In the “Shooting Range Lifesaver A” course, Johannes Kouba from Critical Knowledge imparts life-saving knowledge on the treatment of gunshot, stab, ricochet and cut injuries. You can find out what else awaits you on the course in the report from Ranger Magazine, made by Militär Aktuell.
Johannes Kouba, founder of Critical Knowledge, and his team regularly organize courses in which life-saving measures are taught. Whether in a private, business or public environment, at the shooting range, while hunting or at work, Hans tailors the course content precisely to the requirements. As a professional with operational experience in a special forces unit, a trained NATO Special Operations Combat Medic, emergency and firefighter paramedic, he knows what he is doing. In Ranger Magazine #2, he conducted the big tourniquet test (-> Read it here as an e-paper.).
Course schedule
The “Shooting Range Lifesaver A” course teaches the correct treatment of heavily bleeding and life-threatening wounds. However, the basics must be taught first: On the topics of law, anatomy, material science and wound care. Then there is prevention and the correct procedure at the scene of an accident, which is particularly important at the shooting range.
Then it’s off to scenario training, where you play “first responder” and “patient”. In between, there are plenty of opportunities to ask questions, try things out and learn. Upon successful completion, you will receive a certificate of participation and an additional certificate from Stop the bleed, a now international program that teaches the initial treatment of severely bleeding wounds. There is an exclusive patch for course graduates on top.
What you learn
The focus is on injuries that can occur at the shooting range and are life-threatening. However, as the course progresses, it becomes clear that the injury patterns are just as likely to occur in serious car accidents, in amok and terrorist situations and in stabbings. The course therefore has a relevance that goes far beyond potential – but extremely rare – medical incidents on the shooting range.
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But be careful: the course does not turn you into a tactically trained first responder. These are professionals, often with an official background, who have acquired their knowledge in numerous courses and through a lot of practice. This course here is aimed at amateurs. The majority of course participants became first responders ten or more years ago as part of their driving license course. There were also a few experienced paramedics and some adventurers. Even Amy 9×19 and some of the team from the oak plant were also there.
Among the most dangerous things that the course participants deal with were, for example, chopping wood and shooting, as well as solo mountaineering and hiking in a bear-rich wilderness. As you can see: The range of applications is wide.
In the course
Not so “dry” basics were learned right at the beginning of the course. Under what circumstances do you have to provide first aid? When can you access extended knowledge – and the corresponding equipment? These and similar supposedly “dry” topics of the legal basics were discussed in a practical way, so that you gain a lot of confidence in your actions.
During the anatomy session, Hans focused in particular on the blood supply. How much blood loss can humans still compensate for on their own? How much time is available for the initial treatment of heavily bleeding wounds? What is the relationship between blood and heat and what does this mean for first aid? Fundamental questions that once again underline how vulnerable people are and how quickly it can be “over” if they are not treated properly – or not at all.
Real photos of injuries and videos of accidents then showed what it’s all about. They drastically demonstrate what Hollywood fails to do: real blood, real pain, real problems.
Then we got started. We practiced putting on the tourniquet and tightening it “sharply” on ourselves and on our training partner (-> There is a large tourniquet test from Critical Knowledge in Ranger Magazine #2). We also practiced applying pressure dressings and tamponading – commonly known as “plugging” – wounds in the pelvic, neck and shoulder area. They practiced on pieces of meat prepared with rubber “arteries” and artificial blood. If the wound tamponade was carried out correctly, no more “blood” flowed.
Highlight: The scenario training
In the last section of the course, the extra set of outer clothing was unpacked: the first half of the group was allowed to change and then “embellished” with training moulages, i.e. with amazingly authentic-looking dummies of injuries, as well as with fake blood.
They also practiced with the equipment they would normally use at the shooting range. Pistols with holsters were therefore the rule, and some also carried long guns. In the event of an emergency at the shooting range, the first thing to do is to ensure safety for the first responders and the emergency services: Weapons must be unloaded and brought to a safe distance. This factual safety counts “double”, especially for non-shooters, and is therefore also very important for the subjective perception of the helpers, who may be on a shooting range for the first time at that moment.
The “wounded” were given instructions on how to behave. Meanwhile, the other group prepared the first aid kit. In the first round, nobody knew what to expect …
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Loud music, shouting, stress and a confusing situation. Even if you are prepared to enter a room and have to apply what you have practiced – no one was left cold by the initially unclear situation. Suddenly you are standing or kneeling in front of an accident victim and have to help.
So here we go: the injury is searched for at the same time as the speech. Oh crap, the weapon has to be removed too. The next stress factor: what to do if the patient is sitting upright on the floor, complaining of abdominal pain, but otherwise can only just give her name and you can’t see any external injuries because she’s only wearing dark clothing? So continue: talk, search, palpate – find! The “abdominal pain” came from a bullet hole in the abdominal area. This is not “stuffed”, but taped with a chest seal.
Even if it doesn’t repair the damage, at best it gives the emergency services some time. The keyword! Quickly call “the rescue” in a fictitious conversation on the side, but at the same time don’t unsettle the injured person and, above all, keep them happy and take care of their heat balance. Only then was the first all-round view possible – actually far too late. There was a similar commotion all around. Wounds were being plugged, bandages applied, stable lateral positions assumed, …
In the debriefing, everything that had worked and what still needed to be added to the exercise list was revealed one by one. In the meantime, the list got longer and longer …
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Ranger conclusion
The scenario training is the highlight of the one-day course. Afterwards, we were all full of theoretical information, but also enriched with many hours of practical knowledge. The clever combination of theory, practice, close supervision by the course instructor and the opportunity to ask questions gave us a great deal of confidence and certainty. However, the limits of what is possible were also clearly recognized, as was definitely the potential for improvement in oneself. We now definitely have even more respect for professional first aiders than before.
The course provides countless insights. Practically everything can be implemented immediately, because as always: practice, practice, practice! The tools provided can – and should! – be easily passed on to your own family. An absolute added value of the course.
The feedback from the course participants consistently revealed that we all felt the same way: On the day, we gained much more confidence in dealing with difficult emergency situations, while at the same time knowing our current limits, which have now been pushed a good deal further. Hans led us systematically and calmly through the complex course content. He takes into account the experiences of the individual course participants and is immediately available to answer any questions.
Our conclusion: there really is no one who could not benefit from this course. Participation is an absolute recommendation. Conversely, the knowledge imparted here should be standard for everyone.
