Successful Development and Implementation of a Tactical Emergency Medical Technician Training Program for United States Federal Agents

Abstract

The emerging need for tactical operations in law enforcement often places personnel involved at risk. Tactical operations often are carried out in environments in which access to emergency care is limited. With the war against terrorism expanding, special operations involving United States federal agents are occurring worldwide. Currently, there are very few tactical medicine curricula training traditional emergency medical services (EMS) providers to operate in these high-risk missions. Trainees in existing programs must have previous EMS experience, and are selected from a wide range of backgrounds. The goal of this study is to examine a Special Agent Emergency Medical Technician (SAEMT) training curriculum developed specifically for federal special agents with prior experience in tactical operations, but without previous medical training. An analysis of the SAEMT Program given to federal agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Quantico, Virginia between July 2000 and April 2002 was performed. The SAEMT curriculum provided enrolled agents 181.5 hours of training in tactical emergency topics, including medical mission planning, logistics, operations, evacuation, and weapons training. In addition, SAEMT concurrently provides emergency medical technician (EMT) training. All of the participants were DEA agents with no previous medical training. Upon completion of the course, all participants took the National Registry of EMT-Basic examination. Measured endpoints included course completion rate and performance on certifying examinations. Ninety-five agents were enrolled and successfully completed the SAEMT course between July 2000 and April 2002. Of the agents enrolled, 84 (88%) passed the National Registry of EMTs-Basic examination within two attempts. The SAEMT Program provides basic emergency medical training to federal special agents with no previous medical experience. The design of this program provides a useful template to meet the expanding demand for tactical emergency medical personnel.