I wrote this book a few years ago now but thought I would bring it to your attention as I have reduced the download cost from £11 to £2.50. It isn’t the normal run of the mill book on moving and handling, but maybe the EMS (emergency medical services) subscribers would like to purchase a copy. Perhaps some of the rest of you fancy a light read just before bed time. The problem is, I was wondering what to say about it, but then I thought why not use the words of the preface. It was written by the only dual trained paramedic / policeman in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.

“Violent crime is on the increase year on year, whether one wants to acknowledge it or not. What is of even greater concern is the fact that there is an increase in the number of firearm related violent crimes, be it armed robberies where the firearm was used as a ‘bargaining tool’ or the act of intentionally killing a person. The mere fact that the United Kingdom has one of the lowest gunshot rates per capita in the world is little short of a miracle, especially when one considers that the gunshot rate for the London area for a year is equal to the gunshot rate of certain suburbs of Cape Town for a weekend.

I met Gavin Wright approximately 13 months ago when he first came to South Africa to obtain research for this book, ‘THE EMS AND THE HANDLING OF GUNSHOT PATIENTS – an introduction’.

He had requested to be a passenger on one of the Highway Patrol vehicles and as luck would have it, he landed off with me. Since that time I had the privilege to know him as Gavin the person, Gavin the family man and as Gavin the researcher and writer. As for Gavin’s family, all I can say is, you have a wonderful husband and father who obviously is as dedicated to you, his family, as what he was to this book.

The purpose of this book is, as the title explains, an introduction to the EMS personnel, not the alpha and the omega of management and handling of gunshot patients. The book layout has been specifically designed to give the reader a basic understanding of ballistics, as well as the workings of different groups of firearms. Included is a chapter pertaining to the preservation of forensic evidence for when the Police are not yet at the scene. This can make the difference between preserving evidence and saving a life at the same time, as opposed to destroying evidence and wasting a life.

A book of this nature is not only of value to EMS personnel but also to members of the Police Forces/Services as it has specific relevance to the Forensic concerns pertaining to ballistics as well as the preservation of evidence. I am sure that personnel from both the Police and EMS will have a better understanding of each others functions once they have read this book.”

Alfred James van der Westhuizen

Paramedic / Inspector

South African Police Service

Emergency Services Highway Patrol Unit

Cape Town