IMPORTANCE OF FOCUSED MEDICAL TRAININGBy Andrew Hoffmann TP-C, NREMT-P Many executive protection teams are trained in some sort of Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) or Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), while this training is no doubt important, teams shouldn’t lose focus on the problem that routine medical emergencies may pose.It is much more likely that the principal you protect will suffer some sort of medical emergency before you need to use a tourniquet on an arterial bleed from a gunshot wound. Is your team prepared to provide care for a medical emergency until further help can arrive?In a perfect world, teams would be trained to handle any sort of medical or trauma emergency that may present itself. However, it may be easier to focus your training on the most likely situations that could present. The question now becomes how do you determine where to focus your medical training.Teams should maintain and update frequently on TECC and TCCC training. While this may not be the most commonly needed training, any armed security teams should be proficient in trauma care. On top of this training, teams should be familiar with the principal’s medical history along with family medical history. Knowing this information can allow the executive protection team to focus in on likely medical events. If the principal has a history of diabetes, the EP team should be intimately familiar with the signs and symptoms of hyper/ hypoglycemic episodes. If you are protecting an older principal, then it may be beneficial to know about conditions that affect the older population. This all comes with preparing and receiving the training for these situations.“ Is your team prepared to provide care for a medical emergency until further help can arrive?  Steps to Take to Prepare for Medical EmergenciesStep 1: Compile a Comprehensive Medical History Just as you compile a comprehensive list of work habits, lifestyle, etc. You must do this on the medical side as well. Knowing what types of medical conditions, the principal and family have, allows you to adjust your approach and knowledge in these areas. You need to not only understand the basics of the diseases but also how they affect the principal. Like what was talked about earlier regarding diabetes, it is important to know how the principal may present if they are experiencing a hypoglycemic episode. Seeing these warning signs may allow you to intervene before the situation becomes worse. If you are able to get the principal something to eat or drink before the low blood sugar causes mental status changes, it is then a lot easier to maintain your focus to the task at hand which is protection. If the principal goes unconscious because their blood sugar got too low, now you have to deal with security issues that come from that unwanted attention.Step 2: Compile a Comprehensive Medication ListKnowing the types of medications that the principal or family is currently prescribed is just as important as knowing their medical history. This is especially true regarding the older principal. When dealing with the older population, medications are not metabolized as fast as a younger adult. The potential for an overdose on medications becomes a much greater risk. Knowing the warning signs of a potential overdose of the specific prescribed medications again can prepare you for dealing with these situations. Does the principal or family have any prescribed opiate/opioid pain medications? If so, do you carry naloxone (Narcan) to reverse the affects of a potential overdose.Step 3: Ensure You are Carrying and Familiar with Your Medical Kit A one size fits all medical kit is going to be large and bulky. The medical kit that you carry should be personalized to the principal that you are protecting. It should be light enough and easily accessible in times of need. If you attempt to carry every item possible, the true needs may get lost in the fold and not be easily accessed when needed. To add with this, you must know how to use the items located in your kit. Do you carry simple vital sign equipment and know it’s use to easily assess the principal and determine if the need for treatment or evaluation by a higher trained medical provider is needed? Do you have access to a glucometer and know how to check the blood sugar on the principal?It is important to consider these thoughts and steps if you actively provide long term protection of a principal. While medical training is usually limited to TCCC/TECC style training, focused medical training should be a top priority for any executive protection team. This training is helpful to mitigate any potential issues faced during a medical emergency. You must ensure that your team and yourself are prepared to handle common medical emergencies that may present during your execution of duties.Andrew is a Lead Medical Instructor at Summit Point Training Facility. He has a focus on Tactical Medicine and Medical Training for Executive Protection Teams. He prides his training on tailoring it to client specific needs including customized courses focused on the health and wellbeing on the principal that you are protecting. For any questions regarding medical training for your executive protection team contact him via email: Andrew.Hoffmann@summitpointtraining.com