"Superior firepower is the best medicine on the battlefield," says Tim Cranton a paramedic, former combat medic, and now the lead instructor for the International Combat Lifesafer Course. This is one of the ways he gets his students thinking tactically about battlefield medicine.
Cranton is one of several instructors that run the week-long course, based on the U.S. Army's Combat Lifesaver Course, at the U.S. Army Europe Headquarters in Wiesbaden. About 70 students from six different countries graduated the course April 29 hosted jointly by the Office of the Command Surgeon for USAREUR and Germany Army's Reserve Forces Regional Command of Bavaria.
"Even the best doctors and eve the best paramedics are used to tactical military medicine," said Cranston. "The aim of the class is to bring together international students and instruct them in Tactical Combat Casualty Care."
Throughout the week the students were challenged with training that ranged from care under fire, tactical field care, tactical evacuation care, and prolonged field care. They were able to train with advanced equipment like a vehicle roll-over simulator, practice evacuations using a Blackhawk helicopter, and use live military works dogs.
This course also introduced a new trainer, Hero, a full-body K9 medical trainer.
"It is the best simulator I have ever seen. On this trainer they can actually feel a pulse, I don't have to describe it anymore. They can stop bleeding, and it measures the pressure of their pressure wrap. They can intubate and it is realistic at the back of the dog's throat," said U.S. Army Maj. Jodi Sangster, a veterinary clinical specialist with the 64th Medical Det., (Veterinary Service Support).
"I've had the several students tell me that they never thought they could provide first aid to a dog, but now they feel this is something they can do," said Sangster as she motioned to two Swiss soldiers performing first aid on Hero while instructors screamed commands at them.
This was a part of the students' final testing in order to graduate the class. The shrieking pleas of "victims" clashed against the bellows of the instructors in several languages as the soldiers scrambled to tend to the simulated patients.
"Everything needs to be fast, you have no time to lose, and everything you do needs to be on point. It's just a way of thinking that I learned, which is great," said Swiss Army Sgt. Dominic Weber, a medic with Medical Company 4.
In addition to the actual training one of the main goals of the course build is to build international relationships.
"It's about sharing ideas, experiences, and knowledge so that when we do go out into the field we're are working together as a coalition it's nothing new. We are used to working with forces from different countries so that everybody is of the same standard," said Cranton. "Right at the beginning students are kind of shy, but at the end of the course everybody is hugging each other."
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About us: U.S. Army Europe is uniquely positioned in its 51 country area of responsibility to advance American strategic interests in Europe and Eurasia. The relationships we build during more than 1,000 theater security cooperation events in more than 40 countries each year lead directly to support for multinational contingency operations around the world, strengthen regional partnerships and enhance global security.
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