Run-hide-fight. . . Treat.
Be Better Prepared to Help in a Serious Emergency Evidence-based casualty care training for people who want to move beyond basic first aid and be truly prepared.
- You have car insurance. Not because you want to wreck your car but because it could happen.
- You have fire extinguishers and smoke detectors. Not because you’ve ever had a fire but because it could be catastrophic if you did and weren’t prepared.
- Maybe you’ve followed the Red Cross’s advice and have an emergency kit with 3 days or 2 weeks worth of supplies. Maybe you’ve been meaning to do so.
- Maybe you’ve taken a CPR course. Maybe you need to add some more skills and equipment to your skill set?
The world isn’t getting any safer. We should be confident that we can cross the street (Westminster Bridge, Nice), go to our schools (Virginia Tech, Columbine), places of Worship, (Sutherland Springs, Charleston), sporting events (Boston Marathon, Congressional baseball game), and music venues (Las Vegas, Paris Bataclan, Manchester), but the reality is we were never completely safe. Active shooter and active violent incidents are not the only cause of massive hemorrhage and the need for immediate medical interventions: car accidents, outdoor activities, can all cause life-threatening injuries both close to home and in remote areas.
Law enforcement arrives on average 4 minutes after the first 911 call; EMS arrives 4-10 minutes later. In many emergencies — violent incidents, car crashes, outdoor injuries, or disasters — the first care is provided by bystanders. Knowing how to recognize life‑threatening injuries and take effective action before professional help arrives can save lives.
In the first 10 minutes, any medical care is either performed by private citizen bystanders or law enforcement. Casualties can die without hemorrhage control and life-saving intervention while awaiting First Responders. The White House began the Stop the Bleed campaign in 2015 encouraging all Americans to obtain hemorrhage control training. Communities with more citizens who are trained to help in an emergency are more resilient.
An extremity wound with massive hemorrhage is generally entirely survivable if hemorrhage control techniques are properly and quickly applied. EMS
probably won’t be there to help. Who will? Who will arrive to save you or your family? What if you could? What if you had the training and knowledge to put together an inexpensive kit that you could use to maximize your chances and those of your loved ones, to survive.
The first rule of casualty care is to keep yourself safe. If you get injured trying to help others, you’ve made the problem worse. It’s what we call ‘being a force multiplier for the enemy.’ You need to learn to stay safe and treat casualties so they can survive long enough to be attended to by higher medical providers like EMS, emergency departments, and trauma surgeons.
What You'll Learn
Crisis Medicine courses teache you how to:
• Recognize injuries that are immediately life-threatening
• Control severe bleeding with confidence
• Understand what matters most in the first critical minutes
• Make calm, informed decisions under stress
Many people start with Stop the Bleed courses, which provide an important foundation.
This training builds on that foundation by going deeper into assessment, prioritization, and decision-making. Instead of focusing only on individual skills, you’ll learn how to think through an emergency and apply the right actions in the right order when conditions are chaotic.
For those who want a more robust skill set, Crisis Medicine provides two courses: Essential Casualty Care, a foundational 2.5 hour course that covers a plan to deal with casualties using the MARCH mnemonic, and is framed around providing care from a public access hemorrhage control kit or simple IFAK, and our Tactical Casualty Care class, a 10-hour online course that teaches you more than just tourniquet application.
Why This Training Matters
Emergencies rarely unfold neatly. Scenes may be unsafe, information incomplete, and resources limited.
This course focuses on practical judgment and evidence-based priorities that apply across many types of emergencies — not just rare or extreme events. The goal is confidence rooted in understanding, not fear or memorization.
Instructor Perspective
This training is taught by Dr. Mike Shertz, an dual boarded Emergency Medicine & EMS physician and former U.S. Army Special Forces Medic.
Mike’s approach is practical and approachable. He focuses on explaining not just what to do, but why it works, helping non-medical learners build real understanding rather than relying on checklists alone; while also providing a checklist framework to allow you to provide care in what can be overwhelming situations.
Next Steps
You can begin with a free preview to see a sample excerpt of Crisis Medicine courses.
If you choose to continue, the full course provides comprehensive instruction designed to build confidence, competence, and readiness to help when it matters most.
IN SEAMANSHIP, THE PRIMARY RULE IS: KEEP THE WATER OUT. THIS CLASS COULD BE NICKNAMED: KEEP THE BLOOD IN.
In basic boating seamanship, there are a couple of primary rules and one is: Keep the water out. Dr. Shertz's class on Tactical Casualty Care could be nicknamed: Keep the blood in. Dr. Shertz is a dynamic and crisp instructor and compelling educator. I unlearned years of Hollywood war movie myths on what a bullet does to the body and learned what really happens when a person (or gelatin) gets shot.Most importantly I learned what I could do to help 'keep the blood in' and how to go about that to a reasonable degree. Both the classroom and hands-on instruction were thorough and I recommend the class to anyone who wants to become more educated in tactical casualty care, or wants to possibly be of use if found in a direct or indirect threat event with casualties and minimal equipment.
TAKE THE CLASS!
Years ago, I made sure I had the latest C.A.T. tourniquet to put in my trauma kit but only recently did I learn how to use it. I've always taken pride in being well prepared on having a complete first aid kit but not knowing how to use everything is not to bright. I took a Stop the Bleed class and became energized to learn more. Later on, I watched the video "Until Help Arrives" (FEMA) which added to a good basic skill set on hemorrhage control. But after I went through Crisis Medicine's Tactical Casualty Care (TC2) I feel like I'm a part of my local EMS community by being an “Active Bystander”. Today I have confidence and empowerment as I'm hiking, working outside, doing errands, or if come across a violent incident...doing something is better than nothing! I keep my new Trauma Management Kit (as I call it) next to me in my car or on my pack because every second counts.
THESE PRESENTATIONS ALMOST MAKE IT FEEL LIKE YOU ARE THERE.
No matter if the injury is caused by accident, nature, or violent perpetrator, it is important that one is capable of being your own first responder. We can make a difference during the time before more highly trained and equipped help arrives.This course adds a lot of important information, skills, and mindset that may are not provided in a more traditional first aid/CPR course. The lectures, slides, videos, and demonstrations are well balanced and provide a comprehensive understanding of each topic and skill set. I know it is most ideal to work through these skills in person but these presentations almost make it feel like you are there. I also appreciate Dr. Shertz's candor, humor, and unbiased discussion and evaluation of the many products and techniques that are presented.
THE DETAIL, STRESS INOCULATION AND REAL-WORLD APPLICABILITY GAVE ME CONFIDENCE THAT I CAN HANDLE SITUATIONS
Most of my life I lived in a safe bubble. I practiced martial arts and self-defence but never learned any medicine for TECC/TCCC environments. I moved and quickly learned that anything could happen, anywhere, at anytime, and if I wasn't prepared, I would totally be a liability. I took TC2 and I'm working my way through K9 TC2 and CRBN. The detail, stress inoculation and real-world applicability gave me confidence that I can handle situations much more intense than I ever thought. It was insanely informative, honestly fun, and entertaining. I now trust the skills I've learned can safe my life, as well as my friends and family. I know the images and stories I've seen will prepare me for situations where others would freeze. The whole Crisis Medicine team went above and beyond in helping me learn and feel a part of the community. Looking forward to more training in the future.
HIGHLY RESEARCHED, PACKED WITH EXAMPLES, AND DELIVERED WITH TOP-NOTCH PRODUCTION QUALITY…
Tactical Casualty Care is the holy grail in training. Mike Shertz expertly distills his decades of experience as a Special Forces Medic and as an Emergency Medicine Physician into a powerfu,l fact-filled training that leaves you confident knowing what to do in an active violent event. Mike cuts through urban legends and misinformation and shows, through research and real-life situations, what works and what doesn’t.Mike has seen it, done it, and knows how to share it in a powerful presentation style that sticks. Everyone can benefit from this important information. Highly researched, packed with examples, and delivered with top-notch production quality, this online course will give you skills that can mean the difference between life and death for someone you love or anyone you may encounter who needs crisis first aid
…THE ONLINE TRAINING AND STEP-BY-STEP SKILLS STATIONS ARE EVERY BIT AS EFFECTIVE AT DRIVING HOME THE MATERIAL AS THE IN-PERSON TRAINING
Transformational! Crisis Medicine’s Complete Tactical Emergency Casualty Care course has been one of the most transformational experiences in my life. Dr. Shertz's practical, no-bullshit approach to triage and treatment of life-threatening trauma has been distilled down to skills and techniques that are very trainable, attainable, and applicable.After this course I am confident in my ability to identify, treat, and manage mass casualties in any active violent event. I can build an aid system using equipment that has been researched, tested, and proven to work - and that won't fail during a crisis.
Having taken both the in-person and online training, the online training and step-by-step skills stations are every bit as effective at driving home the material as the in-person, and track very closely with the classroom experience. In some cases, the on-line training is actually a superior way to learn the material, as you can review or pause and ponder a graph or chart. Although hands-on classroom experience is undeniably beneficial, the online course will still get your knowledge and mindset where it needs to be for you to act as an effective force multiplier for good.
CLEAR, FEASIBLE, CONTAINS GREAT MATERIAL, AND TEACHES A LIFETIME SKILL SET
I am a 56-year-old New Yorker, having this type of skill is useful not only for me and my family, but also for others in need.Finally learning something useful and potentially helpful to the community at large for any number of circumstances is an intelligent thing to do. Further in NY in normal times you could expect a 4 minute to 15 minute response time by trained pros. The skills I learned from CM could very well be the difference between life and death.
To anyone out there considering this course, do not buy the equipment first and take the course second. You’ll save yourself a lot of cash by doing it the other way around and learning what gear you need. Also, you will only need the equipment you are trained on. Training first, equip yourself second. The course is clear, feasible, contains great material, and is a lifetime skill set I wish I would have thought of acquiring many years ago. Give this to your kids as a present as soon as you feel they can take it!
THIS RANKS IN THE TOP CLASSES I HAVE TAKEN. MAYBE THE BEST. EXCEPTIONALLY WELL DONE!
I just completed the [online] TC2 course and thought I'd drop you a note and let you know how much I liked the course. Actually loved the course! I am a CPA and over the years have done a ton of CPE to maintain my certification and this ranks in the top classes I have taken. Maybe the best. Exceptionally well done! Thank you for providing this material. I hope I never have to use it, but as with CPR, you never know. I have had to use CPR a couple of times, so I'll sleep better after taking this course should I ever be in a situation where these skills are needed.