Joseph P. is a Pennsylvania State Police trooper.
On August 7, 2025, he and his partner, Trooper William J., were dispatched to a rural area near Thompson, Pennsylvania.
A gunman named Carmine had already shot and killed his neighbor before turning his rifle on the arriving troopers.
The moment Joseph and William pulled up, Carmine opened fire with a rifle.
Joseph was shot twice in the chest, and William was shot once in each arm.
Most men would go down, but Joseph did not.
He moved to his injured partner and applied a tourniquet to each of William’s arms, while managing his own chest wounds.
He then flagged down a passing semi-truck and ordered the driver to block the road to shield other vehicles from driving into the ambush.
Thankfully, both troopers survived.
What Joseph did under fire is something every prepared American should understand how to do.
When someone is shot or stabbed, the first few minutes are everything.
So, here is what you need to know about treating wounds from bullets or knives in those first critical minutes before help arrives.
What is a traumatic wound?
A traumatic wound happens when a bullet or blade tears through skin, muscle, and tissue.
These wounds bleed heavily.
Without a swift response, a person can go into shock and die within minutes.
This is why basic wound care is essential for a prepared person.
Benefits of knowing wound treatment:
You can help someone survive before EMS arrives
In rural areas and disaster situations, emergency responders may be many minutes away.
In an active threat situation, EMS may not be able to reach the victim.
Knowing how to control severe bleeding buys critical time.
That time is often the difference between survival and death.
You can help yourself.
If you are the one who is injured and no one else is nearby, your training becomes your lifeline.
Joseph survived being shot twice because he knew what to do and did not panic.
It builds real preparedness.
First aid knowledge makes your entire household more capable in a crisis.
It is one of the highest-value survival skills a person can develop.
Drawbacks:
Reading is not enough.
Understanding wound treatment from an article is not the same as practicing it with your hands.
You need to physically apply a tourniquet, pack a wound, and work through the steps under simulated pressure.
Look into a Stop the Bleed course in your area.
Most courses run two hours and are widely available.
Gear goes bad and gets misplaced.
A trauma kit you never review becomes a kit with expired gear and missing pieces.
Review your kit every six months.
Make sure the tourniquet is accessible and in working condition.
Here is how to treat a bullet or knife wound when seconds count:
Step 1: Stop the bleeding.
Apply firm, steady pressure directly to the wound using a clean cloth, gauze, or your bare hand if nothing else is available.
Do not lift the cloth once blood soaks through.
Add more layers on top and keep pressing.
Step 2: Use a tourniquet for arm or leg wounds.
If pressure alone is not stopping the bleeding on a limb, apply a tourniquet two to three inches above the wound.
Tighten it until the bleeding stops. Write the time of application on the victim’s skin.
Do not remove it — that is a job for trained professionals in a clinical setting.
Step 3: Seal a chest wound.
If a bullet or blade has entered the chest and you hear a sucking sound with each breath, cover the wound with plastic or any non-porous material.
Tape three sides down and leave one side unsealed.
This creates a one-way valve that allows air to escape without pulling more in.
Step 4: Treat for shock.
Keep the victim still and warm.
If they are conscious, keep them calm and talking.
Elevate the legs slightly if there is no head, neck, or chest injury involved.
Here are your top priorities for wound treatment preparedness:
Priority 1: Build a trauma kit.
Every home and vehicle should have one.
At minimum: a tourniquet, gauze, a pressure bandage, and a pair of nitrile gloves.
Keep it somewhere you can reach in under 10 seconds.
Priority 2: Pursue hands-on training.
A Stop the Bleed course teaches you to pack a wound, apply a tourniquet, and control severe bleeding in real time.
It takes just two hours but could be the difference between surviving or not.
Priority 3: Know where your kit is.
The most advanced kit in the world is useless if you can’t reach it within seconds.
