# Future as a tactical medic



## Jlhorstman68w (Nov 8, 2013)

Alright I'm just going to sum it up.

Currently serving as a 68W planning to go through the flight medic course within this next year, and then hopefully an accelerated EMT-P course in San Antonio down the line once I reach my medevac company. I would love to work as a tactical paramedic down the line once I'm out of the army, how does one go about actually getting a job with a police department as a tac medic? Does that require a LA degree, any specific certifications? Just looking for some insight.

Thanks.


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## Akulahawk (Nov 8, 2013)

Unfortunately, there are lots of different ways to _be_ _considered _a Tactical Medic. Each of those probably has it's own qualifications. I would normally think that if you're wanting to be a PD Tac Medic, you'd probably be required to go through a Police Academy and become a regular sworn officer. There are other ways that you work alongside the PD folks, but you'd not be a regular employee of the Department and you may or ma not be armed in that instance.

In the meantime, have fun getting the training you're going to get that would cost the rest of us THOUSANDS (or more) out of our pockets...


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## CFal (Nov 8, 2013)

In Rhode Island the DMAT/MRC unit provides a Tactical Medical Unit to state and local PD.


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## STXmedic (Nov 9, 2013)

If you stay in SA, San Antonio PD has a tactical medic program, and they love pulling paramedics with experience into their team (once you're already an SAPD officer that is). The team operates at essentially an Intermediate level.

SAFD has a MSOU team that trains it's members to be tactical medics. However, they are typically restricted to the cold/warm zone (as is the case with many EMS-based tacmedic programs I'm familiar with).


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## mycrofft (Nov 9, 2013)

I've made it a matter of personal policy not to try to dissuade people looking into this. 

Just let me say we're all blown sideways through life (to steal a quote) and the concept of putting military experience to use afterwards is often a pipe dream, either as far as actually doing it, or its meeting expectations, or whether it is a good thing.


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## Akulahawk (Nov 9, 2013)

mycrofft said:


> I've made it a matter of personal policy not to try to dissuade people looking into this.
> 
> Just let me say we're all blown sideways through life (to steal a quote) and the concept of putting military experience to use afterwards is often a pipe dream, either as far as actually doing it, or its meeting expectations, or whether it is a good thing.


Hopefully the OP doesn't consider what I said as an attempt to dissuade. Clearly there's an end goal in mind, and a bunch of different ways to get there, in all the forms that "it" exists. 

In the meantime, most of us that have gained at least _some_ life experience know your statement is right on the money. To steal a line from a song... "life is what happens when you're busy making other plans..."  As to going into the Military for experience, well, it's guaranteed that you'd get some kind of experience, and it may not exactly be what you had in mind. Also, for someone relatively young and single, it's not a bad gig for the most part.


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## jesse24b (Nov 11, 2013)

In Worcester Ma WEMS does the tactical for worcester swat, msp stop teams and cemlec. I assume you would have to find an ambulance service for the city, probably a third service and go from there.


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## anthonyccamargo (Jan 9, 2014)

well being a 68w, and if you are in a line company, you should have no problem assimilating into a swat team.


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## mycrofft (Jan 9, 2014)

CFal said:


> In Rhode Island the DMAT/MRC unit provides a Tactical Medical Unit to state and local PD.



Whoa! Really? Wow!!! Big change from the usual deal.


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## mycrofft (Jan 9, 2014)

OP, most "tactical medic" slots seem to be additional duties and training for law enforcement members assigned to tactical stuff, which in itself is often an additional duty in many places.

Having military training may or may not be a big boost in LE training, not too many times you yell a Miranda warning before shooting over a berm or tossing grenades, no?


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## CFal (Jan 9, 2014)

mycrofft said:


> Whoa! Really? Wow!!! Big change from the usual deal.



https://www.riresponds.org/files/Pu...ail&Guid=3f4fe295-7243-460e-819f-e88a5bc8954a

page 10


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## Handsome Robb (Jan 9, 2014)

Tactical medic generally isn't a full time job. 

Our TEMS team is comprised of full time field medics, supervisors and flight medics who all work regular shifts then do TEMS and SWAT trainings on top of that, are on call a week at a time and will respond to these calls when they're on duty as well.

It will be interesting to see what happens with these TEMS teams and tactical medics with the new information coming out as to how to properly respond as a medical asset to an active shooter situation. That being training all EMS professionals to operate in "squads" with vests, helmets and an armed escort to get to people in the warm zone, stop life threatening hemorrhage and get them off the X to the CCP and ultimately off scene to the surgeon rather than waiting for tactical medical teams to show up and extract victims.


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## joshrunkle35 (Jan 10, 2014)

Where I live, you have to be a medic for a few years, be really respected as a good medic, have excellent fitness records and then buddy up with the medics in charge of the program. Apply, train for a while, join the county SWAT team, and then train regularly with them. You don't need to do police academy, you are sworn with a limited commission. You do lots of law enforcement continuing education.


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## unleashedfury (Jan 10, 2014)

From what I've seen around the area, and from Posters around here Tactical Medic is a highly sought after job that requires you to have some sort of Law Enforcement background. 

Its also not a full time job. Most likely if you work for a 3rd party service you would be part of a team that provides tactical services in the warm zone on a on call basis. And a standard everyday provider when not used in tactical situations. OTOH some police forces use them as LEO's and as a tactical medic as needed. 

As far as being a 68W, I was a 91B, the previous MOS code for Field Medical specialist. Most of the Combat skills don't transfer over to real life. The NREMT cert is about it. Some places take pride in hiring military,  Enjoy San Antonio I loved that place. and if you can get Paramedic training along with flight credentials while still serving as a member of the military eat it up. Credentials like that cost most of us a ton of money,


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## mycrofft (Jan 10, 2014)

CFal said:


> https://www.riresponds.org/files/Pu...ail&Guid=3f4fe295-7243-460e-819f-e88a5bc8954a
> 
> page 10



I quote:
"The TMU members were responsible for providing medical coverage for all training and callouts for all of the departments listed in the charts. In addition TMU members were responsible for the recertification of CPR/AED/first aid for all of the members from each departments listed above. The TMU members did all of these trainings and missions without compensation from any department listed above. The TMU members provided uncompensated coverage 24/7 for 365 days and recorded no missed trainings or missions due to staffing issues."

The attending man-hours breakdown (no statement as to how many bodies were called, so unable to see how many hrs per worker) has 326 hrs _*not including service under fire*_ or danger of fire, and 132.5 where it is _possible_ but not specified. Sine their disaster work was often doing determination of occupational injuries to workers and the vast majority of their members are nurses, it can be surmised that actual "tactical medic" work as referred to here was not taking place most of the time. 

Support duty's good, but the total hrs for one year for the entire state would not comprise true full time hrs for one worker for twelve weeks.


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## CFal (Jan 10, 2014)

The nurses have nothing to do with the tactical team, and is separate from the disaster response and event standbys.  It's a pretty small state, I think you are overestimating the State's need for the number of call outs.  It isn't full time either, and from other responses they don't use full timers elsewhere in most cases so I don't know why you are bringing that up.


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## mycrofft (Jan 10, 2014)

The statistics are the RI department's verbatim so no _*estimates*_ about callouts (especially since I don't know what they were). I figured the nursers didn't do crawl and grab too much (we nurses have tender knees, we do).


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## Handsome Robb (Jan 11, 2014)

We have a nurse on our TEMS team. He's a very active operator.


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## mycrofft (Jan 13, 2014)

Robb said:


> We have a nurse on our TEMS team. He's a very active operator.


Good. I'd be too if I wasn't too damned old or too knowledgeable about gung-ho operations.


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## FltMedicRob (Jan 14, 2014)

As a 68WF3 that got out last year, here is my advice. 

Get through the Flight Medic School first. Then worry about Ft Sam, after that you still need to prove yourself to your 1SG but more importantly your SI/FI. Get into the Flight Platoon and get some hours in the air. 

Once that's all done worry about the rest of it. 

Good Luck and let me know if there is anything I can do to help.


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## wowmulewow (Jan 17, 2014)

As an LEO, I can say for my community, Tactical Medics are few and far between.  The way it works for many places is a Medic from a local FD will go to a specialized Tactical Medic course and then essentially become a member of the SWAT or Special Response Team.  Our Tactical Medics are not LE Officers, and do not carry Firearms.  You have to remember your job as a Medic is to provide care to the SRT operators and/or suspects, Threat resolution belongs to the entry team.   Our SRT medics make entry with us, but stay in the rear of the stack up and are specifically trained to know where to safely locate themselves away from the threat(s).  A dead Medic is just as useful as not having a medic at all.   Also, it may be hard to find a full time position as an SRT Medic, as most places operate on an on-call basis.  Most SRT operators are patrol officers, supevisors, investigators, etc.  SRT/SWAT is just a collateral.    I'm really good friends with a few of our SRT Medics, and they love it.    Good Luck.  Fair Winds, and Following Seas.


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## Handsome Robb (Jan 17, 2014)

Jen I took my TOMS class all the operators made it a point to drive the fact home that if you get wounded the team has now lost their medical asset and have gained a casualty. 

"As bad as it is to say a dead medic from an operational standpoint is better for the team than a wounded one."

I'm not an operator but have trained with our team and in that class we learned to stack at the back but with at least one operator behind you so you've got lethal cover on your 6. As the team moves and clears rooms you suck into the room they cleared then wait with your lethal cover until the next room is cleared and you move there.


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