Smith & Wesson First Response knife

Smith & Wesson First Response knife

Smith & Wesson ID #: 195190000 $59.95

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Among the big concerns of protective services professionals are a series of issues relating to driving. One of these involves accidents, where you might have to rescue an incapacitated individual from a car. Two problems that need to be dealt with in this situation are getting into – or out of – the car, and cutting an incapacitated person’s seatbelt without cutting the person. The Smith & Wesson First Response knife, manufactured for S&W by Taylor Cutlery, addresses both of these issues. The back of the knife contains a spring-loaded tungsten carbide punch for shattering safety glass, and the high-carbon stainless steel serrated blade is designed to cut seatbelts.

While many rescue knives have a mariner or sheepsfoot blade, S&W has chosen to make the tip of their blade a screwdriver, albeit with a rounded top to reduce the likelihood of accidental cuts. And while many knife manufacturers warn against prying with their knives, this blade is ⅛ inch thick, with a ¼ inch pivot, and the instructions tell you “to think of the 1st Response as a small crowbar that cuts and does lots of other things.”

The design of the blade is such that you really cannot use it for cutting a steak or peeling an apple, but, in truth, most of the people likely to carry this knife are, at any given moment, knife-rich, and will likely have several other knifes appropriate for these other tasks.

This is a well-made emergency safety tool that should be given serious consideration by any protective team member. And a good gift for your driver.