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EMS Personnel Division — Tactical Medicine
Tactical Medicine guidelines have been designed to provide baseline
development and implementation standards for Tactical Medicine programs
developed as required by POST and described in the SWAT Guidelines approved in
2005. The California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) is
responsible for setting the statewide medical standards utilized by POST.
As such, guidelines are intended to serve as a template for the development of
operational programs that are developed by any public safety agency in California, and to serve
as the minimum standard for initial tactical medicine training.
Tactical Medicine guidelines are also meant to serve as a companion
document to the POST Operational Guidelines for SWAT (2005). It describes
the critical role that tactical medical planning and threat assessment plays in
the overall contingency planning as part of the SWAT operational plan.
The public safety agency developing a tactical medicine operational
program should conduct a needs assessment to determine the level of emergency
care required by the SWAT team to support the mission and operations. The
operational program must consider the need for medical oversight and
coordination with the local EMS agency,
medical direction, use of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), paramedics and
other advanced life support personnel, and minimum training and equipment
standards. The agency should develop policies and procedures for medical
support during tactical operations.
Approved tactical medicine training programs, which provide initial and
refresher or update tactical medicine training to personnel, shall adhere to
the minimum training guidelines and standards outlined in the guidelines.
The goal of the guidelines manual is to describe minimum core competencies and
define the written and skills testing necessary to achieve the standards
prescribed by POST and EMSA.
The guidelines have been approved and available at the POST
website at http://www.post.ca.gov/Training/Tactical_Medicine/default.asp
POST/EMSA Guidelines
California Tactical Medicine Operational Programs and Standardized Training Recommendations
POST Approved Training Programs
International School of Tactical Medicine