AAR: Combat Lifesaver (TC3) 2 May – BC

MV: Combat Lifesaver (TC3) is offer as a morning block of instruction the day prior to CRCD classes, including the combined 5 day classes. The afternoon comprises Rifle Manipulation Primer (RMP) Training.

Class Schedule

I recently had the good fortune to take Max’s newly offered Combat Lifesaver (TC3) class. I was excited when I first saw the addition of this course, not only because I think it’s critical that we all have some level of first aid/lifesaving skills, but because I had been looking for a class like this for quite some time. Living in the Northeast, I had been unable to find any courses offering immediate trauma/gunshot wound treatment.

Let me preface my medical experience as basically being able to slap a band aid on someone and calling 911 as needed. Essentially no experience. After taking Max’s class however, I now have a basic understanding of the steps I’d need to take to assist someone who just suffered some kind of battlefield trauma. Given what I knew before, my knowledge level has increased dramatically.

More importantly – I can make a difference now.

This is a consistent thread running through all of Max’s training – empowering people by teaching them simple, effective no B.S. solutions to real-world problems. Doesn’t matter if we need skills to survive a gunfight post SHTF or if we need to stop someone from bleeding out following an industrial accident. Max’s crawl-walk-run approach is really effective at making the important parts stick.

Max’s training material was comprised of some excellent trauma documentation (which I’m still reading through) as well as some flow-charts designed to keep the process direct and SIMPLE. We iterated through the exercises multiple times allowing each student to put the techniques into practice.

We ended the exercises by dragging a downed buddy “off the X” and into safety. Interesting – here’s a clue – I recommend everyone go and try this at home. Trying to move the dead weight of someone who isn’t participating in the process of movement can be a real eye opening (read difficult) experience. You don’t want to find this out the first time you actually have to help someone get to safety. Try it with someone who’s bigger than you, and you’ll understand what Max means by increasing your PT.

Anyway, let me wrap up by saying this was an excellent, and most important for me empowering training class. The content was specific and relevant, and the process by which Max presented it to us was “spot on”. I’m by no means a qualified medical technician, but I now have a good shot at saving someone’s life if needed. That’s important.

Go get this training!