Tactical Medic Team

Evaluate Vulnerability with Mitigation Through Training

The CCEMS Spec Ops Group provides operational medical support to public safety agencies throughout the community. Each specialized team utilizes both civilian and military medicine models to aid law enforcement, fire departments, search and rescue, and hazmat teams responsible for providing high-risk services to the community, saving lives and mitigating injury.

CCEMS Spec Ops Group’s site security, survey, and assessment services perform a comprehensive risk assessment of your facilities for any potential weak points or threats to the safety of your infrastructure and your employees. The assessments take into account your geography and customer base, and the training we provide can help your staff mitigate the potential threats.

On-Site Assessments After Injury

Due to the inherently hazardous nature of austere environments, more agencies are adding specially trained medical contingents to their tactical and special rescue teams. Leaders recognize the value of immediate access to highly-skilled, on-scene medical assessments, care and treatment that saves time, resources and lives.

Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) Mission

Given the extremely hazardous nature of tactical law enforcement operations and the remote locations in which they often take place, more and more law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels are adding specially trained medical contingents to their tactical teams. They recognize what leaders since Napoleon have known: access to highly-skilled, on-the-scene medical assessment, care, and treatment can make a life or death difference to the outcome of a mission. Critical experience gained during natural disasters, barricaded standoff, hostage situations, domestic terrorism, and the more prevalent use of military-type weapons confirms the demand for the delivery of emergency medical care on the home battlefront. In 2017, this was never more clear when Dallas and Baton Rouge area law enforcement officers were ambushed, with military-style weapons, in the streets of their cities. Between the two incidents justg ten days aparer,  eight police officers were killed and 14 were injured, including two civilians.

The fact that EMS assistance is often far removed from the scene in these situations introduces an even higher level of risk and danger for law enforcement personnel.

Tactical law enforcement units are composed of highly trained officers who are capable of assuming dangerous, tactical assignments with a high degree of proficiency and expertise. These units are used for crisis intervention and rescue with negotiation and assault capabilities. Their goal is to accomplish assignments without injury or loss of life. In support of these operations, Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) personnel take over the responsibilities of providing lifesaving treatments while in a Care Under Fire scenario, where conventional EMS response is not possible.

CCEMS believes that TEMS units should have a solid foundation based on the military medicine model, Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC).  Team clinical guidelines include the three phases of TCCC known as Care Under Fire (CUF), Tactical Field Care (TFC), and Tactical Evacuation Care (TACEVAC).  Every team member is an instructor in TCCC

Integration

The team is made up of tactically trained law enforcement officer/paramedics who have undergone extensive training in Tactical, Operational Medical Support. Team members have also undergone training in basic/advanced tactics, tactical waterborne operations, high-rise rescue, and narcotics enforcement operations, to name a few. This additional training prepares the team members to function within the inner perimeter to support tactical law enforcement operations.

Team members train with tactical teams regularly to gain a working knowledge of the team, its tools, and tactics – including mission objectives, weapons, pyrotechnics and other devices likely to be deployed, as well as communication policies and standard operating procedures. The Cypress Creek EMS Team is not a SWAT Team. Its primary mission is to provide an expanded scope, medical support for the tactical law enforcement operation. The tactical law enforcement training each member receives enables them to operate efficiently and safely within the inner perimeter and at the Point of Wounding during a crisis.

The Cypress Creek EMS Tactical Medic Team’s objectives are direct and straightforward; be prepared to provide immediate operational medical support for law enforcement agencies upon request to

1. Enhance mission accomplishment and,
2. To reduce the risk of death, injury, and illness among officers, innocent bystanders, and perpetrators.
3. Keep the tactical operators at work instead of injured and off-duty

An Expanded Scope

Team members clinically operate under an expanded scope of practice.  Texas is a delegated practice state, meaning, the paramedics can function to the level authorized by their medical director.  They work with an expanded pharmacopeia and set of interventions not typically used by paramedics.  In 2017, the blood product program was expanded to Whole Blood.  CCEMS Tactical Medics were the first to deploy with Low Titer, type O – Positive, Whole Blood (LTOWB) in the country.  Medics carry two units of LTOWB with them on all training events and operations.