It was a beautiful summer day in mid-July. Twelve trainees lined up on the firing line with their assortment of handguns in a variety of different holsters. The three instructors behind them—range safety officers (RSOs) also serving as shooting coaches—were vigilant for anything that the trainees could do that was unsafe. The range master was up in the tower calling out the course of fire, time limits, required behaviors and more. Other RSOs/instructors were with other trainees well behind the range area, discussing various firearms-related topics. Then the command was given, “When the threat is presented, draw and fire two rounds, from the combat crouch position, check to make sure the threat is neutralized, and holster.” The targets turned, handguns were drawn, shots were fired. One recruit trainee holstered her weapon, turned to one of the RSOs and said, “I shot myself,” and then sat down. On the draw she had pulled the trigger before the weapon cleared the holster, shooting herself in the top of her right thigh.
Despite the injury, there was much to be thankful for. They were using range/training ammo so the bullet didn’t expand. It traveled down between the large muscles in her quadriceps and stopped just above her kneecap. Had they been using duty ammo, she’d have had a much larger wound channel and likely would have blown her kneecap off. As it was, she had microscopic surgery and walked out of the hospital the next day.
What caused the negligent discharge and injury? It was some years ago and the holster was blamed. It allowed her to get her finger on the trigger before the gun was drawn clear from the holster. There was also the fault of poor training. The RSOs and Range Master all agreed, after the fact, that more emphasis needed to be placed on keeping the finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until after the weapon was “on target.”
The response of the RSOs and Range Master was impressive. One took control to coordinate the response. An RSO was sent to get the trauma kit. One RSO was sent to notify the local rescue squad to dispatch an ambulance. Another was sent to go meet the ambulance at the range entrance, in case they couldn’t find it as easily as everyone thought they should. One provided immediate care to the trainee while other RSOs ensured every weapon was cleared and holstered before clearing the range of all shooters.
The response was well-planned and well-executed. Several days later the instructors were discussing it and one of them was heard to say, “It’s a good thing it was a gunshot wound, though. Otherwise we wouldn’t have known what to do.” What did he mean? Further discussion revealed that an accidental gunshot wound was just about the only injury they had planned and prepared for, and most of the response that had occurred hadn’t ever been planned, but performed on command from the instructor who took charge. In fact, fetching the trauma care kit to provide treatment was about the only part of the response that was planned.
This begs the question: What should you be preparing for as a firearms instructor or range safety officer? Are there injuries or conditions beyond the obvious that should be part of your planning, preparedness and training efforts?
Learn from others’ mistakes
Reality is that we have to prepare well beyond potential firearms injuries. Of course we have to prepare for gunshot injuries. These can range from minor (grazes, shrapnel ricochets, etc.) to major (torso gunshot penetrations, arterial injuries, etc.) and span every conceivable severity in-between. There are easily predictable injuries that can result from firearms maintenance as well. We use chemical solvents and lubricants that present potential poison/contamination threats as well as eye injury risks. We use cleaning tools that can present penetration/abrasion risks, not to mention some of the springs and pins in the firearms themselves that can become flying projectiles if mistakes are made during field stripping for maintenance.
But when you’re “out in the sticks,” as a great many ranges are, you have to prepare for other eventualities as well. Depending on what climate you live/work/train in, and because we train to work in all weather conditions, environmentally related injuries are a potential reality. Heat exhaustion, heat stroke, dehydration and, on the other end of the spectrum, hypothermia and frost bite are all injuries or conditions we should train and be prepared to treat. Most trainees will prepare themselves and what instructors/RSOs need to do becomes little more than awareness reminders, but any veteran instructor can tell you about “that one recruit” that didn’t have enough common sense to put on a raincoat in a monsoon. Never take for granted that your recruits will plan and prepare properly. Part of training them is teaching them how to plan and prepare for all eventualities, even the unexpected ones, as much as we realistically can.
Biological emergencies/injuries can occur as well, and we need to prepare for them. Some of your recruits may be diabetic or have other physical conditions that require them to be medicated. Not all of them will religiously take that medication as required, and even more of them will not moderate their nutritional intake as necessary. Being aware of these medical conditions, as much as possible, and being ready to provide necessary treatments when required. While you can’t force recruits to reveal such medical information, it is in their best interest to do so and most will if you ask for it. The ones that won’t may be providing you indicators of their level of fitness to work the street (or lack thereof).
Since most ranges are located well outside of any cityscape, wildlife abounds. While gunfire tends to keep away the animals that might present threats to us, the trash cans full of meal remains and empty soda cans tend to attract bees. Wooden structures that don’t have a ton of foot traffic and intrusion tend to be prime building spaces for wasp nests. All of that wood also tends to attract carpenter bees. Certain types of ground and climate conditions are prime for hornet nestings. The outdoor setting can host plants that aren’t as friendly to humans as we’d like (think poison ivy or poison oak).
If any of your recruits are allergic to bee or wasp stings, anaphylactic shock becomes a concern. Epi pens need to be on site and the instructors need to be aware of which recruits face those challenges. While carpenter bees don’t sting, it can be almost humorous watching people injure themselves as they try to swat at or avoid them. Unfortunately, you can’t laugh and you still have to treat whatever injury they create for themselves. Training doesn’t stop for the itchiness of poison ivy or poison oak exposure but if such infects the eyes, then training for that recruit is over until the infection clears. It behooves the instructor staff to make sure such conditions are invasive of the training space and to keep the recruits from entering such spaces where the plants do grow.
Create a range emergency plan
All of this boils down to emergency preparedness for responding to and treating injuries on your range. A thorough plan takes all of these potential challenges into consideration and involves equipment on the range, information about the range and surrounding area, and communication with emergency services units nearby. Too much of this is neglected or ignored when preparing for a range day or training program. One commercial training entity, Commonwealth Criminal Justice Academy in Fredericksburg, Va., has begun offering training on this entire process—planning and preparing for range emergencies. It is a new program that has been quickly embraced by the local firearms instructor community. Even the NRA has hosted the program after reviewing it and seeing the innate value of such.
If you’re responsible for any part or portion of range safety for your agency or an allied agency (if you’re a RSO or instructor you are responsible), you should ensure that your range planning where emergency response is concerned is thorough and complete. If you’re not 100 percent sure that it is, find and attend the requisite training to get where you need to be. Your agency, your fellow instructors, fellow SROs and agency command staff, not to mention the recruits, will thank you for it.
