Tactical Casualty Care Programs

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 Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) is a set of best practice treatment guidelines for trauma care in the high-threat prehospital environment. 

These guidelines are built upon critical medical lessons learned by US and allied military forces over the past 15 years of conflict. They are appropriately modified to address the specific needs of civilian populations and civilian EMS practice.  

The Committee for Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (C-TECC) was formed in 2010 to formally translate military trauma lessons learned into the civilian high-threat prehospital community.

The C-TECC is modelled after the highly successful Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) - frequently credited as one of the major initiatives that has resulted in the lowest combat mortality rates in recorded history.

                 Its Mission is to decrease preventable deaths in a tactical situation.   

SureFire Tactical's TECC Program is designed to teach participants how to respond to and care for patients in a civilian tactical environment.

The course presents the three phases of tactical care:

1. Direct Threat Care that is rendered while under attack or in adverse conditions. 
2. Indirect Threat Care that is rendered while the threat has been suppressed, but may resurface at any point. 
3. Evacuation Care that is rendered while the casualty is being evacuated from the incident.    

Our Programs cover the following topics: 

• Hemorrhage control;
• Airway and Breathing management and assistance;  
• Strategies for treating wounded responders in threatening environments; 
• Caring for Paediatric and Geriatric patients; and  
• Techniques for dragging and carrying victims to safety.   

All Our Programs meet the guidelines established by the

Committee on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care

TECC Course Development
Our Tactical Emergency Casualty Care Courses are based on and developed  in line with; 

The Committee of Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (CoTECC);                         

• "TECC Guidelines"

The International Public Safety Association (IPSA);                                                           

• "TEMS Scope of Practice & Policy" & "RTF Best Practices Guide V2"

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA);                                                   

• "NFPA3000: Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response Program"

The Australian Tactical  Medical Association (ATMA):                                  

• "Emergency Services Support Role to Deliberate High Threat Incidents"

The Australia-New Zealand Counter- Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC):                   

• "Active Armed Offender Guidelines for Crowded Place

Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC or TC3) is the standard of care in Prehospital Battlefield Medicine. The TCCC Guidelines are routinely updated and published by the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC), a component of the Joint Trauma System (JTS). 

TCCC was designed in the mid-'90s for the Special Operations medical community. Originally a Naval Special Warfare and USSOCOM Medical Research & Development initiative, TCCC developed battlefield appropriate and evidence-based casualty care based on injury patterns of previous conflicts. The original TCCC concept and guidelines were published in a Military Medicine Supplement in 1996. 

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.

The Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) is the Prehospital arm of the Joint Trauma System for the Department of Defence.

The CoTCCC is composed of 42 voting members specially selected as subject-matter experts in trauma, battlefield medicine, tactical medicine, prehospital medicine and their experience in the deployed combat environment.  The TCCC Working Group is composed of the CoTCCC and hundreds of subject-matter experts across many domains and liaisons from DoD, Government and Partner nation organisations.

The CoTCCC and the TCCC Working Group focus all of their efforts on providing the best recommendations for training and equipment for our individual service members, combat medics, corpsman, pararescue, and med techs going into harm's way around the world.

TCCC Course Development

Our Tactical Combat Casualty Care Programs have been developed based on and are consistent with; 

The Committee of Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC).                         

• "TCCC Guidelines"

1. Introduction to Tactical Casualty Care

2. Legalities of First Aid

3. Authority to Practice

4. Phases of TECC: Direct Threat Care                                   

                                  Indirect Threat Care 

5. RACE: React  

                Activate               

                Care               

                Evacuate

6. Psychology of Disaster response 

7. MARCH Algorithm vs DRS ABCD.8. The Golden Hour

9. Trauma Triad

10. Bleeding Control. Tourniquet, Pressure Bandage, Wound Packing & Haemostatic Agent

11. Airway Management: Head Tilt, Triple Airway Manoeuvre, Lateral Position 

12. Respiration: Tension Pneumothorax, Occlusive Seal, Traumatic Asphyxiation & CPR

13. Circulation: Shock

14. Hypothermia 

1. Introduction to Tactical Casualty Care

2. Difference between Tactical Emergency Casualty Care and Tactical Combat Casualty Care

3.  Active Bystander/ First Care Provider vs First Responder

4. Legalities of First Aid

5. Authority to Practice

6. Threat Realities

7. RACE. React               Activate               Care               Evacuate

8. Psychology of Disaster response 

9. Situational Awareness

10. Run, Hide, Fight

11. Injury Profiles. Gunshot                                  Blast                                  Stabbing

12. Phases of TECC. Direct Threat Care                                    Indirect Threat Care 

13. MARCH Algorithm vs DRs ABCD.

14. The Golden Hour

15. Trauma Triad

16. Bleeding Control. Tourniquet, Pressure Bandage, Wound Packing & Haemostatic Agent

17. Airway Management. Head Tilt, Triple Airway Manoeuvre, Lateral Position 

18. Respiration. Tension Pneumothorax, Occlusive Seal, Traumatic Asphyxiation & CPR

19. Circulation. Shock

20. Hypothermia

21. Other Injuries. Impaled Objects                                 Burns                                 Spinal Injuries

22. Evacuation & Patient Movement

23. Documentation 

1. Introduction to Tactical Casualty Care

2. Difference between Tactical Emergency Casualty Care and Tactical Combat Casualty Care

3. Legalities of First Aid

4. Authority to Practice

5. Threat Realities

6. Previous Events

7. RACE. React               Activate               Care               Evacuate

8. Psychology of Disaster response 

9. Situational Awareness

10. Run, Hide, Fight

11. Injury Profiles. Gunshot                                  Blast                                  Stabbing

12. Phases of TECC. Direct Threat Care                                    Indirect Threat Care                                     Evacuation Care 

13. MARCH Algorithm vs DRS ABCD.

14. The Golden Hour

15. Trauma Triad

16. Bleeding Control. Tourniquet, Pressure Bandage, Wound Packing & Haemostatic Agent

17. Airway Management. Head Tilt, Triple Airway Manoeuvre, Lateral Position,                                               Nasopharyngeal Airway

18. Respiration (Breathing). Tension Pneumothorax, Occlusive Seal, Traumatic Asphyxiation                                                  CPR                                                  Oxygen Therapy

19. Circulation. Shock

20. Hypothermia

21. Other Injuries. Impaled Objects                                 Burns                                 Spinal Injuries

22. Analgesia

23. Evacuation & Patient Movement

24. Casualty Collection Point

25. Documentation

26. Triage & Incident Management

27. Previous Incidents Lessons Learnt 

1.  Introduction to TCCC 
2. Legalities of Tactical Casualty Care
3. Authority to Practice
4. First Aid Kit Familiarization 
5. Rapid Casualty Assessment 
6. Massive Bleeding 
7. Airway & Breathing 
8. Burns 
9. Fractures
10. Eye Trauma 
11. Head Injury Recognition 
12. Medical Documentation and Communication

1.  Principles and Application of TCCC
2. Legalities of Tactical Casualty Care
3. Authority to Practice
4. Medical Equipment
5. Care Under Fire
6. Principles and Application of Tactical Field Care (TFC)
7. Tactical Trauma Assessment
8. Massive Haemorrhage Control in TFC
9. Airway Management in TFC
10. Respiration Assessment and Management in TFC
11. Circulation/Haemorrhage Control in TFC
12. Shock Recognition
13. Hypothermia Prevention
14. Head Injuries
15. Eye Injuries
16. Analgesia Administration & Antibiotic Administration (Pain Medication) 
17. Wound Management
18. Burns
19. Fractures
20. Casualty Monitoring
21. Pre-evacuation Procedures, Communication, and Documentation
22. Evacuation Procedures