The point of a casualty evacuation plan is to stabilize a patient while also getting them to a higher echelon of care. It's great to talk about the plan, but it should also be conspicuously posted so that important things such as addresses and GPS coordinates are known to all involved. What if the instructor is the only person who knows the address or GPS coordinates to the shooting range or linkup location with EMS, but he/she is the one incapacited? Having this material printed and available for all prevents this, as well as keeping people to a plan if they start to become flustered. Overall, you'll see similar concepts of redundancy repeated throughout a good medical plan. The template provided here is inspired by my experience as an EMS supervisor, as well as a Marine where all of our field exercises would include a casualty evacuation plan.
The outline presented is comprehensive, as may be necessary for a class running multiple training lanes. A simple class of 8 persons at a suburban commercial range location accessed via public road may be much simpler, doing away with self transport options, treatment area, linkups, or road guards. Instead of assuming your plan doesn't need these aspects addressed, you should work from the full template and eliminate them only after seeing they're not applicable. Reverse planning in moving the patient from the scene to definitive care is a good way of accomplishing this and ensuring you address all friction points.
Originally I was going to write about hospital choice and trauma centers in the case that you decide to transport the patient instead of wait for EMS...however I think anyone with enough medical training to make that judgement call will likely already understand the topic. Thus, all the layman needs to understand is that not all hospitals are trauma centers. If your patient is deteriorating, you need to get them to the closest higher echelon of care; whether that means EMS or the closest hospital. All things being equal, a trauma center is preferred for penetrating injuries.
In addition to understanding your hospital facilities, you should have an understanding of the EMS in your location. Are they volunteers who may take time to respond....if they even respond at all? Will they be able to find your range without help, or should you communicate an easily identified linkup location to the 911 dispatcher? Do you need road guards to flag down the ambulance and guide them in? Do you need a specific location in order to have cell signal to call 911 in the first place? Will police or EMS be able to access your range if there is a locked gate? These are all considerations that should be evaluated in order to make a robust medical plan.
In addition, if you find yourself repeatedly hosting/teaching at a specific location, contact your local emergency services beforehand to see what coordination may already be in place. Find out if they have pre-designated LZs (landing zones) or staging areas near your range that could be utilized for linkup with ground or air services. This might be more common than you think in some areas due to disaster planning. Local to me, there are extremely sick pediatric patients who MUST be seen at specialized hospitals over an hour away. To make this smooth, these specific patients are recorded in the computer dispatch systems and pre designated LZs established. A 911 call automatically generates a medevac flight to such LZ. Likewise, combos to gates can be stored in the same computer dispatch systems, and given securely to EMS crews by dispatch. This is extremely common.
Finally, don't forget to develop your range commands and procedures for an emergency. This should probably involve an immediate cease fire, ensuring all firearms are secured, clearing all non-essential persons from the immediate area and assessment of the situation. I won't say much about this, and leave it more up to the procedures you or your organization currently espouse.
A mentor once told me, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." As witnessed by events on our own forum and others, the opportunity is more than realistic. For some, a simple talk on who is the "class medic" may be sufficient preparation. Many of us train at more remote locations where you have to drive 5 minutes just to call 911, the ambulance will never find the range without help, and the hospital is 45 minutes or more away....such a basic talk is simply insufficient. Do not fall into the mindset that a truly emergent situation can not happen at your range, whether it be heat stroke, allergic reaction, diabetic, gun shot wound, cardiac, or respiratory in nature. If you had a simple plan before, consider using this template to double-check and make sure you're as prepared as you could be. Many range locations warrant such, and it behooves you to plan accordingly.
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Name of class location
Address of location
GPS coordinates for location
Combo/key to gate
Nearest Hospital:
Name
Address
Locations of Interest:
Location of medical gear
Treatment Area (Casualty Collection Point)
Rally Point for link up with EMS
Additional points for road guards
Transport Vehicle with programmed GPS to primary hospital, keys in conspicuous location
Landing Zone for medevac helicopter with GPS coordinates
Ways to contact 911/emergency services:
Available Cell coverage?
Available landlines?
Sat-Phone?
Personal Locator Beacon (PLB/EPIRB)?
Radio Access (Law Enforcement monitored CB?)
Key Personnel:
Operations: Primary/secondary
Medical Provider: Primary/secondary
Communicator: Primary/secondary
Runner/Road Guard: Primary/secondary
Driver: Primary/secondary
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Originally Posted by Chuck Haggard
