AAR: Lone Star Medics Confined Space Class, Cresson Texas, October 2020
After Action Report - Confined Spaces Class
Training Organization(s): Lone Star Medics and DFW Defensive Training
Instructors: Caleb Causey and Guy Schnitzler
Date: October 24, 2020
Course Description taken directly from the LSM website:
This is a one-day training collaboration course between DFW Defensive Training and Lone Star Medics. The objective of this class is to prepare students for dealing with immediate violent threats and the injuries related to those threats from confined spaces that people find themselves in on a daily basis. Students will learn how to draw their firearm from concealment in confined spaces, target discrimination, shooting positions from seated and related positions of confinement. Students will also learn how to identify and treat injuries related to violent attacks while in confined spaces/structures. Students will learn through minimal lecture, hands-on skills practice, live-fire practice. Each student will be able to conduct a final training exercise to self-evaluate the lessons learned under the strict guidance of both instructors. This will be a fast-paced course for experienced shooters looking to advance their firearm and medical skills.
This is not a class for beginner shooters or those with no previous formal training on shooting from concealment.
Although not mandatory, it is highly recommended that you’ve already taken at least a Stop The Bleed course prior to this class.
Student Makeup:
We had a really good mix. There were two instructors and 9 students in all, which made for a great student/instructor ratio. Because of precautions taken for COVID-19, they were very careful to limit enrollment and practice all approved safety guidelines.
And I think all of us have been in classes that frankly were overbooked, and you barely got any coaching. A brief glance and “Keep it up” honestly leaves me a bit sad. Caleb and Guy deliberately watched the numbers for this class and kept them low.
As per the course description, all the attendees were safe and responsible shooters. They had a solid foundation on the Four Rules and their application, plus a good understanding of the medical skills we were going to polish.
Observed student gear was good. Nobody showed up with a second-hand Serpa holster with a Hi-Point stuffed in it. No ammo issues were observed.
Facilities:
Triple C Range at Cresson, TX - approximately 90 minutes southwest of Dallas.
This was my first trip to the Triple C Range. I will tell you it is a really nice facility with a ton of shooting locations. We had an outdoor bay to ourselves, which made training move very quickly. The staff at this range is top-notch. They frequently came by to see if we needed any range supplies – targets, backers, stands, barrel – anything needed was very quickly provided. These folks are shooters.
Weather:
October in Texas can be all over the map. The morning started out chilly and overcast, but turned out nice and sunny. No rain, although it was forecast.
Gear:
EDC pistol - Ernest Langdon tuned Beretta 92X Compact, in a JM Custom IWB holster. Ammo was American Eagle 147-grain FMJ, which shoots to the same POA/POI and the Federal 147 HST loads I usually run. Zero issues with gear or ammo.
I also carried a S&W 342 Scandium/titanium 5-shot J-frame in a RKBA left front pocket holster, and a S&W 340PD 5-shot J-frame in a Alessi ankle rig. Those are also my EDC, and both came in handy during some of the seated shooting drills.
Training:
This was a joint class between two trainers that I have sought out in the past. Why did I take it? Because the more I thought about the topic, the more sense it made. What is a confined space, and why is it important?
Because we are in confined spaces all the time. Many of us work in an office or cubicle. We ride in cars, ride in elevators, walk in stairways and corridors. We also spend a lot of time in parking lots or other transitional spaces, or walk between cars in those lots. Plus, we sit in restaurants and stand in checkout lines. Upon examination, this class makes a ton of sense.
And the shooting instructor specializes in confined spaces. Guy is not only a Federal Air Marshal, but has been a trainer for FAM’s in one of their largest offices for the last three years. Sitting on a long flight with plenty of time to watch people and brainstorm, he came up with this class.
Caleb is a former deployed US Army medic. He was also a former SWAT medic. He’s been teaching a very broad range of folks’ emergency medical skills, tailored to their specific needs. This goes from SWAT teams to Average Earth People
We started with the shooting portion, with Guy as lead. Caleb was acting as the AI, and is a graduate of several Rangemaster Instructor course.
Guy used a building block approach, and we did dry-practice sessions with unloaded guns. I really liked this, as the majority of people’s shooting is done standing on a range. He explained how to successfully modify the draw stroke to safely and successfully shoot from a seated position. This was taught for IWB, OWB and AIWB. There’s a lot of tips and techniques that are really useful to do this safely. That’s why I wanted to attend this class, and Guy did a great job. The lessons flowed smoothly in a logical progression – all the years of teaching was really evident.
After we worked for a while at the 5-yard line shooting a silhouette, we switched to a more complicated setup. The shooter had to engage a target interspersed with no-shoots. While doing this, you had to strictly obey Rule 2 and Rule 3 – keeping your finger off the trigger until your sights were aligned with a target, and never muzzling a no-shoot.
You could see some lightbulbs go off in people’s heads. They had done a lot of competition shooting in the past, and were used to routinely running a muzzle over a hostage or bystander with their finger on the trigger. There’s been a lot of debate on the Gunternet over this, and I’m firmly in the same camp as Guy and a lot of other trainers. Why preach the Four Rules, then throw them out the window?
After that, it was multiple no-shoots at varying distances. You were in a simulated diner, seated at a dinner table. Bad guys enter and to a takeover robbery. You have to engage bad people and miss the good people.
Then we had another really useful drill, especially considering the current situation with people unwittingly driving into a dangerous crowd. We learned how to safely shoot in a confined vehicle space, to quickly get the passenger out of the way so they were in no danger as we fired.
Then the second half was medical training. What do I need and how do I use it?
Caleb Causey supplies the following advice: “Mission dictates gear.” Well, great minds think alike - because Pat Rogers, (God rest his soul) offered the adage: “Mission drives the gear train”. What are you going to be doing, where are you doing it, who are you doing it with, and how long are you going to be doing it?
He also really hammered home the concept that an individual first aid kit or IFAK is exactly that – for an individual, specifically the person carrying it. EVERYONE needs an IFAK, and everyone should carry it on their person.
A group or vehicle kit is exactly that – a supplement to the IFAK that is carried for the group, or in the vehicle. He did caution against the headrest-mounted kits in vehicle, saying they were bait for crackheads and thieves. Keep it concealed, keep it safe.
We spent a lot of time working on how to quickly and effectively store and deploy a tourniquet. A par time of 12 seconds to apply it is a good goal. This requires both proper prep of the TQ itself, and frequent practice.
We also covered other essentials – chest seals, gauze and pressure dressings. Tools to remove clothing and gear were discussed and demonstrated.
Folks – this is critically important. I know it’s a lot of fun to do a carbine class, or blast targets with a 12 gauge or the latest Vundernine. But you are a hell of a lot more likely to use first aid skills to save a loved one, than have to shoot your way out of a biker bar.
And what are you doing getting into shootouts in a biker bar, anyway??
We also worked on drags and carries. Not sexy and a lot of work, but another crucial piece. Getting someone across a parking lot to cover can absolutely make the difference between bleeding to death, or going home to your family.
Another really useful point – be very, very, very careful where you buy first aid gear. eBay and Amazon are absolutely full of fake knockoffs made from imported Chinesium. If you look at them wrong, they break. Don’t save 5 bucks on a fake tourniquet or chest seal made of used Kleenex. Caleb passes on discount codes to his students. Folks – that discount will basically reimburse you the cost of the class, when you equip a pair of IFAK’s and a vehicle kit. This alone is a good reason to attend!
Caleb is a gold mine of info on what works, what to avoid, and how to use it. This is why I like learning from medics with plenty of hands on experience, who also research all the current best practices and gear available.
Final eval:
We had two different team scenarios. I’m not going to give away the secrets, but it involved live fire, vehicles, immediate first aid applied under tight time limits and very confined space. The shooting required very strict accuracy standards as well. It was stressful, it was awesome, and done very safely
Notes:
Since this class went so well, Caleb and Guy are offering it again in March of 2021.
You can view more info on the instructor's websites:
http://www.dfwdefensivetraining.com/home.html
https://www.lonestarmedics.com/
Here is a link to range facility:
https://triplecrange.com
Personal Background:
I have known and trained with both companies and instructors for years. I am very fortunate to consider them personal friends and have them as teachers. I paid full price for this class, and received no money or any other items in return for this AAR.
Final Thoughts:
If you have a chance, I’d definitely do this class. It’s a bargain considering the skills and teaching abilities of the two instructors. The skillset is very applicable as well.
