Training

More on Medicine Preps

There are those who will tell you that learning CPR is a waste of time because when society collapses there won’t be any hospitals to complete the chain of survival. That’s shortsighted. Each day in the United States, one thousand people go into cardiac arrest. Preparing for disaster doesn’t just mean preparing for a society ending event. Most disasters are personal.

When each of my parents passed away, I was struck by the fact that the rest of the world continued as it did the day before, even though my own world had experienced such a shock. That’s the nature of disaster- they can affect a single person, a household, family, region, or an entire nation- even the world. It is prudent to prepare for long term, widespread disaster, but the one you are most likely to face will be limited and personal.

I spent my career responding to disasters, and most of them involve just a single person. Start small: Learn first aid, learn CPR, all because knowledge is power, and once attained, knowledge is never wasted.

By Divemedic, ago

Tactics

I am putting an Ambush manual in the training manuals page. It’s a great summary of the tactics to be used in setting up and conducting an ambush. The money quote is one that I want to point out to all of you:

Maintaining a 3:1 ratio is imperative. It is standard in the U.S. Army to always have three soldiers for every one enemy soldier when initiating contact. This rule ensures that you will have superior firepower over the enemy and will not become outnumbered. You should NOT initiate the ambush if the enemy unit is larger than expected.

It is an important tactical consideration that you, as someone who is initiating an ambush or an assault, never allow your assault element to be outnumbered by the defenders. That is how you ensure that your team doesn’t get overwhelmed by the superior force. Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor.

By Divemedic, ago

Missing the Point

Many of the comments to this post missed the point. The question wasn’t about the legality or morality of engaging the thieves, nor was it about chest thumping bravado.

It was about the wisdom of going outside to confront armed felons when outnumbered three or more to one, and getting yourself shot in defending property that will cost you less than the cost of the ambulance ride you will take from even the most minor of gunshot wounds.

Part of life is being able to look at risks versus benefits and deciding if the juice is worth the squeeze. My family and I aren’t going to care that I made society better by three dead goblins if I spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, eating through a straw because I caught a bullet through the spine from the accomplice I didn’t know was on my flank in the dark.

Insurance will replace losses from car theft. It can’t replace you. Sometimes, the most tactically sound thing is not to walk into a fight that will cause you to lose more than you gain.

if we can’t learn that lesson, we will lose the fight for our nation by fighting one losing battle after another. The wise fighter only engages in fights he can win and avoids those with no clear path to victory.

By Divemedic, ago

Good Questions

Some good questions to my security post of this morning, so let’s take a look:

  • I’m curious as to what you use as a training load equivalent?

I don’t for the higher powered 45 loads. How I address this, is nearly every pistol (as opposed to revolver) that I have is a S&W M&P: I have M&P40s, M&P9s, M&P45s, a Shield 380EZ, several Shield pluses, as well as Shields in 9mm, .380, .40S&W, and .45ACP. I also have a few Glock 19s and 19 clones, but I rarely shoot them and can’t remember ever carrying one.

Having the same models as carry pieces simplifies the manual of arms, makes repairs easy as they all look the same on the inside, and makes switching firearms and calibers smoother and easier. I know that full power loads don’t shoot the same, but it’s close enough for what I am doing here. I can still do A-zone shots quickly and effectively out to 15 or 20 yards with little effort, and that is all I am concerned with.

  • IDK if I’d go to a full size .45 tho, a single stack 9mm is very svelte, easy to carry, and similar capacity. A subcompact .40 a bit thicker, but smaller than the .45 and similar power/effect.
  • Open carry is legal in Florida on your own property. But wear a light cover garment anyway; they don’t need to know until it’s time for them to know, and you’re still “legal” if you step into the street.
  • It wouldn’t hurt to have a Glock 19-26 ish type pistol concealed appendix ish.

All handguns are a tradeoff. They have low power, not as much firepower as a long gun like an AR-10 or an AR-15, and not as much punch as say, a shotgun. We carry handguns because we aren’t sure whether or not we will need one, but it is useful to have one just in case. When I am at home, I have more freedom to carry a large handgun, hence the double stack .45.

One firearm on me at a time is all I need, especially when at home. All I need is something to bridge the gap that exists between me and a long gun. Remember, you carry a handgun in case you might be in a gun fight. If you KNOW you will be in a gun fight, endeavor to not be there. If that is impossible, bring a long gun, and bring a friend with a long gun, if possible.

When working on my property but outside, I just wear a baggy t-shirt and pull it over my OWB holster (a DeSantis Speed Scabbard that I used to use back when I was an IDPA competitor. A funny story about that below the divider)

When I am away from home, I avoid areas where I am likely to need a firearm, but just in case, I carry a pistol or revolver that is easy to carry and easy to conceal. Think a Smith and Wesson Shield, Shield plus, or J frame revolver. My EDC is usually a Shield plus (they hold 13 rounds of 9mm), or a J frame .38 loaded with wadcutters.

  • Have you made realistic plans for the “temporary” removal of your firearms after a “Good Shoot”?

I have caches of firearms. I have guns in safes. I’m not opening or revealing either to the cops.

I have a Tshirt that says “DeSantis, Concealment Perfected” on it that I bought some years ago. One of my wife’s coworkers saw me while I was wearing it out with her and some coworkers at an event. She told me that seeing DeSantis’ name on a shirt was a trigger for her because he was an evil fascist. I told her not to worry, that the shirt had absolutely nothing to do with the Governor, it was a brand of holsters that I liked carrying my pistols in, “and in fact I am carrying a handgun in one of their holsters now.”

She practically ran out of the venue and hasn’t spoken to my wife since. My wife says that she didn’t like the woman anyhow, but that saying what I said was hunting over bait, even if it was funny.

By Divemedic, ago

Adding Skills Can Hurt Sometimes

Now that I have completed my latest degree, our move, and my rental has tenants again, I now find myself in possession of spare time. I decided to fill some of that time by taking up Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. The gym that I joined lets you attend unlimited sessions for $200 per month, with an extra $100 if you want to add Muay Thai. The two together are what comprises MMA. There is no contract, it is a simple month to month deal.

For now, I signed up for the BJJ, with the intention of adding the Muay Thai at a later date. There are two types of classes: one group practices with the intent of competition, the other with the intent of self defense. Different approaches. There are different classes at different times each day, so you can go every day, if you so choose.

I have only gone to a couple of classes so far. The classes in the middle of the day are small, with the instructor and just three or four students. They last 90 minutes, and we spend most of the class mastering a move and the counter for it. We end each class by sparring in 5 minute rounds. (Called ‘rolling’ in BJJ). The rules for rolling are simple:

  • No striking. That includes knees, feet, hands.
  • No gouging of eyes, or grabbing the throat.
  • No genital strikes.
  • Nothing that is intended to injure or disable your opponent. This isn’t a street fight, its practice.

It makes the fight purely one of strength, endurance, and skill. Skill is a HUGE part, and a good fight is like a chess match. Move, countermove. The more skill the two fighters have, the faster and more complicated the ordeal.

Today, I was matched up with a 20 something year old who had more experience with MMA, but was about 70 pounds lighter than I am. I am very flexible and I weigh over 200 pounds, so I have advantages there. He was younger and more skilled, so there were his advantages. It turns out that his biggest advantage was endurance.

He made first contact, and I managed to throw him to the mat and land on him before he could react. I had him pinned and kept my base wide, so he couldn’t reverse or throw me off. He tried several joint locks and throws, but I was stronger than he was and kept him pinned for the next 3 and a half minutes. Then he managed to reverse before pinning me to the mat and I had to tap out. He was surprised that I was strong and flexible enough to get out of most of the holds he tried to use. In the end, he just outlasted me because my endurance ran out.

It was a lot of fun, but was very tiring. I was completely out of breath by the end of the five minutes.

By the time I got home, the right side of my chest hurts every time I move. It hurts to breathe, to bend over, and it’s even somewhat uncomfortable to type this post.

I really hope I didn’t break a rib. Even if I am still hurting, I will still go tomorrow. Today’s biggest lesson was that I need to do more cardio. I am going to work on that.

By Divemedic, ago

Finals Are Over

I have been offline for a couple of days because I just took the final exam for my last class to get (yet another) Bachelor’s Degree. This time, it was a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. When I went to campus to take those exams, I carried a can of pepper spray and an expandable baton on my person and a firearm locked in my truck. Why? Because of the behavior in the video that JKB over at GFZ posted. Watch the video on the right:

As I posted in the comments there, Florida law says:

A person is justified in using or threatening to use force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other’s imminent use of unlawful force. A person who uses or threatens to use force in accordance with this subsection does not have a duty to retreat before using or threatening to use such force.

Assault doesn’t include a physical touch:

An “assault” is an intentional, unlawful threat by word or act to do violence to the person of another, coupled with an apparent ability to do so, and doing some act which creates a well-founded fear in such other person that such violence is imminent.

What is battery? While assault is defined as the threat to cause physical bodily harm, battery is the actual act of doing so. it is the crime of battery if you touch another person against his or her will or deliberately cause an injury to another person, however temporary or minor that injury may be. From the state statute:

The offense of battery occurs when a person:
1. Actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other; or
2. Intentionally causes bodily harm to another person.

Under section 784.03 of the Florida Statutes, indirect contact, such as throwing an object, can constitute battery if the indirect contact was intentionally caused by the accused and was against the other person’s will. Even spitting can constitute a battery. Mohansingh v. State, 824 So.2d 1053 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002) For that reason, I believe that shining a strobe in someone’s eye is either battery (the strobe is causing pain and disorientation), or assault (shining the light is intended to temporarily blind the victim and make it impossible for that victim to detect or defend against an attack).

Note that the law requires intent to touch, strike, or cause injury. That is referred to as mens rea.

All the law requires for nonlethal self defense is that you be in a place where you lawfully can be, and are the recipient of someone else’s imminent delivery of unlawful force. So:

  1. Are you where you can lawfully be? Yes. I am a student here to take an exam.
  2. Is the other person threatening to imminently use, or are they using unlawful force?
  3. Would a reasonable person believe that the attacker intended to touch, strike, or injure you in any way?
  4. Would a reasonable person believe that the person was about to (or was already attempting to) carry out that intent?

This meets the absolute lowest threshold for self defense. The real issue here is that you probably will get arrested, and it will cost you some money to defend yourself in court. Make sure that you have good CCW insurance, so it will pay for your legal defense.

I want you to note that there are perhaps half a dozen people that are assaulting him. That means the attackers will likely gang up on you, and that will likely mean that someone will be shot by the end of the fight.

Think about where this is headed.

By Divemedic, ago

Recon Your Area, 500 yards

When I was a firefighter, it used to annoy me when we would close a road because of a fire, accident, or other emergency, and people would be angry that “this is the only way to get to my house.” I would point out that I could think of four different ways to get around the closed road, but the idiots only knew one way.

Part of being prepared for anything is to know the area where you live. Know it on foot, know it in a vehicle, and if possible, know it from the air. That means doing a thorough recon of the area. That starts with knowing everything about the area within 500 yards of your door. You can use a range card, found here on the training materials page, or you can simply do a sketch. Make sure that it includes the range and bearing of landmarks like the treeline behind your house, that large elm tree down the road a bit, and other things that you can use to estimate range using the Mark I eyeball.

I know that the treeline behind my house is 98 yards away. The treeline in front of the house is 85 yards away. The house behind mine is 403 yards from my back door. I have all sorts of landmarks on my card, and that will allow me to guess the range to various things within 500 yards or so of my house.

Now that you know the physical layout, make sure you know your neighbors and identify potential allies as well as potential rats or informants. As always, practice OPSEC and remember that the person asking you to do illegal shit or showing an interest in what you have is probably an informant or a thief.

By Divemedic, ago

Bailing Out with Munter

If you spend time on the second to fourth floor of a building, you have to ask yourself how you will get out of that spot in an emergency. Enter the bailout kit. I carried one clipped to my gear when I was a firefighter, and I’m telling you that this a great to use in an emergency if you need to get out of a tall building in a hurry. Some of you have asked for more firefighter on the job tricks, so this post is one of those.

When my son was 14 years old or so, the two of us got in a bit of hot water with the apartment complex manager when I was teaching him how to use this system. What we were doing was climbing the stairs to the third floor, and then using it to rappel down to the ground. Over and over. She saw this and came over to yell at us for it. Killjoy.

It’s an easy concept. All you need is a bag with 40 feet of 8mm climbing rope and a pair of locking carabiners. There is a kit here that has the rope and one carabiner. You can get more carabiners here. Make sure that whatever you get is certified for climbing. Buying the cheap stuff will ensure that it fails when you need it.

Store the bag with the rope in it, and one carabiner attached to the near end with a bowline knot. The other carabiners (one for each person who will be escaping) just need to be clipped to the handle on the outside of the bag. When it’s time to bail out, hand each escapee a carabiner, clip the one that is tied to the end of the rope to something sturdy (we will get to that in a minute) and toss the bag out of the window. At this point, you should have a carabiner in your hand and be looking at a rope that is attached to something sturdy at one end, and is trailing out of the window all the way to the ground.

Now you need to clip that carabiner to yourself. If you are wearing a sturdy gunbelt (you DO wear a 1 inch or larger leather belt for EDC, don’t you?) that will do. Whatever you wear for a belt needs to be able to support your weight. Now tie the rope in a munter hitch and attach it to the carabiner that is clipped around your belt.

Now you can simply bail out of the window by using the munter hitch to control your descent. Each person who has a carabiner can do this. Please note that this is for emergency escape where remaining in the building will be fatal. I do not recommend using a belt as a climbing or rappelling device under normal conditions.

If you are going to practice this technique, please use a safety line with someone on belay. If you don’t know how to do this, please take a climbing or rappelling course.

Parting thought… Why do they have female firefighters?

Well, who else is going to make the sandwiches?

By Divemedic, ago