Spinal trauma and spinal cord injury can have a life-changing impact for patients following trauma. One cannot reverse prior spinal cord damage, but with even limited training, one can prevent further damage from occurring, which can often be of great benefit for the patient.
Advice and Treatment for PTSD
For people suffering psychological trauma, often the hardest part is overcoming the fear of accessing help. Even though it has been shown that there are effective treatments, even for PTSD, the ‘pink and fluffy counsellor’ or the drug-dispensing medical “shrink” stereotypes will prevent many people from ever getting advice and treatment for PTSD.
Hypothermia
You are on a ski trip with a VIP, a 45 year old male, when he falls and breaks his leg. He is unable to walk, let alone ski. He is diabetic and not particularly fit. You have been skiing in the backcountry all day and are tired and hungry. The weather is poor […]
How disciplined is your mind?
In your role as a protection specialist, you may be under chronic stress and the danger is that your nervous system gets stuck in a chronic state of sympathetic arousal. There is then a need to regularly use strategies that trigger a parasympathetic state. When it comes to high-stress environments, clinical research has consistently shown that mindfulness improves mental performance, focus and the ability to sustain attention when multi-tasking.
Review: Medipro PHMT
Course Review: Medipro Training Ltd. PHMT ( Pre-Hospital-Medical-technician ) Having previously completed FPOS (I) MIRA and Remote Team Medic Courses I was looking for a training course which had both industry recognition and would take my knowledge and skills to the next level both academically and practically whilst also fitting into my rotation […]
Exmed TCCC Course – Review
The Exmed TCCC course is fully compliant with the Department of Defence’s Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) guidelines and it is the only TCCC course endorsed by the American College of Surgeons. Having received FPOSi with my CP course, I then completed MIRA with Exmed, so the next step in the first aid world is a acquire a PHTLS qualification.
Mental Body Armour – Have you got your Kit on?
You wouldn’t dream of going on a job without appropriate physical protection and risk assessment – but how well do you protect yourself mentally?
Being mentally strong is the same as being physically strong – we have to work at it. We build physical strength in the gym and take pride in a healthy body. Some days you are on top form in the gym and others are harder. But would you recognise the equivalent happening in your brain?
Traumatic Stress
As a bodyguard, your background, training and experience mean that generally you are more resilient and for you, what the man in the street would view as traumatic, is all in a day’s work. However, like Dave, this does not mean that you are invulnerable to post-traumatic stress!
How to Become More Employable
How to become more employable by specialising in pre hospital care Many close protection operators (CPO’s) are now identifying the value of becoming specialised in other aspects that surround the role. One of these specialist areas is Pre Hospital Care (PHC), and with this in mind I would like to share my thoughts and […]
Review: Medipro PHMT
COURSE REVIEW: Medipro Training: PHMT (Pre-Hospital-Medical-technician) Having previously completed FPOS (I) MIRA and Remote Team Medic Courses I was looking for a training course which had both industry recognition and would take my knowledge and skills to the next level both academically and practically whilst also fitting into my rotation of 6 weeks on 6 […]
Catastrophic Haemorrhage
CATASTROPHIC HAEMORRHAGE During the Vietnam War, 50% of battlefield deaths were the result of major haemorrhage. Of these, 80% were torso injuries, which, in the pre-hospital environment, are classed as non-compressible injuries. For the immediate responder these wounds provide us with very little management options and the patient’s immediate need is for treatment by […]
Relax
Relax I have been participating in quite a few discussions lately about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the topic has come up in so many different circles that I thought that I should write a brief piece on it. I have been discussing this with Combat Veterans, Police Officers, Aid Workers and Journalists. I […]
Making the right choice
Making the Right Choice Instinctive.. shooting, unarmed defensive tactics, evasive driving.. whatever. In a sudden and urgent situation there may be no time to stop and ponder what needs to be done, no time to think through conflict management models. Action must be simple, effective and above all, instinctive. I spent fifteen years […]
Prometheus Viper FPOS
Prometheus Viper FPOS Course Review As the requirements and conditions of gaining employment on the circuit become greater, one avenue of training which is critical for CPO’s to follow is medical. Many companies operating in hostile environments will now demand a minimum of an FPOS (first person on scene) as opposed to simply the […]
Hypothermia in Trauma
This article will cover: Why casualties need to be kept warm How we normally keep warm and how casualties lose heat What can be done to minimise heat loss Why casualties need to be kept warm As warm-blooded animals, we keep the core temperature of our bodies remarkably constant at 37.5oC. This so-called “thermoregulation” allows […]
