A Firsthand Account Of How Training Saves Lives
On November 24th 2022 at 2018hrs a call for service was received, initially, as a verbal disturbance. By 2020hrs it had turned into a shooting and a victim was on the ground. As I approached the call and the details of the shooting were transmitted I noticed that my heartrate and breathing were elevated and my vehicle had entered pursuit mode. At one point during my nearly 5-minute response I had to remember to manually control my breathing and tell myself ‘’I’m no good to anyone if I don’t get there.’’ It was also around this point I realized I was going to be the first responder on scene, and back-up was NOT around the corner. I would arrive on scene at 8:24:22pm and the first backup Deputy would arrive at 08:31:27pm with the first Medic on scene at 08:31:43pm. I was alone for 7 minutes and 5 seconds.
As I approached the scene I remembered dispatch relayed the shooter had fled however, my first priority was scene safety before I could get to the victim. Once that was established I identified that the victim had 3 gunshot wounds. One to the arm, and two in the lower torso. I immediately went for the arm and attempted to apply a tourniquet but failed to deploy it successfully. I realized I had lost fine motor skills enough that I couldn’t fix the tourniquet so I went to the car for my kit and spare tourniquet. I was able to deploy this tourniquet on the victims injured arm and notified dispatch of the application. Next was the victim’s airway and breathing. Thankfully the victim was still conscious however, he was complaining of difficulty breathing and that he was hot and I could see he was sweating profusely. I cut off both of his sweatshirts and his t-shirt and then continued my assessment. I lifted his knees and began raking his legs for more massive bleeding indicators or injuries. I moved to his chest and arms and then assisted him taking off the shirts I had cut. In the meantime, I had a civilian who helped apply pressure to the wounds on his torso. I had a towel placed under his head and under his body to keep him off the ground and placed my AED nearby in the event it was needed. I then checked the pulse of the arm where I had applied the tourniquet to ensure it was tight enough. As medics and other Deputies arrived I began applying bandages provided in the Silverback kit as another Deputy utilized the trauma shears to remove the victim’s pants and prepare him for transport. Together, we lifted the victim onto a gurney and loaded him into an ambulance for transport to a nearby helicopter that flew him to a Columbus Hospital. From gunshots to takeoff was 40 minutes. My understanding is the victim was taken into surgery where three rounds were removed from his body and he is expected to survive the incident.
Looking back on this incident and my response I recognize several mistakes that I made however, I was immediately thankful for the opportunity to attend ‘’Surviving the Shot.’’ Nearly every piece of my response was attributed to this training. That class and the instructors gave me the skills and knowledge to formulate that response to this incident and prepared me for a real-world critical event. The repetitions and stress-induced practical applications were exactly what I relied on. It wasn’t until afterwards that I realized the most powerful skill I learned was the M.A.R.C.H.E procedure and the options it provides. I didn’t panic, I knew what to do, and I have the OTOA Silverback Safety and Training team to thank.
Thank you for this invaluable knowledge,
Deputy S.R. - LCSO
