Tactical EMS Association formed
The International Tactical EMS Association (ITEMS), founded in Farmington Hills, Michigan, by James M. Etzin, will establish and maintain an organized network of law enforcement agencies, tactical EMS providers, and other interested parties within the tactical emergency medical services (TEMS) community. The network will be used to gather TEMS-related data that can be disseminated by a monthly newsletter to aspiring and established tactical EMS providers and their teams.
The ITEMS will also sponsor an annual conference; compile a roster of association members for networking purposes; and maintain a library of presentations and proposals used in creating tactical EMS components, standard operating procedures and protocols, and live-action and training videos. Individual, team, and organization memberships are offered in law enforcement and nonlaw enforcement categories.
Etzin, who was a tactical EMS medic in the U.S. Navy Corps, is a career firefighter/paramedic in the Farmington Hills Fire Department. Tactical EMS providers can be used in various ways, Etzin says. They may be armed or unarmed and used in inner perimeter zones for medical support or staged a block away in outer perimeter zones. They provide direct medical support to law enforcement tactical operations. Etzin projects that TEMS will become a new subspecialty of interest for fire departments and ambulance services.
According to Etzin, there are at least 200 programs around the country, and the number is growing. In his view, the fire service is in a battle with private ambulance services. As the demand for TEMS grows among law enforcement agencies, Etzin believes the local law enforcement agency may give its fire department the opportunity to provide these services first. If the fire department declines, however, Etzin says that private ambulance companies may fill the void.
According to Rural/Metro Medical Services (Web site http://www.sybercuse.com/ruralmetro/tactical.html), tactical EMTs are “paramedics trained to work in hostile or potentially hostile environments. They have been trained to provide emergency care while maintaining the security of the scene or if needed in a `hot` or danger zone.”
In Yuba City, California, the Police SWAT team and the Fire Department (Yuba City Fire Rescue) EMS team have joined forces in a TEMS team. Captain Jeff Julian explains on its Web site (http://www.yuba-cityfire.org/tactical.htm) that “the Fire EMS members are there for medical emergencies and are trained in the use of weapons for self defense. Firefighters do not carry guns but are placed in the perimeter of the danger zone near the SWAT team and are trained in their use should an officer go down and the firefighters have to defend themselves.”
For more information, contact Etzin at (248) 476-9077 or via e-mail: ITEMS Assn@aol.com.
