Posted on 03/18/2009 5:37:21 AM PDT by marktwain
In the field of medicine, the Golden Hour refers to the period of time immediately following a traumatic injury and the idea that the ultimate outcome of the injury is determined by the treatment the patient receives during that time, which can range from a few minutes to a few hours. It is often the first responders, preferably paramedics, who have the greatest impact on a victim's survival.
The clearest illustration of this principle can be seen when considering the scenario of a heart attack. If a person suffers a heart attack in a hospital, help is moments away. Treatment begins immediately, and a person stands the best chance of survival. However, if a person is hiking in a remote area and help takes three hours to make it to the scene, that person has a greatly reduced chance of a positive outcome.
Think, then, to a situation where a lunatic goes on a shooting spree in a shopping mall. Average police response time to a high priority call within city limits can range from 5-10 minutes. Add additional time to access the building, assess the situation, locate and neutralize the shooter, and you're looking at a minimum of 20 minutes. A shooter can get off several hundred rounds in that time and a lot of deaths can occur before the police can stop the attack. The scenario changes drastically if an armed citizen is already on the scene and can appropriately respond.
Before we get into that, though, let's take a brief look at the history of the individuals most people associate with the term "first responder," and that is paramedics.
The paramedic program is actually a fairly recent development in the United States, though it's roots can be traced back to ancient Rome when elderly Centurions were tasked with removing wounded soldiers from the battlefield and administering initial treatment.
In the mid 1960's, a few physicians began experimenting with programs to provide private citizens with training to enable them to provide initial care to injured victims. At the same time, the medical corpsmen in Vietnam were pioneering close combat support of medical personnel embedded with active combat troops. These corpsmen were able to greatly increase the survival rate of wounded soldiers due to immediate care being provided on the battlefield prior to evacuation to medical facilities.
After the war, these techniques were adapted for civilian use with the intent that it would be fire fighters who would provide the care. Firemen were already highly trained and available for rapid deployment, and it was thought this was a natural field for returning military paramedics to utilize their skills in a civilian environment. However, many members of the upper echelon in these departments were strongly opposed to the program for a variety of reasons ranging from liability concerns to the thought that it wasn't proper to be trying to teach a firefighter to act like a doctor.
Ironically, it was a television show, Emergency!, that helped break down the opposition to the program, highlight its effectiveness, and rally public support. This, coupled with Federal funding being made available, resulted in the rapid acceptance of the paramedic program throughout the seventies. Now, many people take it for granted that if they are severely injured, a paramedic will be on the scene within minutes to begin treatment. It seems barbaric that treatment was once withheld until an injured person made it all the way to the hospital.
So, how does this tie in with armed citizens?
In 2004, "Dimebag" Darrell Lance Abbott, former Pantera guitarist, was killed in a nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. Three others were killed and three more wounded that night before the gunman was killed by a police officer who happened to be nearby. Reportedly, this officer was able to respond within two minutes, yet was still unable to prevent those initial deaths an injuries.
While Darrell's murder was unlikely to have been prevented regardless of response time, there was one individual in the club that night who might have been able to prevent the other deaths and injuries with an even faster response time. "Roger", a concealed handgun licensee, was in the club that night and was approximately 5 feet from the shooter. Unfortunately, Ohio law prohibits even Concealed Handgun License holders from carrying their firearm into any establishment that serves alcohol (even if they are not drinking), so Roger was disarmed and unable to perform a lifesaving act.
Within days of that attack, another incident occurred in Ohio, this time in Dayton, where a 79 year old man was attacked by a mugger. Before any harm could befall him, a nearby CHL holder drew his firearm and stopped the attack, holding the criminal for police. The "golden hour" becomes the "golden minute" when it comes to self defense situations. Immediate and direct action by the victim or passersby greatly affect the outcome of a criminal attack. If there is no immediate response to an assault, the chance of severe injury or death to the victim(s) greatly increases.
I was unable to find a link to the story, but I recall that shortly before concealed carry passed in Ohio that there was an incident where a young girl was shot by a stalker as she was crossing the street on her way to school. According to onlookers, she remained alive for several minutes while the gunman paced back and forth, uncertain of what to do. As the police drew closer, he shot her again and killed her. Had an armed citizen been present and able to respond, her life would likely have been spared.
For most police, the most frustrating thing about their jobs is that they cannot be everywhere to protect everyone. The sad truth is that they are often relegated to the role of armed historians, taking statements or reports after the crime has taken place. Sometimes they do intervene and stop an active shooter, but often after there has already been multiple fatalities and injuries. There just isn't enough manpower.
With more than 140,000 concealed handgun licenses issued in Ohio, there is at least a chance that there will be a First Responder on the scene who will be in a position to stop the crime and save lives. Like the paramedic program, there was initially a lot of opposition to concealed carry in Ohio. Now that it has become more accepted and the numbers are growing, hopefully we can look forward to a time when CHL holders are seen as an essential piece of the puzzle for ensuring public safety during those crucial initial minutes following a violent criminal attack.
Fifth Amendment takes care of criminals and the mentally insane.
No new laws needed.
I think he means somebody with a police-band scanner in their car, listening to the traffic on the airwaves.
“...Fifth Amendment...”
I refuse to comment on that on the grounds of self-incrimination...:^)
You know. “This is my rifle, this is my gun. I didn’t spend up to 20 hours in fire rotations for fun.”
Yours,
Cordite Breath
“..It’s common knowledge that first responders are almost never at the scene, although they do tend to arrive in a hurry...”
Then I must have misread or misunderstood it.
Maybe it should be titled “Immediate Responders” instead.
Carry on.
The "golden hour" becomes the "golden minute" when it comes to self defense situations.
I would only argue that should read: “The Golden seconds”.
I agree with the gist of what commenters are saying here in regards to armed citizens being at the scenes of crimes to begin with. I’m glad to be out in the middle of nowhere these days, though. ;-)
Being old, cynical, nitpicky and grumpy is a VIRTUE, brother :^) I’m there myself.
Response: Why do have fire extinguishers? Why do you have first aid kits?
Why is it so difficult for those that want to disarm the law-abiding that You carry a gun In case of emergency?
It's Just like any other piece of emergency equipment
Why can't those ying-yangs understand that simple concept?
Freepers, thank you for reading my article.
By “first responder” I did indeed mean what NFHale said,”an armed citizen inadvertantly and unavoidably finds him/herself in the middle of a life-or-death situation, confronted by an active shooter.”
It was my intent to broaden the term “first responder” to go beyond what are traditionally thought of as the first responders (police, fire, ems) and extend it to include armed citizens, who are also trained and able to respond to an emergency situation, albeit a different kind.
One team, one fight folks.
All on the same side out here, regardless.
LFOD
Agreed. Readers, see comments #33 and #34 before this one.
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