ATP-5-0-2-1 Staff Reference Guide Volume 1 Download
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Appendix G 288 ATP 5-0.2-1 07 December 2020 TCCC. Tailgate medical support is an economy of force device employed primarily to retain maximum mobility during movement halts or to avoid the time and effort required to set up a formal, operational treatment facility (for example, during rapid advance and retrograde operations) (FM 4-02). Tactical evaluation. Casualties are transported to a medical treatment facility (MTF) by aircraft or vehicles augmented, if possible, with dedicated medical personnel who can perform limited medical care and response. Combat medics, the physician, the physician assistant, or the health care specialist provide Role 1 medical treatment in the battalion aid station. G-174. Role 2 care is rendered at the role 2 MTF, which is operated by medical companies’ area support squad medical treatment platoon. The area support squad examines patients and evaluates wounds and general medical conditions to determine treatment and evacuation precedence. The area support squad continues advanced trauma management, including resuscitation, and, if necessary, institutes additional emergency measures. Treatments do not extend beyond measures dictated by immediate necessity. G-175. The role 2 MTF provides greater capability to resuscitate trauma patients than is available at role 1 locations. Patients who can return to duty within 72 hours are held for treatment. Role 2 care can evacuate patients from role 1 locations and provide role 1 medical treatment on an area support basis for units without organic role 1 resources. The role 2 MTF has the capability to provide packed red blood cells (liquid), limited x-ray, clinical laboratory, operational dental support, combat and operational stress control, preventive medicine, and when augmented, physical therapy and optometry services. G-176. Role 3 MTFs are staffed and equipped to provide care—including resuscitation, initial wound surgery, damage control surgery, and postoperative treatment—to all categories of patients. Role 3 care expands support provided at role 2. Patients unable to tolerate and survive movement over long distances receive surgical care in a hospital as close to the supported unit as the tactical situation allows. Role 3 includes provisions for— Coordinating patient evacuation. Providing care with proper staff and equipment for all categories of patients in an MTF. Providing support on an area basis to units without organic medical assets. G-177. Role 4 medical care is found in CONUS-based hospitals and other safe havens (to include robust overseas MTFs). If mobilization requires expansion of military hospital capacities, then the Department of Veterans Affairs and civilian hospital beds in the National Disaster Medical System are added to meet the increased demand created by evacuation of patients from the AO. Support-based hospitals represent the most definitive medical care available within the AHS. PERSONNEL ACTIVE IN INITIAL CARE OF CASUALTIES G-178. Combat Lifesavers. A combat lifesaver is a nonmedical Soldier of a unit trained to provide enhanced first aid as a secondary mission. G-179. Combat Medics. Combat medics are organic to medical platoons or sections. They are normally placed under the operational control of platoons or companies of maneuver battalions. Combat medics provide TCCC to wounded Soldiers. G-180. Ambulance Squads. An ambulance squad consists of two ambulance teams that each have one ambulance and two ambulance aides (for a total of two ambulances and four ambulance aides). Ambulance squads are organic to medical platoons, brigade support medical companies assigned to brigade combat teams, medical companies (ground ambulance), and medical companies (area support) assigned to medical battalions (multifunctional). Ambulance squads provide direct support for ground MEDEVAC or they provide ground MEDEVAC on an area support basis throughout an AO. The ambulance teams of a battalion's medical platoon are in direct support of a company or team or collocated with the treatment squad at a battalion aid station. When collocated, ambulance teams are dispatched from the battalion aid station to reinforce a team in direct support or to evacuate patients from units in area support.