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If you ever find yourself in an emergency situation, whether it’s an active shooter event at work or a car accident on the interstate, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of a fast response.
Sadly, there are a lot of myths floating around out there that can squelch a civilian first responder’s confidence and even hinder their ability to provide life-saving medical treatment. We want to debunk those myths in hopes of empowering you to take action, respond, and save lives.
You probably already know that many people are afraid to provide medical treatment in an emergency because they lack the confidence to do so. You may even be one of those people. But the other concern people have about treating life-threatening injuries is that they might be held legally responsible if anything goes wrong. They’re afraid that the aftermath of an emergency might bring them a lawsuit.
But this concern is unfounded, thanks to Good Samaritan Laws, which protect civilian responders who provide emergency medical treatment although they may not be professionally trained or certified to do so. Unless the response provided was clearly an act of aggression with ill intent, you are protected under Good Samaritan Laws. So, don’t hesitate to be a good Samaritan — respond and save lives.
If a person can bleed out in 2-4 minutes — and they can — then every second counts. If you see someone with severe bleeding, and you have a tourniquet on hand, apply it! If you don’t have a tourniquet, improvise!
Do not treat a tourniquet as your last resort by trying to first get the bleeding under control with direct pressure or gauze. Instead, keep it simple: Apply a tourniquet immediately, and stop the bleeding as quickly as possible. If you need to assess the injury later, you can, but it’s better to overestimate the seriousness of an injury and apply a tourniquet unnecessarily than to fail to apply one when it could have saved a life.
Wound-packing is partially an art, but mostly, it’s just common sense. The goal is to stop bleeding when the injury site is somewhere other than an extremity. Examples of places where wound packing is appropriate would be the shoulder, back, pelvic region, and buttocks. The stomach and chest are both exceptions. It’s best not to pack stomach or chest wounds because there’s so much open space in these regions that you could pack an excessive amount of gauze into them without actually stopping the bleeding.
However, thinking that an injured person is better off without you packing their wound than they would be if you packed it imperfectly, is a myth. When the alternative is death from blood loss, the only wound-packing technique you need to worry about is speed.
Most employers do not want to even think about the idea of workplace violence, and scheduling a training session for their workforce to get trained in active shooter response feels too much like they’re expecting it to happen. We understand the dilemma, but on the other hand, we cannot let uneasiness halt our preparedness.
Failure for companies and organizations to provide their teams with Active Shooter Response Training presents an obvious risk, but it also can have legal ramifications. After a Minneapolis company experienced an active shooter event in 2012, the court ruled that they had been negligent for not training their team in active shooter response. In short, Active Shooter Response Training is becoming not only common, but also crucial, and an employer’s passive approach toward it does not lessen its importance.
Jim served as a Sheriff’s Deputy in Illinois for 30 years. During his time as a Deputy, Jim served on the SWAT team as an operator, team leader and Commander. Jim was involved in several barricaded gunman/hostage incidents as well as service of high risk arrest and search warrants.
Jim was a member of the US Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force where he performed surveillance and fugitive apprehension. His team was responsible for thousands of high risk felony fugitive arrests. Jim also served in the patrol division where he earned the rank of Sergeant and was responsible for patrol operations. Jim received numerous awards throughout his career to include Deputy of the Year, medal of valor and unit citation for SWAT operations.
Jim was a state certified CQB (Close Quarter Battle) SWAT instructor as well as an Active Shooter Response instructor, providing training for multiple law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Illinois.
I’m a proven leader with a diverse background in defense, law enforcement, and emergency response. My career began as a Scout Sniper in the U.S. Marine Corps, where I earned the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. I then served as a security contractor in Afghanistan and Iraq, further developing my tactical and crisis management skills.
Domestically, I served as a Deputy for the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, earning a Medal of Valor, and as a firefighter, where I was awarded a Life Saving Ribbon. These roles reflect my commitment to safety and service, demonstrating leadership under pressure and a passion for protecting others.
As part of the Proactive Response Group Team, I design and deliver comprehensive medical training, developing lesson plans and conducting hands-on sessions. I ensure that participants are equipped with essential medical skills, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and readiness. My role is vital in preparing our team to handle medical emergencies confidently and competently.
Email: jpregel16@gmail.com
Phone: 720-382-3184
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-pregel-67765451/
Chris is a retired Major from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina. Chris was third in command over operations, overseeing more than 300 sworn Deputies as well as all special teams within the Sheriff’s Office. In 2012, Chris helped to organize a Dignitary Protection Team within the Sheriff’s Office that assisted the Secret Service with Presidential and Vice Presidential visits throughout the state. In addition to his normal duties, Chris performs private security for dignitaries, celebrities, as well as 12 years with the Miss America Organization. Chris has been instructing Active shooter Response with ProActive Response Group since 2021.
In his down time, Chris enjoys time with his wife and daughter, as well as watching sports and fishing.
Email: ctaylor@proactiverg.com
Phone: 864-979-0978
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-taylor-331b00150/
Tyrie Fowler is an Active Shooter Response instructor at Proactive Response Group and an Emergency Medicine Trauma Nurse at Prisma Health in Greenville. A Greenville native, Tyrie earned his Exercise Science degree from the University of South Carolina and his nursing degree from Mary Black School of Nursing. He joined Greenville Health System in 2015, transitioning from Orthopedic Trauma to Emergency Medicine. At Prisma Health, a Level One Trauma Center, he is part of the Trauma Nurse Leader team, with training in Advanced Trauma Care (ATCN) and Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC). Tyrie is pursuing certifications in Emergency Nursing (CEN) and Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN).
Tyrie enjoys Fall for its long runs, college football (Go Gamecocks!), and hunting, including deer and quail. He also loves smoking recipes with a creative twist. As a medical instructor, Tyrie empowers bystanders to provide critical assistance in emergencies, teaching them to control bleeding and manage injuries, ensuring they leave his class confident in making a difference.
Steven J. Anderson is currently an Active Shooter Response Instructor for ProActive Response Group; he enjoys empowering people to survive in life threatening situations. Steve grew up in central Minnesota and spent three years with the United States Army. He graduated from St. Cloud State University with a degree in Criminal Justice. Steve worked as a federal agent for the United States Border Patrol where he was a member of the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC): completing multiple assignments in Central & South America, an assignment with the United Nations and the Deputy Director (A) of the National Air Security Operation Center. In 2020 he retired from working in Federal Law Enforcement.
In his spare time he enjoys the outdoors especially bow hunting. Steve is a proud husband and father to 3 wonderful daughters.
Rob is originally from Louisville, CO. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2003 and served as a Combat Engineer Officer until 2012. Rob deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009 and 2010 where he planned and implemented force protection strategy, counter improvised explosive device operations, and mobility operations for Third Battalion Sixth Marine Regiment and Third Battalion Seventh Marine Regiment . Upon his departure from the military, Rob began to teach firearms and tactics with Arizona based Alpine Arms while simultaneously running his own small residential security consulting firm. Rob relocated the South Carolina in 2021 and joined ProActive Response Group in early 2023.
When not working Rob spends time with his wife Lindsey and son Theo. He enjoys stand up paddle boarding, visiting the rifle range, four wheeling, and camping.
Phone: 720-382-3184
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-christian-29579649/
Andy Sexton spent 12 years with the Greenville County Sheriff’s office in South Carolina, where he held the rank of Uniform Patrol Sergeant. His experience includes serving as an assistant SWAT team leader, involvement in high-risk incidents, including hostage rescues and the protection of dignitaries, working in criminal investigations (including armed robbery and homicide), and serving on the training committee for the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.
