Violence and EMS......Are We Truly Ready?

[Scott Clark]

As myself and everyone else in our station stood and watched the horror unfold in Littleton, Colorado, we began to think are we truly ready for something of this magnatude? The answer is no! I don't think we need to be trained in how to defuse such a situation though it would be a good idea, but we need to be better trained on how to better protect ourselves in such a situation. The latest craze is the Terrorism Training we are receieving. But is that enough? Personally I don't think so. Sitting and listening to a lecture and seeing a slide show doesn't give me the confidence I need to better protect myself and my patient. Not to be condenscending to those who work in the Fire and EMS services that teach these programs, but don't you think we need people training us that have actual experience with this type of situations? I know I don't feel confident at all with the training I have received and believe that we need a better designed and more eggressive course curriculum to learn from. At anytime we could walk into one of these situations and not even know it. Or better yet one of these situation could happen at scene we are already at. I just want better information and hands-on training to better prepare myself and my partners. If you have a program or ideas I would like to hear them and I imagine there are others too that would. I also would like to put some pressure on our Goverment Officials to see that this training is made available and if you would like to participate in such a group please email me. Thank you.

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If we stand united.... We will never fall.

[BURNSEMS]

Howdy from Deep East Texas, The answer to your question is not an easy one however there is training available for Tactical EMS, Tis training is desighned for NON LAW ENFORCEMENT Providers it includes:

TACTICAL TRIAGE
HOSTAGE EVALUATION
Pt Treatment and Evac under Hostile Fire
Phyco motor Overspeed Trainig (control of fear)
BLIND Pt ASSESSMENT
Managing Pts in Hazardouse Atmospheres C.S, Pepperspray ect
Hostage Negotiating For First Responders
Firearms Retention and Handling
AND MUCH MORE ::
Check your local College These courses are reasonably priced and offer a lot of information to help you gain the confidence to handle hostile situations and SURVIVE

[billy]

Although it would be difficult to prepare for an event such as Littleton, rescuers often find themselves ill-prepared for "everyday" events that place them in personal danger. Currently I'm buliding a training program that will address the needs of "common" responders. Although there will be some tactical elements included, the primary focus will be techniques that can be used on every call. These techniques will include such things as vehicle and building approaches, light control, sensory deprived assessment and more! Lots of hands-on training will be provided. This program will hopefully answer the needs of responders while not preparing them to function as a SWAT member. Interested?? Have topics to suggest?? Please reply!!

[Resc10]

Greetings dudes. There are several classes available in my area (Maryland) that teach the skills that I believe you are referrin to Scott. We call these classes Street Survival. This is a class that is a combination of expierience, techniques and skills that teach you how to recognize and react to a potential hostile situation. I have also found that expierience is usually the best teacher. The EMT Tactical program is designed specifically for those members who are or will be apart of a POLICE tactical team. I think for your application you would be more interested in the street survival class. You also might want to talk to your local and federal law enforcement agencies to see if they would provide some kind of training to help you survive...