Battlefield First Aid Training for Street Level Officers and Agents

Researcher: Anthony Bevers

Introduction
The purpose of this study is to explore the need for tactical medicine training for civilian law enforcement. Currently, there are gaps in the training most departments receive as basic first aid is taught in academies and may be a one hour annual class there after. The results of the Vietnam War spurred the US Army to create an updated combat first aid curriculum that would stem the numbers of killed in action on the battlefield. This was the Combat Lifesaver (CLS) Course and it has changed the way the military does medical treatments for battlefield casualties. The Tactical Lifesaver (TLS) Course is the civilian law enforcement equivalent to the CLS Course and will aid law enforcement in the fight against an ever increasing amount of ultra-violent crimes.

Problem
Law enforcement officers and agents do not receive enough combat oriented medical training to more effectively address increasing amount of ultra-violent crimes.

Hypothesis
If the training is adopted: 
1. Law enforcement agencies will see less officer fatalities in shots fired situations.
2. Capabilities will be added to law enforcement which will enhance their ability to address mass casualty scenarios as a result of shots fired scenarios and terrorism.

Method
Students will attend a two day course tailored to their department's training needs and environment. Day 1 will introduce students to tactical medicine and students will learn skills such as fashioning a improvised tourniquet and using commercially available tourniquets among other tactical medicine skills. Day 2 will see students in the field practicing the skills taught in day two. Students' knowledge and skills will be tested and an after action review will be conducted to evaluate the quality of the training.

End State
A domestic police force more capable of responding to the dynamic environment in which it operates.

Identifying the Need for First Responder Training for CONUS Deployed National Guardsmen

Researcher: Anthony Bevers

The purpose of this study is to explore the need for specialized first responder type training for the National Guard. Currently, there are gaps in specialized first aid training for the National Guard's secondary mission of Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA). The Army's Combat Life Saver (CLS) course is not adequate to fulfill the special circumstances the DSCA mission. This mixed methods study seeks to increase the capability of the National Guard’s response to disasters and individual aid in the community in times of need.

Questions the study will seek: Is there a need for the training? 

Review of existing related literature will be completed. A review of the number of incidents where non-medical Service Members responded will be conducted. Interviews with non-medical Soldiers and Airmen will be conducted.

 Is the training effective and relevant? 

The author has already compiled the curriculum of the CLS Supplement (CLS2) course and will seek the efficacy of relevance of the curriculum with testing on small groups of Soldiers.

 End State 

Service Members who attend the two day course will be more confident and competent to address the unique aspects of the CONUS prehospital disaster environment. The results of this study will be submitted to the Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG) for review and implementation as standard training for the TXARNG.

Future Cooperation

At this time, I am not collaborating with another researcher, but I would be happy to take on interested parties to co-author the study.