A Tourniquet in every hand

MIKE4PROJECT

In the late 90’s while on active duty, I was witness to the change that took place in treating trauma injuries. This was the beginning of TCCC, spearheaded by Captain Butler, and changed emergency medicine and casualty care. The premise was to address the most obvious cause of preventable death on the battlefield and re-evaluate the use of tourniquets. The second mandate was to educate and train every service member so that treatment would occur in the absence of the medic. Self-aid, buddy-aid, and medic-aid, became the rule. After 9/11 and sustained combat on two fronts, the success of TCCC cannot be overstated.  

Success hinged on the proper implementation of those two mandates. I believe that addressing the civilian population in the same way will produce similar outcomes. By empowering everyone with the basic knowledge and confidence to render emergency aid to themselves and others. Just as in the military, we were not training everyone to be medics, but rather training everyone on basic techniques in the absence of higher medical personnel. 

MIKE4PROJECT stands for the 4 minutes of time it takes for a preventable hemorrhagic death to occur. Will you be the only person there for the first four minutes after a traumatic event? Will you be alone for the first four minutes after you sustain a traumatic injury? Will you be the last person someone sees or the first person someone sees after a traumatic event? 

A TOURNIQUET IN EVERY HAND......This is where it starts...