The 2017 National Tactical Medicine Competition was held at the Charlotte Fire Training Academy in Charlotte North Carolina on Sunday May 21st, hosted by Special Operations Aid & Rescue, Ltd (SOARescue). The event was held just prior to the Special Operations Medical Association Scientific Assembly Conference. In total, 12 two man teams competed for the title. This year’s competitors came from across the North America from California to New Hampshire and included one international team from Laval Quebec.
Each team was tasked with a grueling 4 stage course that was both mentally and physically challenging. The stages transitioned the competitors through each of the Tactical Emergency Casualty Care phases of care.
Stage 1 of this year’s competition begin with a story of the team providing a protective security detail for a local religious group traveling via in vehicles that was suddenly attacked by anti-government extremist group. Each team started the course rapidly assessing and treating several critically injured patients in the convoy of vehicles.
On Stage 2 of the course, competitors were faced with triaging an overwhelming number of patients with varying injuries following a secondary explosion at a local building. Teams sort through the chaos to treat the sickest patients first and work towards those who are least injured.
On Stage 3, teams were given critical patient’s requiring advanced level medical care including surgical airway management, life-saving medication administration, mechanical ventilation and introduced several concepts of prolonged field care.
Finally, on Stage 4 of this year’s competition, teams were tasked with rigging a high angle rope rescue system capable of raising and lowering a patient. The patient had to be moved to the hoisting location and secured in a SKED. The competitors then used the TRACE system from CTOMS, a sponsor from this year’s competition. Each team was given a set time frame to complete as much of the course as possible and a standardized grading rubric was used to score each team throughout their run.
This competition has been an incredible opportunity for civilian and tactical medical professionals to work together in friendly competition. The training competitors engaged in before the competition and hopefully will continue, has made each competitor a better medical provider. We hope to continue and grow this unique competition, to better prepare our responders, and to help the community better understand the services provided.
We asked some competitors what they thought, and this was one comment we received:
“Competing this year showed me strengths and deficiencies in my role as a tactical medical provider. I learned that providers need to be able to work off of their vest and belt as much as possible without digging into an aid bag. Providers also need to be well rounded in their skill set, able to function outside of the medical realm as needed, especially in gaining access to patients via breaching if needed. The competition was a huge opportunity to network and learn from the tactical medical professionals from around the world, which to me was the highlight of the entire event this year.”
-J.C. – Competitor NTMC 2017
The 2017 National Tactical Medicine Competition was an incredible success, thanks to all of our contributing sponsors, role players, patient actors, judging staff, and adjunct facilitators.
Our Sponsors Were:
-North American Rescue
-CTOMS
-Qore Performance
-Trauma FX/ KGS
-CRO Medical Gear
-TSSi Ops
-Tru-Spec
-Vighter
-Enola Gaye USA
-Carolina Fire Rescue and EMS Journal
-MOHOC
-Daniel Sroka PC
-Beeken Biomedical
