jacinto county, Texas were just executed in their own home because they asked their neighbor (an illegal immigrant, illegally in possession of a firearm, and known to local law enforcement as a criminal) to stop shooting beer cans while their baby tried to sleep.
- Not even hospitals are immune to violent attacks anymore. A sanctuary of healing, dying, and learning turned into a nightmare for the city of Atlanta, Georgia.
- Drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol contribute to about 30% of all traffic crash fatalities on the roads of America every year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA says that every 52 minutes a person dies due to an intoxicated driver. A drunk driver may not seem like an act of violence to you, but as someone who has crawled over mangled deceased bodies of a family all smashed up inside a car to try to search for the missing baby that is unaccounted for, it certainly is to me. Consider placing all seven dead bodies in body bags (literally pouring one body into the bag, yes, “pouring”), do you view that as an act of violence committed by the unscathed drunk driver? Thankfully, later we found out that the baby was at another relative’s home, safe and sound. This one violent act killed seven innocent people, injured at least two or three others who had to be rapidly transported to the hospital, and caused a rookie that had just started that day with us turn in his uniform after working hard for two years to get to that moment. So yea, I’d say drunk drivers are violent. Don’t even get me started on “distracted drivers” playing on their phones while driving!
3. Accidents Happen
Examples:
- According to the American College of Surgeons, uncontrolled external hemorrhaging is the leading cause of preventable death in America. Let me break that down to you like this, the number one reason people die who could have lived, died because they bled to death before anyone tried to stop the blood from leaving the body. Three simple, effective techniques performed correctly can save lives. If you don’t know what those three techniques are, you might want to find a professional instructor who teaches such basic skills. It absolutely amazes me why in the year 2023 people in leadership roles in schools, businesses, and communities are not advocating for CPR/AED and “Stop The Bleed” (STB) education. Additionally every organization that gathers data on causes of death each year all have the same leading cause of death for Americans, heart related disease. NOTHING comes close to killing more US citizens than heart failure! Cancer, respiratory disease, and trauma come close and are usually at the top of the list as well; but pale in comparison to cardiovascular disease. Blunt trauma is even ranked high on the subcategory of “traumatic causes of death.” CPR and STB skills should be common knowledge, but we’d rather spend that time sliding our thumbs up and down over small screens searching for a quick dopamine hit instead. With all the access to everything known to humankind literally at our fingertips… and we watch each other pretend to be important.
- Car accidents create traumatic injuries and are one of the leading causes of injury and death in America. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (aka health.gov) tells us that unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for children and teens. Attention parents out there: you may want to read that again. Ask any firefighter, EMT, or paramedic what type of calls they get the most. I’d be willing to bet they mention “motor vehicle collisions” before their second breath. I took a trip down to the coast with my family over Christmas and came across at least six collisions involving three or more vehicles. What should have taken us about five hours to go from Dallas to Galveston ended up taking over eight hours with all the traffic backed up and not to mention all the waiting on tow trucks to pull the cars apart to clear the roads. Oh… and the wait times for the ambulances to make it up to the scene because the two-lane southbound freeway known as I-45 had a divided median with concrete barriers up so responding agencies had to go past the wreck and eventually turn around. Add this to the examples in the beginning of this article.
There you have it folks, three reasons you and your family need to make learning fundamental medical skills a priority. Such skills include knowing how to assess for life-threatening injuries, how to control major bleeding, dealing with impaled objects, being current on CPR/AED, and splinting broken bones are just some that come to mind. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; I don’t care who or where you get your training from (although I’d love for it to be with Lone Star Medics ;) just get it from a reputable instructor who teaches contextual material that meets your specific needs. We don’t have to be able to perform surgery in a jungle, we just need to be able to do the basics.
I’ll leave you with this quite fitting quote from one of my most cherished poems. It reminds me to find joy in Mother Nature’s bounty; that no matter how cold and tired you are, or how strange something may be… you cannot stop for there are others expecting you. “The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.” - excerpt from Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on Snowy Evening”
Drink Water!
A few photos from a family picnic up in the Grand Tetons not far from where a black bear charged us and one of the car wrecks on the way to Galveston, Texas.