TCCC History
TCCC started as a project in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Col. Robert Bellamy recognized the need for better casualty care in the combat setting. Navy SEAL Corpsman were some of the first to pick up the ideas of TCCC and begin applying them in the tactical environment, with all of USSOCOM adding TCCC to medical training. TCCC was quickly added to the medical training for three medic schoolhouses Navy, Army, and AirForce.
In 1993, the largest ground combat battle since Vietnam occurred in Mogadishu Somalia. In this battle 18 Americans were killed and 73 wounded. The U.S. Army 75th Ranger Regiment suffered the highest number of casualties during the battle, this high casualty rate would lead the Rangers to become one of the strongest practitioners of TCCC in the military moving forward.
In 1998 members of the Committee for Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) met at the Special Operations Medical Conference (SOMA) to discuss medicine in the combat setting. They published a paper called "Tactical Management of Urban Warfare Casualties in Special Operations". This paper mostly looked at the Battle of Mogadishu and how to improve medical care in the tactical environment in the future. The recommend proposals were acted on by various agencies and companies to create new techniques, tools, and training. Tourniquets, hemostatic agents, interosseous fluid and med administration, early antibiotic care, better fluid options and more were a direct result of this paper.
When Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) started in the early 2000's TCCC was still being vetted and implementation throughout the military was slow. The one place it was being implemented the strongest was with the 75th Ranger Regiment. Throughout OEF and OIF, despite seeing heavy combat and sustaining heavy casualties, the Rangers had the lowest percentage of soldiers killed in action in the military. Their strong adoption and adherence to TCCC guidelines was paying off - Rangers Lead The Way.
TCCC ideas have found their way into civilian Emergency Medical Services, Law Enforcement and hospitals. The guidelines receive small incremental changes once or twice a year. These small changes demonstrate a mature set of guidelines that have been proven in quantitative data driven research and qualitative real world applications.
In 1993, the largest ground combat battle since Vietnam occurred in Mogadishu Somalia. In this battle 18 Americans were killed and 73 wounded. The U.S. Army 75th Ranger Regiment suffered the highest number of casualties during the battle, this high casualty rate would lead the Rangers to become one of the strongest practitioners of TCCC in the military moving forward.
In 1998 members of the Committee for Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) met at the Special Operations Medical Conference (SOMA) to discuss medicine in the combat setting. They published a paper called "Tactical Management of Urban Warfare Casualties in Special Operations". This paper mostly looked at the Battle of Mogadishu and how to improve medical care in the tactical environment in the future. The recommend proposals were acted on by various agencies and companies to create new techniques, tools, and training. Tourniquets, hemostatic agents, interosseous fluid and med administration, early antibiotic care, better fluid options and more were a direct result of this paper.
When Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) started in the early 2000's TCCC was still being vetted and implementation throughout the military was slow. The one place it was being implemented the strongest was with the 75th Ranger Regiment. Throughout OEF and OIF, despite seeing heavy combat and sustaining heavy casualties, the Rangers had the lowest percentage of soldiers killed in action in the military. Their strong adoption and adherence to TCCC guidelines was paying off - Rangers Lead The Way.
TCCC ideas have found their way into civilian Emergency Medical Services, Law Enforcement and hospitals. The guidelines receive small incremental changes once or twice a year. These small changes demonstrate a mature set of guidelines that have been proven in quantitative data driven research and qualitative real world applications.
TCCC Basics
The idea of TCCC is to treat life threatening injuries at the point of wounding. Old methodology was to call for the medic to treat an injury. Now, everyone is medical person. With a severe hemorrhage the casualty may not have time to wait for the medic or to be evacuated. TCCC teaches that everyone can start the medical process while handing care off to a higher skilled medical provider. No more waiting.
The three goals of TCCC:
TCCC is about treating the leading causes of preventable combat death:
TCCC Guidelines have moved beyond these three causes of death, but they are still the core aspect of TCCC.
The three goals of TCCC:
- Treat the Casualty
- Prevent Additional Casualties
- Complete the Mission
TCCC is about treating the leading causes of preventable combat death:
- Extremity Hemorrhage
- Tension Pneumothorax
- Airway Obstruction
TCCC Guidelines have moved beyond these three causes of death, but they are still the core aspect of TCCC.
Tactical Management of Urban Warfare Causalities in Special Operations
USAISR Hemostatic Study
Return of the Tourniquet
Expert Field Medical Badge Worksheets
