CDP employees participate in critical medical training

More than 100 federal and contract employees at FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) have completed the agency’s Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) Active Bystander Course.

The eight-hour course, developed by the Office of FEMA’s Chief Medical Officer, prepares individuals to provide immediate medical care to those suffering from a range of traumatic, life-threatening injuries.  

Life-threatening injuries can cause death within five minutes without immediate action. However, reports say the national average response time for Emergency Medical Services is 6-9 minutes and it may take up to 20 minutes or more in rural areas or during a mass casualty event. Accordingly, TECC-trained individuals could mean the difference between life and death for someone who is severely injured.

Twelve CDP members participated in the TECC Active Bystander Course Instructor Training Program to provide the life-saving training to fellow employees. They have since delivered 10 iterations of the course to those on the CDP campus.