Navy Reserve Center Tulsa, OK — Sailors from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command J018 Tulsa Detachment (USINDOPACOM), other units and Navy Reserve Center (NRC) Tulsa staff rushed through smoke with sirens blaring to a chaotic scene of multiple patients with various moulage wounds meant to simulate a mass casualty environment. This final practical assessment of Tier 1 Tactical Casualty Combat Care (TCCC) training at NRC Tulsa culminated eight hours of lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on practice designed to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to administer basic medical aid to trauma casualties.

There are many components to warfighting readiness for members of the Navy; from individual rate and designator training, combat and weapons training, leadership courses, and emergency preparedness drills. TCCC is one designed to teach the knowledge and skills needed to assess and provide trauma casualties basic medical aid to eliminate preventable deaths in a tactical combat environment and other emergency situations. It consists of four tiers, or levels, of training.

Tier 1 TCCC is designed for all service members to provide basic, evidence-based lifesaving skills for non-medical personnel at their duty stations or in preparation for non-combat deployments. Tier 2 is classified as Combat Lifesaver (CLS) training for non-medical personnel tasked to provide additional medical support within their units during sustained combat or contingency operations. Tier 3 is combat medic or corpsman training intended for medical personnel, to include some licensed medical practitioners. Tier 4 is the highest level of training designed for combat paramedic or providers including advanced medical personnel and some licensed medical practitioners who may need to provide prolonged advanced field care for injured service members.

Tier I training conducted Nov. 17, 2024 for USINDOPACOM J018 as well as Reserve Support Unit (RSU) Tulsa and Navy Medical Reserve Training Center (NMRTC) Great Lakes was taught by former special forces corpsmen and Army medics with real-world combat experience who could relate the training to medical and non-medical service members alike.

“TCCC is required for Navy corpsmen every three years, so I’ve taken it probably five or six times and the instructor course once. This class was one of the best I’ve ever had because of the techniques and resources it utilized”, said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Lisier Torres, NRC-Tulsa staff. “It was presented by instructors who had actually utilized the techniques first hand so they could share real life experiences. Their moulage kits were incredible for simulating realistic wounds, and the smoke and loud sounds contributed to very realistic field training.”

Although just one facet of warfighting readiness, emergency first aid training focuses on an aspect that can be critical in both military as well as civilian situations. Knowing how to assess and provide even basic wound care to an injured person can often make the difference between a person living or dying until medical professionals arrive to take over treatment.

“I think this type of training is good because it’s not only applicable to the military if you’re in a combat situation, but for if you’re in a car wreck and someone gets seriously hurt,” said Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kyle Pianalto, of Reserve Support Unit Tulsa. “It teaches you all the stuff to look for and how to treat someone who has a major leg gash and they’re bleeding out like crazy. If you have a prepared basic first aid bag with a tourniquet, you can save their life.”

Participants in TCCC were trained in quickly assessing a trauma victim’s overall condition, protecting and removing them from areas of danger, occluding deep wounds, inserting a nasopharyngeal tube to ensure an open airway, and correctly applying a tourniquet to patient’s legs and arms. Critical points were discussed repeatedly in lectures and practiced to ensure competency while immersing participants in realistic scenarios prepared them for challenging battlefield conditions.

“The toughest part of the training for me was the practical part when they had the smoke going and the sound effects with people yelling to simulate what a real trauma situation would be like,” said Cmdr Nate Webster of USINDOPACOM. “The repetition of skills created the muscle memory to know what to do under pressure. In the end, even though most of us in this training evolution weren’t medical professionals, we got it down.”

USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win.