Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/840553
At the very beginning of the training, many people were surprised that there are no training dummies - then, we understood that most people thought that what may happen on the battlefield is not very different from CPR on the street. Fortunately, just at the end of the day, the students knew that they deal with something totally different. The theoretical knowledge of the instructors was supported with practical examples from Iraq or Afghanistan and it perfectly depicted the character of TCCC. During the course, we deliberately skipped the "tactical" part due to the specificity of the profession – a correspondent is only a passive participant of a tactical situation. Besides, we focused on the correct application of medical procedures. We also had to make the trainees aware that individual medical equipment is important for every person in high-risk zones. Unfortunately, the majority of trainees had never had a properly assembled medical kit. To be honest, they never had any kits with them on their past travels to war zones. On the second day, students took part in simulated scenarios. Step by step, they performed complete procedures applying first aid to injured person – the level of realism was very high thanks to well-prepared make-up and good acting of the pretenders who did not make the job easier, because they simulated behavior of the injured. The trainees did pretty well – of course, they did mistakes, but for the majority it was the first such course in their life. To sum up the course, I must admit that the trainees learned basics of the TC3 that might be useful (hopefully not) in their future assignments. Yes, they must improve their skills and expand their knowledge, because a two-day course is just too short. But they made their first step. And they will make other steps, because many of them claimed to take part in future editions of the training. And they promised to bring their friends with them:) www.fragoutmag.com