911 dispatchers/operators are not a legal/medical authority. It is rare for a 911 operator to have any training in emergency medicine, firefighting, criminal law, or use of force. Most importantly, they are not there with you. Sometimes, their instructions can be dead wrong. A prime example is the incident below.

I firmly believe that most of us would sooner benefit from class on treating traumatic injuries than any gunfighting class. That’s not saying the latter isn’t something to seek but, one is far more likely to find themselves rending aid in a medical emergency than having to shoot their way out of a problem. As for the situation above, if you’ve properly applied a field expedient tourniquet on someone’s extremity because you could readily see they are gushing blood, the tourniquet has largely stopped the blood loss, and they are actually conscious…LEAVE THE TOURNIQUET ALONE! Leave it for professional medical personnel to remove but, do tell the EMT/Paramedics where and how long the tourniquet has been in place.

-GM