What is Tactical Combat Casualty Care?
In the early 1990s, the US Special Operations Command (part of the Department of Defense) commissioned a study to evaluate battlefield treatments, and Captain Frank Butler, Lieutenant Colonel John Hagman, and Ensign George Butler published their results in the journal Military Medicine in 1996. The contents of the article, known as tactical combat casualty care (TCCC), propelled battlefield casualty management to new levels of effectiveness, helping to lower the fatality rate to the lowest on record.
These tactical principles are directly relevant to civilian tactical emergency medical services (TEMS). The core tenets of TCCC are to simultaneously treat the casualty, prevent additional casualties, and complete the mission. TCCC is organized into three distinct phases, with a unique priority of care assigned to each phase.
The three distinct phases of TCCC are:
- Care under fire
- Tactical field care
- Tactical evacuation care
Working together, these three phases help to achieve the three objectives of TCCC, which are:
- Treat injured combatants
- Limit the risk of further casualties
- Achieve mission success
As of 16 March 2018, TCCC is the DoD standard of care for first responders (medical and non-medical) and the All Service Member TCCC course replaces Service trauma skills currently taught in first aid and self-aid buddy care courses. All Service members are to receive role based TCCC training and certification in accordance with the skill level appropriate to their training and deployment billet.
The training provided by our company is in full accordance with the TCCC guidelines, we teach how it was meant to be taught, according to the provider skill level. We do not deviate from the curriculum nor do we teach our own "interpretation" of the guidelines. We are a "tier 1" TCCC provider
What is our TCCC training philosophy?
We teach you the how's and why's, followed by the evidence-based tactical medicine research which justifies it. We show you all different kinds of gear and equipment and how they are best applied. We have numerous different types of tourniquets, bandages, hemostatic agents, stretchers, sleds, and training tools for you to evaluate.
Each course includes time for a full gear shake out, we will show you what you have that is worth keeping, what is junk, and what you need to be purchasing.
This is a "tactical medical course", not a "run-and-gun" or "edutainment" course, it is designed to enhance your medical skill set. Courses that include "tactical training" really take away from the medical didactic component. We want you to really understand the subject matter and will dedicate as long as it takes for every student to leave with the confidence needed to act during a time of crisis.
TCCC Courses available
TCCC-AC Tactical Combat Casualty Care for All Combatants
The new standard of care for ALL deployable servicemembers.
TCCC-AC (TCCC for All Combatants) is a 1-day classroom course for non-medical military personnel and includes first responder skills appropriate for soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines.
TCCC-MP Tactical Combat Casualty Care for the Medical Provider
Now mandatory for every deployable servicemember - Training is available for All-Combatants and for Medical Providers.
TCCC-MP (TCCC for Medical Personnel) is a 2-day classroom course for military medical personnel including medics, corpsmen, and pararescue personnel deploying in support of combat operations.
This course is the standard of care in Pre-hospital Battlefield Medicine. The TCCC Guidelines are routinely updated and published by the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC). TCCC was designed in the mid-'90s for the Special Operations medical community.
TCCC developed battlefield appropriate and evidence-based casualty care based on injury patterns of previous conflicts. The primary intent of TCCC is to reduce preventable combat death through a means that allows a unit to complete its mission while providing the best possible care for casualties.
