Last November I attended Rockwell Tactical's "Shooter's First Aid" course hosted by Magill Training in Easton, PA.

Jarred Ross is very humble and approachable, not intimidating in any respect, despite his impressive bio as a Green Beret. I had previously attended one of Rockwell's seminars, "Basic Home Defense," and to be perfectly frank, I was not that impressed by it, but, I decided to sign up for this class anyway and give them another shot, and boy am I glad I did!

We talked about the approach to care that we would be taking and how we had arrived at that approach. It can be summed up in "MARCH". Massive Bleeding, Airway, Respiration, Circulation, and Hypothermia.

Being a Shooter's First Aid class, massive bleeding was one of the topics we spent the most time on. It is also the thing most likely to kill you 1st.

We discussed different kinds of tourniquets, how to use them and why, and practiced taking them on and off. We did the same with Israeli bandages, and reviewed how to pack a wound with gauze or hemostatic agent if need be.

We covered how to assess airway problems, and what to do if someone is conscious or unconscious. How to clear obstructions of the airway actively and passively.

And so and so forth through the rest of the MARCH Protocol. Looking through my notes now, I see there is no way I'm going to be covering everything in this review. Suffice to say we thoroughly reviewed the entire MARCH protocol and wrapped up with a simulation that gave you an idea of your grasp on the material. I attended my class with my wife, and actually found myself with a very real adrenaline response while treating her. I would not have wanted anything less. At the end of the class I felt far more prepared to actually employ my trauma kit in an effective way and the kit itself was more effective because I added the equipment that I was missing, primarily a tourniquet and pressure dressing.

I would recommend Rockwell's Shooter's First Aid Course and I plan to take some live fire training with them in the near future.