The following is a message from a former Covered 6 Security Academy Graduate detailing a situation where he applied his Covered 6 training to a gunshot victim.
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Early this morning around 12:23am I was sitting up watching a show on Netflix before I went to bed when I was suddenly interrupted by two gunshots that rattled my windows from outside. I immediately hopped up, opened the back door and stood outside to see what was going on when I began to hear cries for help. Without hesitation I grabbed my IFAK out of my bag (the one I bought at the Covered 6 facility), threw my sneakers on and ran to the direction of the cries for help. While running I can only explain what was hyper focus. All the medical training for gunshot wounds that i learned while going through the PSS course began to play in my mind like a movie. Chest seals, tourniquets, direct pressure, splints for broken bones. It was all cycling through my mind in preparation for what I might be running into. When I found the guy that had been shot, he was sitting in a doorway hiding from the shooter but screaming for help. After a quick assessment and a few questions I found that he had only been hit with one of the two shots and that the bullet that had hit him had went in, broke his right wrist and was lodged in there and was poking out of the exit wound. I immediately applied my tourniquet, due to blood pouring from his wrist and not knowing if it had severed the vein and dressed the wound with gauze. I tried my best to stabilize it with what I had, while not having splint, and without causing further injury. After triage, I got him up, moved him to a safer location and took care of him until police and paramedics arrived on scene. Everything happened so fast and the rush of adrenaline had me up for about 3 more hours after that.
Basically, if it wasn’t for my training at Covered 6 I wouldn’t have been able to help him the way I was able to.
If we hadn’t gone through those scenarios, I might not have been as calm as I was in the moment. It’s moments like these that truly define us and show us not only our capabilities but who we are. Covered 6 helped me to learn that my purpose in this lifetime is to help humanity. To be a protector. In that moment I was completely unfazed by the blood and the wound. My own safety was the least of my concerns and my sole focus was making sure that man was treated properly, safe and that he knew that someone was there with him to make sure he’d be ok. I can’t thank Kirk and Melissa enough for their extensive and thorough medical training. The intense scenarios they put us through to ensure proficiency prepared me more for this moment than I ever realized while going through it. My respect for them has exponentially sky rocketed and I can’t even begin to thank them enough for their expertise and just overall love for not only putting these medical practices into play but teaching others as well.
Also, His wound was non life threatening and he’ll be fine. The police and paramedics were highly impressed on my control of the situation and all the credit goes to the training at Covered 6! Thanks family!
I’d also like to give a lot of credit to my favorite instructor Curt Smith. He’s become a great mentor and friend and while going through the course helped me to realize the pride and passion in the protector role that covered 6 engraves into all the students that go through the course on a deep level. That dude is awesome beyond belief! —
V/R,
Kyle Vonwergers
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