Walther is an undeniably talented mob. Founded by Carl Walther in 1886, Walther produces weapons that are respected around the world. The iconic Walther PPK/S arms James Bond even today. In addition to producing state-of-the-art target and combat pistols, Walther also makes the DDAM (Defense Division Ankle Medical) kit.
The Walther DDAM (Defense Division Ankle Medical) Kit
The DDAM kit is a collaborative effort among the Walther Defense Division, Jim Dexter of Tactically Sound Training Center, Tactical Medical Solutions, and Ryder Nylon Gear. The DDAM kit includes the basics you might need to address tactical trauma all in a package small and lightweight enough to ride about on your ankle. Such a rig could literally make the difference between life and death should life go pear-shaped.
Unexpected Violence
On August 14, 2021, Donnie Wiseman took his wife Theresa, and three kids out for a birthday party at the Scales and Tails reptile center in West Valley City, Utah. The star of the show was Darth Gator, an eight-foot American alligator. With squealing five-year-olds aplenty mashed against the glass around the enclosure the Scales and Tales reptile keeper entered the cage to do her thing.
Alligator mississippiensis is a simply epic reptile. The average adult grows to some 14 feet and weighs nearly 800 pounds. These gigantic lizards are tough, and powerful. However, the brain of a 13-foot alligator weighs all of 11 grams.
Apparently, Darth Gator didn’t feel much like performing. When his keeper tapped him on the nose, he grabbed her arm and dragged her into his pool. Then came the death roll.
Donnie Wiseman hesitated not at all. Like some kind of jean-clad superhero, he leapt into the enclosure, grabbed Darth Gator around his neck from behind and wrestled the monster into submission long enough for the keeper to get free. Once the injured woman was pulled clear, Donnie released the gator and extricated himself.
Donnie Wiseman is a freaking stud. Not only do his kids get the satisfaction of knowing that their dad can beat up alligators, but his wife filmed the whole thing. Google is your buddy. Now the entire planet knows what a stout-hearted jockstrap of a guy she married. If ever we need to retake Afghanistan, all we need do is give Donnie Wiseman a baseball bat and kick him out of an airplane over Helmand Province.
You could be out at your kid’s birthday party or on a pleasant date with your wife. Random shooters, car wrecks or even alligator attacks can come at some of the most unexpected times.
DDAM Details
The DDAM kit is designed to manage the sorts of wounds man tends to inflict upon his fellow man. Think gunshots and stabbings. In such sordid circumstances, the most common kill mechanism is exsanguination. The mission is therefore to keep the vital red stuff inside the body where it can do some good.
There are only six components, all of which will ride comfortably in the included nylon pouch around your ankle. People are nasty, so there are some blue nitrile gloves. They taught us in med school if you don’t want it, don’t touch it.
Bleeding Management
Unlike a lot of gimmicky first-aid kits, the Walther DDAM is packed with seriously professional-grade good stuff. The miniature Piranha trauma shears could bisect a penny in a pinch. That clears clothing from a wound. Your favorite tactical pocket knife is an option. However, I’d sooner not have some hyped-up good Samaritan slicing around my bloody clothes with a razor-sharp blade. That could easily make a bad situation worse.
The Mini Compression Bandage from H&H Medical is sterile in its sealed packet. This bandage consists of a 4×6-inch pad along with a 34-inch elastic retention wrap. Direct pressure is almost always the first step to controlling hemorrhage in the field. The Mini Compression Bandage is the place to start.
The GEN4 SOF Tactical Tourniquet is sufficiently compact to ride in the palm of your hand, yet built combat tough. This rugged rig consists of 1.5-inch compression webbing and a 5.5-inch machined aluminum windlass. The buckles and sundry particulars are indestructible. The GEN4 SOF Tactical Tourniquet is easy to use and undeniably effective.
Hemostatic agents like Celox have revolutionized bleeding management in austere environments. Celox Rapid consists of a Z-fold piece of gauze impregnated with chitosan. Chitosan is formed from refined shrimp shells and causes blood to clot on contact.
The material is so highly refined you can use it on folks with shrimp allergies. This stuff forms a jelly-lot clot in the wound that can staunch bleeding in a hurry. Once at the hospital, some geek like me will get all that stuff out in a controlled environment.
Trauma Mitigation
The Beacon Vented Chest Seal is what you use when life really goes sideways. The human lung is a soft floppy bag sealed inside the relatively rigid framework of the chest. Driven by myriad muscles and suspended within the structure formed by the ribs, the chest expands to act like a bellows. This action draws air into the lungs for gas exchange. However, if you get any air between the lungs and the chest wall, Very Bad Things begin to happen.
The doctor word is a pneumothorax. The affected lung will eventually collapse into worthlessness. A chest seal allows you to occlude a penetrating wound to the chest and prevent further entry of air into this pleural space. The Beacon Chest Seal includes vents that allow the offending inside air to seep out without letting any outside air in.
If you’re using this thing, your day is seriously sucky. However, these rascals do save lives. There was a recent news item about a cop who improvised a chest seal out of a potato chip bag and saved some poor slob’s life.
The best gear in the world is merely dunnage if you don’t know how to use it. The DDAM kit comes with a scannable code to some concise and effective online training on how everything works. This course takes about half an hour and teaches the typical concerned citizen the basics of what to do when a good outing goes bad.
I do this for a living, and the training course was a good experience for me. They break down each component of the kit in detail and show you how to use it properly in simple terms. They also employ cartoons in case you’re squeamish.
Ruminations
If you ever need this stuff for real, the contents of this little leg pouch will be worth more than your 401k. Handy, compact, lightweight, and brilliant, the Walther DDAM kit is top-flight medical survival gear you can pack anywhere. Once cinched in place over your sock or combat boot the DDAM is actually surprisingly comfortable.
Whether on the road, out with the family, at the range or on duty, the Walther DDAM (Defense Division Ankle Medical) kit is indeed professional grade. The MSRP is $180 including the online training course.
For more information, visit WaltherArms.com.
This article was originally published in the Personal Defense World Gun Buyer’s Guide February/March 2022 issue. Subscription is available in print and digital editions at OutdoorGroupStore.com. Or call 1-800-284-5668, or email [email protected]
Source: www.personaldefenseworld.com