{"id":9195,"date":"2015-02-11T19:58:13","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T00:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/?p=9195"},"modified":"2015-02-11T22:41:34","modified_gmt":"2015-02-12T03:41:34","slug":"swat-medics-in-harms-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/?p=9195","title":{"rendered":"SWAT Medics In Harm’s Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SWAT<\/a>Last week, a Polk County SWAT medic was shot in the shoulder during a barricaded suspect shootout. \u00a0A Polk Sheriff’s Office M.R.A.P. was peppered by the suspect with over 40 rifle bullets in the incident. \u00a0This scenario reminded me of some of my Team’s struggles to integrate medics into our own program.<\/p>\n

When I joined SWAT in 1989, there were no trained medical professionals on any tactical unit in the my county. \u00a0About eight years later, we began sending fire department paramedics to SWAT School. \u00a0Although the FD guys qualified with handguns and shotguns, they only carried them in training.<\/p>\n

Once the medics had been activated with our Team, we began to think about how they would be utilized on actual operations. \u00a0We practiced bringing the medics with us on perimeters. \u00a0We integrated them into large scale entries, though they were always at the back of the stack with a rear guard as their armed companion. \u00a0Medics would be called out for high-risk search warrants and narcotics buy-busts.<\/p>\n

Eager to exploit our new manpower, we tried using them as van drivers on jump-outs.\u00a0 That did not pan out well, since we needed the extra pair of LE eyes up at the windshield on approaches to hostile drug houses. \u00a0But the medics wanted to do more, so they came up with their own idea.<\/p>\n

To fire-rescue members, it was logical that since they were the experts in forcibly entering structures, they should be doing the breaching. \u00a0Oh, trouble. \u00a0While we were in absolute agreement that they had superior skills at cracking a door, the team leaders were dead set against placing an unarmed SWAT medic at the front of an entry action.<\/p>\n

It became a divisive topic. \u00a0So polarizing, in fact, that we sat down with FD to put out the fire. \u00a0The other team leader and I explained our position. \u00a0If the medics were sworn and armed, we would have implemented their plan in a cardiac cycle, but that was not the reality of the situation.\u00a0 Several excellent medics subsequently quit the Team. \u00a0We recovered from this disagreement and our program has had the continued support of our bunker gear brothers.<\/p>\n

While the medic will be okay, the shooting in Polk County underscores the dilemma that law enforcement faces in bringing “defenseless” teammates into hazardous environments.\u00a0 Polk’s SWAT Team was up against a heavily armed suspect wearing body armor. \u00a0While we need to protect our medics, it can add tactical complications during a critical incident.<\/p>\n

I wish we could field a unit with sworn medics, but that does not exist where I work. \u00a0In the meantime, these unarmed fire fighters still put themselves in harm’s way with the Team on every operation. \u00a0We are lucky to have them.<\/p>\n

Randall<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, a Polk County SWAT medic was shot in the shoulder during a barricaded suspect shootout. \u00a0A Polk Sheriff’s Office M.R.A.P. was peppered by the suspect with over 40 rifle bullets in the incident. \u00a0This scenario reminded me of some of my Team’s struggles to integrate medics into our own program. When I joined SWAT in 1989, there were no trained medical professionals on any tactical unit in the my county. \u00a0About eight years later, we began sending fire department paramedics to SWAT School. \u00a0Although the FD guys qualified with handguns and shotguns, they only carried them in training. Once the medics had been activated with our Team, we … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-swat"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t