Online training in TECC/TCCC for Fire and EMS

Fire and EMS inherently work in high-risk environments. By understanding the priorities of patient management, i.e. what is killing the patient right now, you can provide the care that is required without wasting time on unimportant details and treatments which just increase the risk to everyone working in a dangerous environment.All of these factors apply equally in a burning or unstable building after an earthquake or explosion.

Although the first step of an EMS testing scenario is to “ensure scene safety,” In active violent incidents*, you can never ensure scene safety. Rather, your goal is to mitigate risk. Fighting fires is not safe, it is inherently dangerous, but you mitigate the risk to rescuers and casualties with training and equipment.

In December 1970 the US government published a study showing what killed casualties in Vietnam. The report identified 3 preventable and treatable causes of death: massive external hemorrhage, tension pneumothorax, and airway occlusion. That data eventually led to the DOD’s Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) guidelines.

Those TCCC guidelines are optimized for patient care on the battlefield. Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) guidelines used TCCC guidelines as an evidenced-based starting point for managing civilian trauma patients in high-risk environments.

If you are trained to manage those three causes of preventable death in a high-risk environment, doing them at a more typical scene call, car crash, or other accident it is simply easier.

Crisis Medicine’s courses don’t just present what is in the TCCC or TECC guidelines, but also discuss the medical literature supporting or in some cases contradicting guidelines recommendations.

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In one sad case, a local fire service was taught all tourniquets are placed “high & tight” on a limb regardless of the situation because that is how their former military trainer was taught. Subsequently, that fire service placed a tourniquet high on the thigh of a forklift operator with a partial foot amputation after a warehouse accident. Eventually, the worker lost his entire lower extremity to the level of the tourniquet. An exceptionally rare and unnecessary complication could have been prevented with proper training.

US Army Special Forces Medics are the best-trained combat medics in the world: however, taking care of a casualty in a wadi in Afghanistan, is not identical to managing a casualty in a nightclub shooting. You need to evaluate the credentials of your instructor to ensure you are getting a complete analysis of the medical evidence behind the techniques, not just something that worked once for them in a bad situation.

Is your service using a TCCC recommended tourniquet? If you are, what is the medical literature in support of the one chosen? What is the evidence supporting its use and efficacy? Most Emergency Physicians don’t know this literature, so even your medical director may not have the most up-to-date information.

We know most online training is mediocre. Ours is professionally filmed on a soundstage with clear audio, scientific backing, and step-by-step skills demonstrations of all the techniques taught. These skills stations will allow Fire and EMS to practice the skills on their own, perfecting their techniques so when called upon to save lives in dangerous situations, they are amply prepared. Note: Please review the content warning. The course uses photographs of actual injuries, diagrams of wounds, and step-by-step demonstrations. Strong language is occasionally used.

An Emergency Medicine physician can teach you the science. A former special-operations veteran can tell you what works. Mike Shertz, MD-18D can do both. With more than 20-years as a Fire and EMS medical director, and law enforcement experience running a tactical medical program, Mike integrates medicine and tactics to apply them to inherently dangerous environments.

*Although traditionally thought of as active shooter events, after the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing where 264 casualties were wounded, 3 triple amputees, and 3 killed, but no one was shot, the term was changed to more expansively cover these events.

Our Student’s Experience

Not sure if online training is for you? Don’t take our word for it. See what our students say.

TRAIN NOWOnline Tactical Casualty Care Classes

Enjoyable, knowledgeable, and detailed

The Advanced TC2 online course is very enjoyable.
The presenter Dr. Mike Shertz is very knowledgeable, the way the course is presented is very detailed and the skills that you will learn could save a life, in a tactical or everyday life.
I will be doing the Complete TC2 in the near future.

...Refreshing to watch an online class that kept my attention

After being in Public Safety for over 20 years in a mix of LE and Fire/EMS it was refreshing to watch an online class that kept my attention. Being a Tactical Medic this CE was extremely relevant and will do our team well. I look forward to the other classes Crisis-Medicine offers. I must also add the customer service is amazing. Prompt email response, and genuine willingness to work with us, and doing so the whole time in a nice friendly manner. You can not go wrong by using this group! Excellent job from A to Z.

This is an excellent comprehensive course.

This is an excellent comprehensive course. Even after being a military medic with multiple deployments and 8 years as a remote/austere emergency medicine PA, I learned about new evidence for certain interventions as well as more efficient ways to implement interventions from this course.

Dr. Shertz is direct with relevant information and real-world experience. What Dr. Shertz teaches is evidence-based medicine with no financial influence. You learn the science, how/why, and realistic application of medicine in a hostile setting. Highly recommend this course!

These presentations almost make it feel like you are there.

No matter if the injury is caused by accident, nature, or violent perpetrator. I believe 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 not be typically 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.

Very happy I chose to take this online course for TECC/TCCC.

Dr. Shertz presents the full breadth and depth of TECC/TCCC in an engaging manner. His data-driven, evidence-based approach is very well reasoned. Drawing on an apparent depth of experience, he presents the material both lectures and skills in a very clear and efficient manner.

Our Fire Department has benefitted tremendously from this course

I loved the course! I greatly appreciated the depth of information that went into each course topic. It was valuable for me to see information that was supported by literature, evidence, etc. through the lens of Dr. Shertz's unbiased opinion.

Myself, and the rest of our department participating in the course have benefited tremendously. I plan to make this course a requirement for the remainder of our team members and future team members, as I believe it helps create a solid foundation. I actually plan to go through it again while I still have access!! Thank you so much for all of your help along the way, and thank you all for developing a phenomenal course.

The online course is very well done and kept my attention throughout. The scenario videos were not only entertaining, they were relevant to the information taught

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I had the unique opportunity to both go to the in-person CTC2 class in Beaverton, OR and finish a portion of the course online because I had to leave early. I have to say that nothing can replace the muscle memory gained and the ability to ask questions and get immediate feedback that the in-person class provides. The practical scenario day was very well done and put you into situations that provided real-world stress. You had to treat very realistic injuries from real situations that have happened around the country. That being said, the online course is very well done and kept my attention throughout. The scenario videos were not only entertaining, but they were also relevant to the information taught and Dr. Shertz narrates during portions to help reinforce the M.A.R.C.H. pneumonic and treatment priorities. Overall, this is one of the best courses I have ever taken. I feel that anyone in Law Enforcement or FIRE/EMS should definitely take one of these courses because of the environment we live in today.

As a medical director for several fire departments, I can say it is the BEST trauma course you can take.

I have taken the 5 day TCCC class twice. As a medical director for several fire departments, I can say it is the BEST trauma course you can take.

I can say without reservation on that Dr. Shertz's courses are of the highest quality. He is a talented instructor who explains medical procedures to students at all levels, even in audiences ''with mixed provider levels. His lectures are based on a clear review of the medical literature and include demonstrative photographs and diagrams pulled from disparate sources including textbooks, newspaper photographs, and images pulled from the internet to support his teaching points. His material is always up to date and includes the most recent advances in the field of emergency medical services, TECC, and TCCC.

It has been an absolute pleasure to listen to the lectures and learn so much in the process.

I started having an interest in close quarter survival as it is becoming more and more relevant in our environment, working in EMS. With that tactical situations can also be faced and thus it was imperative for me to understand this environment better in order to be prepared should I be faced with such a situation.

Thank you for this very detailed and structured information and course. It has been an absolute pleasure to listen to the lectures and learn so much in the process. The real-life references and examples really bring the content to the point and show the realism of the situations.

It would be great to partake in a face-to-face session with practical application of the content. Being so far away may make that difficult to achieve though.

The material is presented in such a deft manner with illustrative examples and reinforced with repetition that retention of information comes pleasantly easy.

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Well worth the investment!

Yes, as Dr. Shertz says in his intro, he provides a lot of information in these lectures. “Encyclopedic” I believe was one of the terms he used, however, I never found an encyclopedia nearly as interesting nor as engaging as his topics and style of teaching. As an advanced practitioner of medicine, I find the “why“ almost as important as the “what“, and Mike does an excellent job of explaining why certain procedures, techniques, and tools are superior to alternatives.

The material is presented in such a deft manner with illustrative examples and reinforced with repetition that retention of information comes pleasantly easy. Dr. Shertz’s expertise in this subject matter is evident as he proficiently breaks down complex medical concepts for learners of all backgrounds. I am also impressed by the ease of use of the electronic platform. It has been easy to start, stop, and resume lectures as my busy schedule allows. All in all, I have truly enjoyed this lecture series and feel that my medical practice has benefited. My investment in this educational program has been well worth my time and my ducats.

Fantastic training

This was a fantastic training. Lots of great information. I enjoyed how in-depth Dr. Shertz went into the studies which gave the information context. His real-world opinion was valuable as well

I've sat through hundreds of hours of online training. Dr. Shertz's course was totally different. He was engaging and authentic.

This is outstanding training. I'm a Firefighter, but I spent nearly a decade as a Federal agent, plus several years in two different branches of the military. In these jobs, I've sat through hundreds of hours of online training. Dr. Shertz's course was totally different. He was engaging and authentic. Rather than speeding through slides to get to the end of the course, I found myself taking notes, rewinding lectures, and viewing blocks of instruction multiple times until I was certain I understood the concepts. I appreciated his depth of knowledge and his passion for the subject matter is clear. This is a high-quality course that I'd recommend to both Firefighters and LEOs.

One of the best courses I have ever taken

What a Fantastic course, although the course was online, the feeling you get from this course is that you are there with Dr. Mike Sherz. I am already Qualified for Pre-Hospital Care, but to upskill my Tactical Trauma Knowledge, this was one of the best courses I have ever taken. The information was presented in a way that explains, the why behind the reason for the treatment, and also the, why behind ballistic injury, using the different rounds available.

I really enjoyed this course, having completed many courses in the past. This was by far THE BEST. With Dr. Shertz's Special Forces background and knowledge, the course really does what it says on the tin "LESSONS LEARNED IN BLOOD."

I am super happy with the course and have zero regrets!

I recently renewed my NYS EMT Certification and I was on the lookout for a TCCC and/or TECC class. Unable to locate any posted yet for 2021 that wasn't a 4+ hour drive from where I live, I came across Crisis Medicine's website. I am super happy with the course and have zero regrets! In particular, I really admired how the info was presented and the context surrounding all the topics.

I will encourage friends and those I train/shoot with to visit this site and get some quality training.

...One of my favorite online classes in any subject I've ever taken.

Have you ever taken a class, and then been kinda bummed that it was over? This class was so interesting, and well given. The amount of information, plus just the way it was delivered was perfect. Dr. Shertz knows his stuff back and front and sideways. He’s got the resume to prove it. But he doesn’t act like a know it all. He acts like one of your peers showing you the way and it makes the information that much more interesting and easy to digest. This was one of my favorite online classes in any subject I've ever taken. Dr. Shertz and everyone who worked on this should be commended.

Five-Star, factual information

As a FF/AEMT, I have been exposed to several gunshots in the field. I have had large calibers cause very minimal damage, and small calibers cause death and large amounts of damage. I am an avid hunter and have grown up using firearms and reloading ammunition and had a fairly healthy knowledge of how bullets impacted, and what would cause these differences. All in all, I took this course as a way to confirm or debunk things I had come to believe based on field experience and to use something with a larger pool to gather factual information.

A Comprehensive educational experience

I just completed the Complete TC2 course presented by Dr. Shertz. This course was by far the best online course I have ever participated in. Dr. Shertz’s absolute command of the subject matter leads to a very comprehensive educational experience that leads the end user to be able to learn and apply new skill sets as well as confirming existing understanding to a deeper level. The production quality of the lectures, skills and scenarios make the learning process feel much more like it is in a classroom rather than online. The slides, charts and other graphics used are absolutely first class. This online education experience raises the bar for online education.

The course is fantastic!

I am a Engineer/Paramedic with Bend Fire & Rescue. I am also a Tactical Medic with the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team (CERT). My fellow team medic and I were tasked with taking your course as a "test run" to determine if it is an effective way to educate the entire Bend Police Department on TCCC. We both intend to report back an enthusiastic 'yes' (in spite of the frequent disparaging remarks about Marines and our affinity for coloring books, reflective stickers and bouncy balls). Furthermore, we look forward to your company recommencing with in-person courses, so that the two of us can hone our robust and godlike medical skills for the tactical environment.

* [Note from Crisis Medicine, we deny any disparaging remarks about said coloring books, reflective stickers and bouncy balls.]

Relevant, in-depth, highly recommended

This is an outstanding opportunity for anyone who is looking for a higher level of education on casualty care/emergency medicine. Dr. Shertz provides substantive evidence for his curriculum. His material is relevant and more in-depth than I have been able to find elsewhere. After completing the course I know I am better educated on the philosophy and principles of wounds, ballistics, and evidence-based wound care. He dispels the hype around what is traditionally taught as "Emergencies" and brings front and center the true emergencies, so that precious triage and 'golden hour' time can be spent saving lives. He's serious but doesn't take himself too seriously. I highly recommend the course and appreciate what I have learned, thank you.