Patent Application
20180188008
The present invention relates to emergency medical response equipment, and more particularly, to protective equipment for emergency medical responders.
Bulletproof vests may be worn by many first responders when an active shooter incident is occurring. However, in many situations an emergency medical responder may be the first responder to arrive at an incident site and may have limited knowledge of an evolving situation. In these instances, the medical responder may not have had an opportunity to carry, or if carried, to don their bulletproof vest before taking actions at a scene to treat a casualty. In those instances, where the medical responder has donned their bulletproof vest, they may not have a means of protecting the casualty they are treating. Similarly, the emergency medical responder may be unable to carry such items because they are carrying their medical response bag and other medical equipment.
For these circumstances it would be beneficial to the emergency medical responder and the casualty to have a level of protection that can be provided by equipment that the medical responder will carry into a casualty situation. As can be seen, there is a need for an improved medical response bag that may be utilized as a ballistic shield during active shooter incidents or other events to provide a protective barrier for the responder or the casualty receiving treatment.
In one aspect of the present invention a ballistic medical response bag, includes a lower compartment having a bottom and at least one sidewall defining an interior cavity defined therein; an upper compartment having a top and at least one sidewall defining an upper compartment cavity having a plurality of bins defined in the upper compartment cavity, and attached to the lower compartment via a hinge; a ballistic layer carried in the top, the bottom, and the sidewalls; and a cooperating closure to close the upper compartment with the lower compartment. In other embodiments, the bag may have an outer covering layer for the top, the bottom, and the sidewalls and an interior covering layer covering the top, the bottom, and the sidewalls. The ballistic layer may be a plate carried between the outer covering and the interior covering or it may be formed from a plurality of layers of a ballistic material carried between the outer covering and the interior covering.
In preferred embodiments, the upper compartment comprises includes a first upper compartment; and a second upper compartment, wherein the first and second upper compartments are movable opposite one another between a closed and an open condition. At least one of the upper compartments may be configured with a plurality of bins. A transparent flap operable to cover at least one of the first and the second upper compartments and may include a slide fastener to sealingly close the transparent flap over at least one of the first and the second upper compartments. In yet other embodiments, a flap closure is provided to sealingly join the upper compartment and the lower compartments.
In other aspects of the invention, a ballistic medical response bag is disclosed and claimed in which the bag includes a plurality of compartments having a bottom and a at least one sidewall defining an interior cavity therein, the plurality of compartments is operable between an open position and a closed position. A ballistic layer carried in the bottom, and the sidewalls; and a cooperating closure is provided to fasten the plurality of compartments in the closed position. The bag may include a plurality of bins defined in at least one of the plurality of compartments and a transparent flap may also be included that is operable to cover the plurality of bins. A slide fastener may be used to seal and enclose the plurality of bins. The ballistic layer may be formed as a ballistic plate or as layers of a ballistic fabric.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides an improved emergency medical response bag that provides ballistic protection for an emergency medical responder's use during an active shooter or other hazardous situations.
As seen in reference to
The bag 10 may also include at least one strap 18 to secure the bag 10 in a closed condition or to secure it within an emergency response vehicle. The strap 18 may be adjustably closed by a buckle 20, or otherwise secured by a fastener, such as snaps, or a hook and pile material. The bag 10 may also include one or more cooperating closures 22, 26 around the periphery of the bag 10 to provide for a sealing closure for the bag 10. The cooperating closures 22, 26 may be a hook and pile material, or a slide fastener that is carried on a flap 14.
As seen in reference to
The upper compartments 14a, 14b are provided with a plurality of interior compartments 28, or bins, for storing medical supplies. The bins 28 may be covered with a transparent flap 30 that has a closure around the respective upper compartment 14a, 14b, via a fastener 32, such as a slide fastener, in order to seal the bins 28 to protect against contamination of the medical supplies and to retain the supplies within the bins 28 when they are not needed.
As seen in reference to
As will be appreciated, the ballistic medical response bag 10 may be formed in a variety of shapes, sizes, and configurations, depending upon the needs or skills of the emergency medical responder or an anticipated casualty's medical conditions. Likewise, the internal compartments 12, 14 may include a variety of configurations for organizing and storing emergency medical supplies. While described in the context of emergency medical response, it will also be appreciated that the ballistic bag 10 of the present invention may also be used for other occupations and specialties that may require the carriage of equipment to potentially evolving active shooter situations and ballistic hazard environments.
The ballistic medical response bag 10 of the present invention may be used in a variety of ways. For example, when a first responder or person designated as such, arrives in the area of an incident, they could take the ballistic bag 10, which serves as a carry bag for medical equipment and supplies. If a shooter or a person with a knife attempts to attack the responder, or a casualty, the responder simply opens or otherwise utilize the bag 10 to shield themselves, and is thereby protected in a similar fashion to a bullet proof vest. Similarly, in instances where a casualty may require initial treatment before being moved from a hazardous location, the bag 10 may be placed in a protective position between a shooter, or other ballistic hazard, and the medical responder may treat the casualty in a protected posture.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
