Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Julie Avey | Members of the California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force conduct a tactical...... read more read more
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Imagine checking your email on your smart phone and a news alert states an active shooter has injured several people nearby. News alerts come in via text, email, internet, or broadcast news and throughout the day some of these messages may be startling, such as an active shooter within a work place, school, local store or other common places we often visit. California National Guard’s Joint Task Force Domestic Support-Counterdrug (JTFDS-CD) program conducted a tactical medical training seminar for law enforcement officers in support of the California Border Alliance Group (CBAG) Feb. 21-23.
“The primary training objective is to share our tactics, techniques, and procedures for the management of casualties in a tactical setting,” said Army Staff Sgt. Mark Karandang, Counterdrug Medical Liaison. “The Joint Task Force Support Counterdrug program is able to provide the instructions, equipment, and scenarios to facilitate tactical medical training with the CBAG.”
The CBAG’s mission is to measurably reduce drug trafficking, thereby reducing the impact of illicit drugs on the southwest border and other areas of the country. To accomplish this mission, the CBAG assists in the coordination of joint operational and supporting initiatives to deter, disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately diminish the effects of the most significant Drug Trafficking Organizations, their supporting transportation and money laundering organizations.
Thirteen members of seven local law enforcement agencies trained on emergency care during the three-day seminar. The tactical combat casualty care training consisted of kinematics of trauma, casualty trauma assessment, shock principles and management, hemorrhage control, thoracic injury principles and management, tactical combat casualty care, triage principles, care under fire, and tactical field care.
The training course focused on initial emergency medical care to include controlling the bleeding, application of emergency trauma dressing, managing open chest wounds, and tactical casualty evacuations.
One participant said the moulage kits added an aspect that was necessary to make the training as real as possible.
“The scenarios utilized reinforce the importance for this type of training,” said Joseph Resko, parole agent for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. “I found the training to be beneficial and [it] better prepared me [to respond] during a trauma scene.”
Military members are taught various techniques prior to mobilization to treat and stabilize injuries related to combat. The combat lifesaver course taught prior to deployments is an effort to increase survivability where a combat medic may not be immediately available. During the tactical medical training held in San Diego, the Counterdrug members shared their military training and experiences with various law enforcement agencies through applicable scenarios involving casualty care.
“We started the course with news footage from Jan. 8, 2011, when a local congresswoman was holding a town hall style meeting when a lone gunman drew a pistol and shot the congresswoman in the head,” said Karadang. “We pride ourselves with our ability to train as we fight and on that day those law enforcement officers became better prepared to respond to a casualty in a tactical situation.”
Responding officers described a scene of “silent chaos” and added that the carnage probably would have been much worse without the help of a first aid kit that recently became standard issue. In the six minutes before paramedics were allowed to enter the scene, officers were doing the duties of paramedics by managing open chest wounds, securing, airways, and controlling severe hemorrhaging through the use of tourniquets. In the end, 13 of those shot survived.
“We train using the same tactics, techniques, procedures, and equipment used,” said Staff Sgt. Robert Gromley. “The unprecedented survival rate of Soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan is due to the training we receive.”
Specialist Vanessa Ascencio of JTFDS-CD Southern Region participated as a victim in the training exercises.
“This experience motivates me as I remember my training.” said Ascencio. “I work in an office and when I have the chance to volunteer for these roles I jump at the chance to be involved … not only to educate others but for my own awareness of situations.”
| Date Taken: | 02.23.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2014 17:56 |
| Story ID: | 142016 |
| Location: | CA, US |
| Web Views: | 426 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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