Tactical Medic, Hostile Environment Medic, Active Shooter Medic
All of these are terms used to describe an environment in which law enforcement and EMS must work together to ensure that they provide the best care to injured victims, while securing the scene from dangers. In most cases these dangers may be an active shooter. But it may be a potential shooting, bombing, chemical attack, or any other environment that creates an unsafe scene requiring law enforcement’s efforts to secure.
When discussing the involvement of the EMS provider in these types of environments there are many questions that are raised:
- Will the EMS provider enter the hot zone?
- Will the EMS provider carry a gun?
- What training will the EMS provider have?
- What equipment will the EMS provider carry?
- What treatment will be provided by the EMS provider?
This page is designed to provide guidance and recommendations for EMS providers looking to develop or strengthen their hostile environment/tactical medic response plans.
EMS and law enforcement should work together to develop response plans, determine appropriate equipment, and develop training expectations for the EMS providers responding to a hostile environment.
Planning Resources:
NFPA 3000 – Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program
DHS – Active Shooter Preparedness
Active Shooter/Hostile Environment (ASHE) Guide
Improving Survival from Active Shooter Events: The Hartford Consensus