Developed by NAEMT’s Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) Committee, the TECC program is based on the guidelines from the Committee on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (Co-TECC) and the Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) program. TECC uses lessons learned from our military and applies them to the civilian world of tactical medicine.

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This 16-hour course covers topics designed to decrease preventable death in the tactical situation.  Topics include: Hemorrhage control; surgical airway control and needle decompression; strategies for treating wounded responders in threatening environments; caring for pediatric patients; and techniques for dragging and carrying victims to safety.

At the core of the TECC program are three distinct phases that have been well-proven by TCCC-trained personnel in the war against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. The phases are as follows: 

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• Direct Threat Care
  Care that is rendered while under attack or in adverse conditions.

• Indirect Threat Care
  Care that is rendered while the threat has been suppressed, but may resurface at any point.

• Evacuation
  Care that is rendered while the casualty is being evacuated from the incident site. 

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TECC focuses on the medicine during these phases of care and provides guidelines for managing trauma in the civilian tactical or hazardous environment. While TECC has a tactical slant, it takes an all-hazards approach to providing care outside the normal operating conditions of most EMS agencies, such as responding to a mass casualty or active shooter event.

The Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) course introduces evidence-based, life-saving techniques and strategies for providing the best trauma care on the battlefield. NAEMT conducts TCCC courses under the auspices of its PHTLS program, the recognized world leader in prehospital trauma education.

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NAEMT’s TCCC courses use the PHTLS Military textbook and are fully compliant with the Department of Defense’s Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) guidelines. It is the only TCCC course endorsed by the American College of Surgeons.

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The TCCC-MP (TCCC for Medical Personnel) course is designed for combat EMS/military personnel, including medics, corpsmen, and pararescue personnel deploying in support of combat operations. NAEMT also offers Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) for civilian tactical EMS.

The Bleeding Control for the Injured (B-Con) course was developed by NAEMT's PHTLS Committee with leadership provided by Dr. Peter Pons and Dr. Norman McSwain.

The course was developed in response to efforts by the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to increase collaboration between law enforcement, the fire service and EMS in responding to active shooter/IED/mass casualty events. B-Con is consistent with the recommendations of the Hartford Consensus on Improving Survival from Active Shooter Events. The Hartford Consensus recommends that an integrated active shooter response should include the critical actions contained in the acronym THREAT:

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1. Threat 

2. Hemorrhage control 

3. Rapid Extrication to safety

4. Assessment by medical providers

5. Transport to definitive care

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The Hartford Consensus Group recommends that the response to a traumatic incident, whether involving an active shooter or some other cause of injury, in fact begins with bystander response. It is with this in mind that the B-Con course was developed and is now being offered.

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This new 3 hour course teaches participants the basic life-saving medical interventions, including bleeding control with a tourniquet, bleeding control with gauze packs or topical hemostatic agents, and opening an airway to allow a casualty to breathe. The course is designed for NON tactical law enforcement officers, firefighters, security personnel, teachers and other civilians requiring this basic training. Course materials include a PowerPoint presentation and instructor notes, instructor’s guide, and skill station guide. 

A separate, additional PowerPoint module is included in the course materials specifically for law enforcement participants.  This module provides an orientation to the content of the Hartford Consensus and the changing approach to active shooter and other complex and hazardous responses. 

At the completion of the course, participants will be able to:
 

• Explain the rationale for early use of a tourniquet for life-threatening extremity bleeding.

• Demonstrate the appropriate application of a tourniquet to the arm and leg.

• Describe the progressive strategy for controlling hemorrhage.

• Describe appropriate airway control techniques and devices.

• Demonstrate the correct application of a topical hemostatic dressing (combat gauze).

4-8 hour classroom course specifically designed for non-EMS first responders.

The course covers materials found in the 16-hour provider course at a level appropriate for first responders. It includes 4 hours of core content, with additional modules that can be added to address the needs of specific responders.

Upon successful completion of the course, students receive a certificate of completion, a wallet card recognizing them as a TECC-LEO provider for 4 years, and 4-8 hours of CAPCE credit.