Wilderness First Aid began providing basic instruction in applying tourniquets a few years back, and as Dr. Johnson's blog shows there is still some debate about their efficacy in remote or wilderness settings. My WFA instructor's view was although he had never applied a tourniquet in the wilderness, for an uncontrolled bleed you might as well apply it. On 3 day trips into the wild (24 hrs from trail head) I will often carry the tourniquet with my wilderness FAK. There's no expiration on them unlike other blood stopper options, so why not.

Based on WFA I began to carry a SOF-T tourniquet in my car FAK which I nickname the Blood Stopper 3000. Its in the back of my car and intended for breaking out if I encounter a serious bleed, and contains several options to bring bleeding under control, including ABD pads, kerlix, 4x4 gauze, and the SOF-T. This isn't a WFA setup, its meant if medics are called and responding within minutes. I will stop for MVAs if its safe. Call 911, assess scene for safety, glove up, stabilize the patient, apply pressure, and await the cavalry which should arrive directly. If I'm busy applying a tourniquet by the time the medics arrive I may be rushing that decision in an urban setting. But I have stabilized an accident victim's neck for 25 minutes before and after medics arrived (the PD arrived 10 minutes earlier but engaged in traffic control). When you're way out there rapid response isn't always possible, for me its comforting to have a tourniquet in the bag (and the basic training to apply it).