By Kevin Michalowski, Senior Editor
Emergency Stuff

Every home, vehicle and pair of cargo pants you own should have one Quikclot.

Here’s a smooth segue. Let’s go from guns to getting shot. We want one, but not the other. But the truth of the matter is that if bad guys are trying to get the upper hand, you might just end up with someone getting shot or cut. Then what do you do?

Well, SHOT 2009 brought us two great answers. The first is QuikClot, offered exclusively in the U.S. by Adventure Medical Kits. Their Field Trauma Kit retails for about $40 and has everything you need to deal with something like a gunshot wound or other severe injury. QuikClot, when applied to a GSW or severe cut works chemically fill to stop the bleeding in just minutes. You can apply your bandage over the top and alert the doctors at the emergency room that you have used the product. They will know what to do.

It is my opinion that every shooting range (public and private) and every police vehicle and ambulance in the country should have at least one of these kits readily available at all times. There’s no telling when you’ll need it and you likely won’t need it often, but when you need it the QuikClot should be handy.

But, just for the sake of argument, let’s say you don’t have space in your kit for the Field Trauma bag from Adventure Medical Kits. Well, if that’s the case, you should have the SWAT tourniquet from Remote Medical International. In this case SWAT stands for Stretch, Wrap and Tuck.

It is just that easy to apply this flexible tourniquet. And, cooler still, the directions are printed right on the tourniquet in such a manner that you will get the proper tension and pressure on the wound when you stretch the material until the visual indicators are correct. I know that was a long sentence, but it just sounds better than, “Pull on the rubber band until the pattern looks like a checkerboard.”

On second thought, that last sentence is a pretty fair indication on how to use the SWAT tourniquet. At about $10 each, buy one and slip it in the pocket of your cargo pants. Just take it out and transfer it to your other pants before you do the laundry.

A Good Belt

Speaking of an easy way to move things around your duty belt, a new attachment system by Uncle Mike’s Law Enforcement takes all the headaches out of trying to rearrange your duty belt. No longer do you need to take everything thing off and reweave the whole belt if you want to change flashlight holsters or swap out a handcuff case. The new system lets you flip tabs, open snaps and go. I know what you’re thinking. “How tough can it be?”

Well, my driver’s license says I weigh 225 pounds and I was having a tug-o-war using a duty belt and a double magazine pouch with a guy who went at least 180. The attachment points didn’t budge and the newly designed seams take up less space on the belt. It’s as if every item is a quarter inch narrower thanks to the way Uncle Mikes is sewing its pouches and other belt accessories. If you don’t believe me, get to a retailer and check it out. This is a cool belt.

Light ‘Em Up

The 5.11 Lite for Life offers 90 minutes of run time, at 90 lumens, with a 90-second recharge time - all without using batteries!

And if you get a belt you need to get a flashlight to hang on it. I like flashlights because, well, I’m afraid of the dark. Don’t ask. There was an incident. This may be hard to believe, but flashlight technology is advancing like Rosie O’Donnell at a buffet line. I still remember when a flashlight was simply a metal tube designed to hold dead batteries.

Today, flashlights are amazing tools that provide illumination and, in some cases, an alternative to force. And the coolest one is the new Light for Life, by 5.11 Tactical. Thanks to the perfection of new technology the Light For Life offers 90 minutes of run time at 90 lumens with a 90-second recharge time…all without using batteries. On the high setting, you can blast 270 lumen, but that shortens the run time.

My first look at the Light for Life gave me mixed feelings. The technology of the quick-recharge capacitors is awesome, but the light was larger than I expected. Probably because I’m used to a Streamlight or Blackhawk Gladius. While the Light for Life was large, it was incredibly light. In my opinion, I’d like to see the same technology in a light that’s smaller and tough enough to break a car window. I think those days are coming.

Bushnell introduced another ultra-cool light. The HD™ Torch takes flashlight technology in a new direction. While conventional flashlight produce circular patterns of light that are uneven and irregular, the new HD Torch projects a perfectly square and uniform beam of light. The benefit is that the light beam is consistent from center to edge without dim areas or doughnuts of light.

Without the shadows that are typical with traditional flashlights, the HD Torch makes objects stand out from their background for better definition and clarity. It is a great tool when searching for lost objects because the square beam lets the user search by quadrant or zone for more precision and efficiency. The HD torch can easily light up an entire wall without moving from side to side.

In the toughness department, the HD Torch is constructed of aircraft-grade aluminum and produces 165 Lumens of light with its powerful LED. Run time is 1.5 hours. It is powered by two 3-volt lithium batteries. There are two operating modes: high and safety-strobe for emergency use.
Another thing on the cool scale is the “Find Me” feature, a glowing “B” rear button that allows serves as a battery life indicator. The flashlight comes with two batteries and a lanyard all for just $80.

Night Vision

The ATN PS22-3 can be combined with a Trijicon for the ultimate day/night optics system.

The ATN PS22-3 Day/Night Tactical Kit with Trijicon 4x32 ACOG 1 QRM is the ultimate operators sighting system by combining the ATN PS22-3 front sight with one of the best names in the daytime optical area – Trijicon. The PS22-3 uses ATN’s standard third-generation image intensifier tubes (IIT). They have a micro channel plate, GAAs photocathode, and a completely self-contained integral high-voltage power supply.

These tubes provide a combined increase in resolution, signal to noise and photosensitivity over tubes with a multi-alkali photocathode. Generation 3 is the standard for the USA military. Highlights of the Gen 3 specifications are the typical SNR of 22 and resolution of 64 lp/mm.
This thermal imaging unit is so good, you won’t believe the things you can see.

The PS22-3 is packaged with a Trijicon 4x32 ACOG 1 QRM riflescope. Trijicon 4x32 ACOG scope TA01NSN with Amber Center Illumination for M4A1 fits the AR15/M16 flat-top rifles and includes the TA51 mount. Modifications to this Trijicon Special Forces TA01 NSN model include an integral rear ghost ring aperture and a tritium glow-in the-dark front sight (yellow center illumination) for close-quarter-combat/back-up sighting, and includes a flat-top adapter, back-up iron sights and dust cover.

Yes. It is about $5500, but if you need to see in the dark and stop bad guys before they stop you, spend the money.

And Finally, The Big News

It seems everyone had a press conference of some sort at the SHOT show – which, of course, means a reporter can get kind of jaded. One announcement, however, really made an impression. BAE Systems is now under the one banner that is easily recognizable to cops around the world: Safariland. I guess if you are going to capitalize on brand identity in the LE community, Safariland is the one to go with. BAE Systems is a multi-billion-dollar company with their fingers in all sorts of things.

But when it came to LE gear they were the umbrella for everything from Hatch gloves to Monadnock batons, Hiatt handcuffs and, of course Safariland holsters and gear. In total, BAE is bringing 19 companies and product lines under one banner; everything from duty gear to forensics equipment. This will be the 800-lb. gorilla in the marketplace and I fully expect they will continue to offer the best products, but now in one easy-to-find location. This might be the wave of the future, a few big players like Safariland, Blackhawk and 5.11 Tactical. We’ll keep watching.

Until next time: stay safe.

This excerpt is from the Gun Digest 2010 annual book. Click Here to get your copy.

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