As a combat medic on today’s battlefield, you will experience a wide variety of conditions not previously experienced.

Your training has prepared you on standards that apply to the civilian emergency medical service (EMS) world that may not apply to the combat environment. These tools are a good basis for sound medical judgment; on today’s battlefield, this judgment could save the lives of your fellow soldiers.

The US Army found the need to migrate away from the civilian standards and allow the combat medics to analyze situations in ways not previously thought of. These techniques are called “tactical combat casualty care” (TC3). These techniques and factors will be discussed in the following paragraphs. Factors influencing combat casualty care include the following.

a. Enemy Fire. It may prevent the treatment of casualties and may put you at risk in providing care under enemy fire.

b. Medical Equipment Limitations. You only have what you carried in with you in your medical aid bag.

c. A Widely Variable Evacuation Time. In the civilian community, evacuation can be under 25 minutes; but in combat, evacuation may be delayed for several hours.

d. Tactical Considerations. Sometimes the mission will take precedence over medical care.

e. Casualty Transportation. Transportation for evacuation may or may not be available. Air superiority must be achieved before any air evacuation assets will be deployed. Additionally, the tactical situation will dictate when or if casualty evacuation can occur. In addition, environmental factors may prevent evacuation assets from reaching your casualty.