Wisconsin Law Enforcement Tourniquet Initiative

- Frequently Asked Questions -

What are the goals of this initiative?

  • Provide a life-saving tourniquet device to every WI Law Enforcement Officer not already carrying one.
  • Provide training resources for agencies to use for initial and ongoing tourniquet training.
  • Improve officer safety
  • Improve medical preparedness in our communities
  • Save lives of those experiencing severe extremity bleeding.

How much does it cost?

  • The tourniquetsare FREE. Funding for the tourniquets was provided by the Wisconsin Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Program (WHEPP) Coalitions.

What are the requirements?

  • Encourage officers to use their tourniquets on major extremity hemorrhages in an effort to save lives.
  • Require officers to carry the tourniquet on their person at all times when on uniformed duty. WHEPP Coalitions provided tourniquets shall not be stored in first-aid kits, squad bags, glove boxes, go-bags, or any other locations in lieu of being carried on the officer.
  • Adopt a tourniquet SOP for your agency. A template SOP will be available to you to download from the DOJ WILENET website.
  • Use the DOJ curriculum to train each officer issued a tourniquet.
  • Ensure the person conducting the training is reasonably qualified to do so.

What Tourniquet is being provided?

  • The Special Operations Forces SOFF-T-Wide Tourniquet from Tactical Medical Solutions.
  • This tourniquet was chosen not only for its construction and components, but also for its ability to be used many times over-and-over for training – then folded-up and put back into service.

Who is eligible to receive a tourniquet?

  • Any Wisconsin Law Enforcement Officer with primary employment at a State of Wisconsin, County, Tribal, or Local Law Enforcement Agency is eligible to receive a tourniquet device.
  • Corrections and Juvenile Detention officers are not eligible to participate in this initiative.

Some/all of our officers already carry a tourniquet. Can they receive a second tourniquet?

  • No. Only officers that are not already carrying a tourniquet device qualify.

Our agency has tourniquets, but they are not carried by the officers. They are carried in go-bags, squad-bags, first-aid kits, etc. Are our officers eligible to receive tourniquets?

  • For tourniquets to be effective, they must be carried on the body of the officer. Officers frequently find themselves in harms-way without having their medical go-bag (etc) in hand.
  • Ideally, department owned tourniquets would be personally issued to each officer, and worn while on uniformed duty.
  • Any officer that is not currently carrying a tourniquet device, and will not be personally issued a department owned tourniquet device, is eligible to receive one in this initiative.

Are Law Enforcement Officers allowed to apply medical tourniquets?

  • Yes. In fact, tourniquets are now taught in the State of Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB) approved Basic Recruit Academy curriculum as part of the Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) course. All new recruits will be trained in TECC and tourniquet application.
  • Many lives have already been saved in Wisconsin by tourniquet devices applied by Law Enforcement Officers.

How will officers be trained to use the tourniquet?

  • Tourniquet training will be coordinated by the local law enforcement agency.
  • Tourniquet training resources will be available on-line to all officers and instructors on the DOJ WILENET site:(click here)
  • Training resources include the following:
  • PowerPoint presentation with instructor notes
  • Instructor manual
  • Training video
  • Skills competency documentation form
  • Template Tourniquet SOG/SOP
  • Training will be provided by the person(s) that the LE agency leader feels is reasonably qualified and most appropriate. Possible instructors could include (but not limited to):
  • TECC and EMT trained officer(s)
  • Local EMS agency training staff
  • Local Hospital Emergency Department MDs/RNs
  • EMS instructors
  • TECC instructors
  • TEMS certified EMS or LE providers
  • Recent Military trained tourniquet subject matter experts.
  • For additional resources, please contact your Regional Trauma Advisory Council (RTAC) Coordinator. (contact info on last page).

Do we have to use the provided training materials, or can we use other resources?

  • You must use the training resources provided. Any instruction provided must follow the DOJ LESB approved curriculum. Tourniquets and TECC are now taught in the basic recruit academy, so DOJ LESB approved curriculum is mandatory for training new recruits as well as current LE officers.

My officers have already been trained in tourniquet application. Can I simply hand-out the devices to them?

  • To insure continuity in education and operations using this specific tourniquet, we ask that each participating officer participate in this brief training program

If an officer uses a tourniquet device, will it be replaced?

  • While this initiative does not provide for replacement devices, the manufacture has assured us that they will promptly ship a replacement device to any Wisconsin LE officer that uses his/her device to render aid. The officer or agency leader would need to contact the manufacturer, Tactical Medical Solutions, directly.

How do I obtain tourniquets for my officers?

  • Letters of invitation to the initiative have been emailed to every Sheriff, Police Chief, and State LE Agency Leader. This invitation outlines the initiative, and includes an Agency Agreement form and Application.
  • Complete the Application and Agency Agreement and submit it to Dan Williams, RTAC Coordinator by June 24,
  • Scan and email:
  • US Mail: Dan Williams, 5601 Westbury Place, Madison, WI 53711

My agency will require council/board approval to accept tourniquets. Can we participate if we do not have approval prior to the June 24th deadline?

  • We ask that you indicate your desire to participate in the initiative by completing the application and submitting it by June 24th.
  • If you need additional time for approvals, please write “pending municipal approval” on the application

How will the tourniquets be distributed to my agency?

  • Tourniquets will be distributed on a first-apply-first-serve basis: Quantities are limited
  • Tourniquet distribution will begin in June and will continue until all devices have been received.
  • Tourniquet distribution will incorporate a team approach, including help from Regional Trauma Advisory Council (RTAC) Coordinators, Regional WHEPP Coalition Coordinators, and Regional DOJ Field Representatives.
  • While our goal is to provide a face-to-face hand-off of the devices, we realize that for some areas we may need to find more creative distribution methods, such as a county-wide pick-up location, etc.
  • We ask that you be as flexible as possible to assist with the distribution process.

I still have questions, what do I do?

  • The Regional Trauma Advisory Council (RTAC) Coordinators have been designated as the regional leads of this initiative. Please contact the RTAC Coordinator for your region with any additional questions:

Rev 5-23-16