Self-aid and buddy-aid training for patrol officers
The Rapid Medical Response: Self-Aid and Buddy-Aid for Patrol Officers course taught by working paramedics, several of whom have military medic training and/or Tactical Emergency Medical Services (TEMS) experience
When I went through basic training in the U.S. Army (just after the Revolutionary War, according to the young cadets I train), our combat medical training amounted to little more than first aid. Now, every soldier headed for deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq is taught and equipped to save themselves and/or a buddy from a life threatening wound. We’ve learned not to wait for a more highly-trained medic — you can bleed out before they arrive. While the death toll at the 2009 Ft. Hood terrorist shooting was terrible, many lives were saved by ordinary soldiers who applied battle field medical techniques before the medics arrived.
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a Rapid Medical Response: Self-Aid and Buddy Aid for Patrol Officers course taught by the PROTECMED Group. This daylong class is taught by working paramedics, several of whom have military medic training and/or Tactical Emergency Medical Services (TEMS) experience with a local SWAT team. The PROTECMED group has been training these classes through Illinois’ 16 regional Mobile Team Units, funded by a grant from the Illinois Terrorism Task Force.
All first responders in attendance left with life-saving knowledge, a live-saving medical kit, and the experience of learning the techniques in stressful, reality-based training scenarios. It is important to note that no specialized medical training is necessary to attend this course. Any police officer with basic first aid training will quickly master these techniques.
Keeping Black Bands OFF Badges
The course covers the three primary causes of battlefield casualties: