C.A.T Tourniquet

C.A.T Tourniquets are an invaluable piece of equipment. They save lives it's as simple as that. They are used stop arterial bleeding in limbs( arms/legs). They do this by completely cutting off the blood flow to the limb. In case your wondering yes it hurts like hell, but it beats the alternative. A lot of Departments are seeing the need and supplying officers with tourniquets or IFAKs. If not there are a few ways to get your hands on one. Your rescue squad may be able to get you one if you ask. If you know a a military medic or someone in supply you may be able to acquire some expired supplies. Yes they have an expiration but these are one item that will work just fine past it's date. Or you can purchase online from multiple suppliers.  A common question is the following: Does combat gauze and a tourniquet do the same thing? The  answer is no. Israeli Bandages are just bandages that have a handle and wrap preattatched. They allow you to apply dressing to a wound and the bar allows it to apply pressure; it however does not create enough  pressure to stop blood flow. These are great for areas that either don't require a tourniquet or are in places that a tourniquet can't be applied minus the chest. It's also important to know that C.A.Ts are not intended to be used more than once. The big Question I have is to those of you that have them? Where is it when you work. The most common place is going to be the car or IFAK. If your department lets you wear an IFAK your lucky no need to do anything different. If it's in your car and you get shot after a foot pursuit and your a mile from your car or a thousand other scenarios it's not going to do you any good. Wear it somewhere on your person. I used a Tactical Medical Solutions vest attachment purchased online at LA Police Gear. It held my tourniquet and had places for chest seals, Celox etc. It was extremely well made and did not print badly on my shirt. When I added plates to my vest, I had to quit using the attachment. My partner and myself both keep our tourniquet on the right hand side inside our outer vest between the straps, where the vest separates. Everyone else on our shift has been given an extra tourniquet by another officer and myself  to do the same thing. It cost nothing to put it in the crease and if you wear an outervest  that unzips under the arm it's an easy grab. There are companies that make boot straps for tourniquets as well or you could fashion a vest stap with some elastic and some Velcro. It's a great piece of equipment to have on you when you need it.