Being aware of security has a two-fold purpose: first to keep yourself safe and second to improve the casualty’s chances of survival. Getting injured helping the wounded is not combat effective.
Traditional EMS practice is to “ensure scene safety,” before treating a patient. Casualty management in high-risk incidents like active shooter, bombings, and buildings on fire will never be safe. The TECC and TCCC guidelines recognize this and prioritize treatment of only life threatening injuries in these dangerous settings.
Although multiple versions of MARCH exist, we like S-MARCH because Security is a reminder that although we can’t “ensure scene safety,” we can mitigate risk by being aware of where the threats are.
With the increasing frequency of vehicles being used as weapons by violent extremists, and ISIS’s encouragement of its followers to rent SUVs and trucks for this purpose, it is worth reviewing the trauma literature of pedestrians injured by automobiles. (UPDATED …
Sometimes when the ninjas invade, they capture family members. You need to be prepared to perform your own hostage rescue and medical care. Would you perform Bear Under Fire care and tourniquet him at the point of injury, or would …
After a recent trip to Thailand teaching with the College of Remote and Offshore Medicine, many students wanted recommendations on travel medicine, medications, and vaccinations. While most travelers to the developing world and tropical destinations worry about exotic diseases like …
Dragging a casualty with a slung weapon presents a safety problem. Learn what it is & how to deal with it.
What is a Good Samaritan? If I have first-aid training, am I covered by Good Samaritan laws and protection? Generally speaking, a Good Samaritan rendering first aid should reasonably avoid lawsuits and litigation if they provide: medical care which the …
Moving casualties is always hard. Use a tool whenever possible. Even a folding chair makes it easier to carry casualties quickly and over distance. In A Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi says, “Make your combat stance, your everyday stance …