Tactical Medicine

[MedicTom2B]

Does anyone out there know anything about the availibility of any training in tactical medicine.
That is what got me into EMS to begin with because I have wanted to be a SWAT Medic since I was a little kid.
I have been trying to find out how to get trained in it for a couple years now, but all the local people in my hometown of Salem, VA that are on the Emergency Response Team (SWAT Team), are paid firefighters who said I had to be in a paid position with them and had to be asked to join by the team. In other words, they said "you ain't doin' it and we ain't helpin ya' learn or train with us".

Does anyone have any ideas on how to get the training and what the requirements are?

I want to do the training while I'm fairly young and not tied down.

[pmed23]

I am a tactical medic for the police dept in the city I work for. You are already doing the big part which I think is going to paramedic school. Make sure you take a PHTLS or BTLS class with that but realize that in the tactical arena that the book is thrown out in the hot zone. There are lots of classes out there that are geared towards tactical EMS, some good, some not so good. Probable the best training for it would be the military but short of that the standard seem to be either CONTOMS or H&K's TEMS class. I have yet to get to either one being I'm in the midwest and they seem to only teach on the coasts lately but both pretty much require you to be a member of a team to get in. I am hopeful that CONTOMS will come to Des Moines again so I can go to it then but we'll have to see. Get through your paramedic, work some place and establish a good reputation and hopefully things will go your way. They did for me. You might think of becoming a reserve police officer or something like that too, I did that before joining ERT so they officers knew me already.Hope that helps.

[DaleGribble]

pmed23 pretty much nailed it. CONTOMS and H&K are the standards for tactical medic training.

One hinderance that is going to become even more of an issue in the future is actual MD's working with teams in the field. The local med school has several doctors that are reserve officers on teams. I worked for a rural sheriff's office and our team even had an MD.

If you're young, in GOOD shape and have the desire to really push yourself you may want to look to the Air Force. PJ's are highly trained and incredibly capable. With a background like that you wouldn't have to much trouble getting on with some high speed low drag teams.

[stiverp]

I am a full time paramedic and also cross trained to work with the local SWAT team. A contract was signed several weeks ago to guarantee a tactical medic 24/7/365. We have 6 comissioned officer/medics of which I was appointed team leader for the medics. If you are looking for training I also work for On Point Strategic Solutions and we have various trainings aval. WMD, anti-terrorism, Tactical medicine (basic and advanced), physical security training (for companies that do computer securities). Check out the web site. No videos or great pics yet. www.opss.us Drop us a line and we will taylor a course to suite your needs. The courses are not "canned". Everyone's needs are not the same. My theory is that it is easier to teach a medic to be an officer than teach an officer to be a medic. We have onsite training and training aval here in Conway, SC which is only 15-20 miles from Myrtle Beach, SC. Drop us a line. Training is fun and educational. You won't regret it. Stiver

[AggiePhil]

Good stuff here. I definitely think that the HK school (www.tacticalmedicine.com) looks like a safe bet. And their application says that if you aren't affiliated with an agency, you just have to write a letter explaining why you want to take the course. Tuition is $1,000, but I think it's worth it if you want to go into the field. I'm going to try to save up and take the class in about a year. It looks like they only offer it a couple times a year anyway. So...we'll see.

[MDT]

I took the H&K TEMS course and it was great. I have been volunteering with our county SWAT team for a few months. They already have three paramedic/operators, but I asked them if they had any need for a physician to "hang out" with them and they were pretty receptive to the idea. I took the HK course to kinda get some underatanding on what NOT to do when the team was called out. From my perspective, these guys are all top notch and they don't need some dumb doc getting in their way. I figured if a good guy gets hurt bad, then I can help, otherwise I am there to watch!

I have a lot of respect for these guys.


MDT

[AggiePhil]

Originally posted by MDT
I have been volunteering with our county SWAT team for a few months. They already have three paramedic/operators...
Trust me...they aren't Operators.

[MDT]

Aggie, what do you mean? They are not only paramedics, but trained, sworn deputies. Heving been to CONTOMS, and other SOT training programs. They are use on containment, entry, arrest, etc. I may not be using the term properly, but they do serve a dual role. Help me with your statement.

BTW, if you do take the HK course, you won't be dissappointed. If you want to PM me, I can tell you more about it and the instructors.


MDT

[AggiePhil]

Sorry, I was having a semantically correct moment. It's no big deal really. But "operator" is a stupid term when used the way it is often used now, IMO. It started out as a term to JUST describe Delta guys. Now it's often used by someone wanting to fit into the "cool guy" category.

Thank you for the tips...they're definitely appreciated. Like I said, I guess I was just having a semantical moment. Anwyay, I definitely want to do the HK Tactical Medicine course, but it'll probably have to wait a year or so for me to save up the funds. Looks awesome though, and I'd think it'd make someone looking to go into LE that much more competitive.

Peace out.