By Abe Madrigal
With the volatility of today’s society and the continued rise in active shooter events, it is of paramount importance that the nation better prepare and properly equip our first responders. Fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and military personnel must be provided with the most practical yet efficient equipment to support them in their efforts to serve, protect, and save lives. One such product is WRAITH Tactical’s patent-pending C.A.R.R. (Concealed Armor Rapid Response) Pack.
Designed in conjunction with the Government Training Institute, the C.A.R.R. Pack gives first responders a quick, light, and easily deployable option when responding to active shooter and multicasualty incidents, offering them increased ballistic protection as well as an improved method for carrying and accessing hand tools and medical supplies. It also incorporates the capabilities of a ballistic plate carrier, a tactical backpack, and a multicasualty medical kit that can be configured to any first responder’s specific technical capabilities and needs.
The C.A.R.R. Pack features front and rear plate pockets to fit either soft or hard armor (10- × 12-inch plates) as well as an attached medical bag that can be deployed quickly and reconfigured for the triage and treatment of up to five patients. The pack is an all-purpose response kit.
Fire and EMS are now tasked with entering warm or even hot zones, but they still need the ability to work as they move. Because the kit can be configured to fit the desired usage or capability of the responder, it eliminates the need for a standalone plate carrier, a medical bag, a utility belt, bulky tool kits, and an active shooter “go bag.” The pack is stowed easily; it also allows personnel to carry or wear it without looking as though they are wearing tactical gear. This low-visibility capability crosses over into public events in which all first responder elements can fit without alarming the general population to their presence in venues such as golf tournaments, concerts, fairs, and so on.
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| (1) Photo courtesy of WRAITH Tactical. |
The pack’s medical component offers immediate lifesaving aid in the event of an officer-down scenario; or, at a minimum, it will ensure that there will be an adequate amount of hemorrhage controlling medical equipment on scene.
Wraith Tactical was born from the need to better prepare first responders of all disciplines with innovative solutions to the complexity of problems that they face every day. Products and training designed by industry experts not only fill gaps in preparedness but turn technical vision into functional reality. The C.A.R.R. Pack was designed by personnel who came from the law enforcement, military, federal, fire, and emergency services communities who have spent the past 15 years training law enforcement and military for active shooter response.
In today’s world of evolving threat environments, at some point all first responders will find themselves working in a warm zone or, even worse, a hot zone, and they must be protected from the active shooter threat as they work to save lives. The C.A.R.R. Pack minimizes the amount of unnecessary equipment brought into an active scene and provides law enforcement, fire, and EMS with the ability to carry up to level IV ballistic protection, a need that is far too often overlooked. Real-world experience and innovation are behind the C.A.R.R. Pack; when your job is to save lives and seconds count, you should be given every operational advantage to accomplish this goal.
ABE MADRIGAL is the assistant chief of special operations at Unifire, Inc., and a lieutenant with the Hillsboro (OH) Fire Department.
Components of the C.A.R.R. Pack:
* Medical bag recommended maximum fill weight of 4.5 pounds.
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