Page 163 - JSOM Winter 2018

Mr Bill Seifarth, Executive Director of NREMT, remarked, Dennis Rowe, president of NAEMT states, “Dr Butler’s name
“Dr But ler has contributed greatly to the medical field, in is synonymous with prehospital and battlefield trauma care.
particular to military medicine. His focus and attention to de- He has dedicated his life’s work to ensuring medics are trained
tail have resulted in many advancements, namely champion- to the highest possible standard for combat medical provid-
ing addressing preventable deaths. His systematic approach ers, and that they have the full support of their senior medi-
transferred the knowledge gained from the battlefield to the cal providers and line commanders. Dr Frank Butler is a most
civilian arena. As a result, more lives are being saved . . . . deserving recipient of this award and we are grateful for his
every day.” lifelong efforts and dedication to advance the medical care of
those who bravely serve our country in all military branches.”
Dr Butler’s first major contribution to prehospital trauma care
was the publication of the landmark paper “Tactical Combat In 2002, Dr Butler worked with then NAEMT Prehospital
Casualty Care in Special Operations” in the journal Military Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) Medical Director Dr Norman
Medicine. This seminal study introduced the concept of TCCC McSwain to include his findings and best practices in bat-
as a set of evidence-based, best-practice prehospital trauma tlefield prehospital trauma care in a military version of the
care guidelines customized for use on the battlefield. TCCC PHTLS textbook. NAEMT has since published additional ver-
was developed with a sharp focus on identifying the most sions with military chapters written by Dr Butler and his col-
common causes of preventable combat deaths and determin- leagues at the Committee on TCCC that document the medical
ing how best to address those conditions in the prehospital science behind the TCCC guidelines and curriculum.
combat setting. An important innovation proposed in the pa-
per was recognition of the need to use scenario-based train- Dr Butler has been integral in building bridges of learning be-
ing – to ensure that the combat unit’s response to a casualty tween military and civilian prehospital trauma care. He has
situation incorporates both good tactics and good medicine. been instru mental in transferring knowledge gained on the
battlefield to help address critical civilian trauma challenges.
TCCC was first implemented in the Navy SEAL Teams, the He has been key to the success of the national Stop the Bleed
Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, the Army Special Missions campaign initiated by the White House and now sponsored by
Unit, and the Air Force Pararescue community. TCCC was the American College of Surgeons.
later mandated as the standard for battlefield trauma care by
the US Special Operations Command and subsequently by the Dr Butler’s relentless pursuit of improvements in prehospital
entire US military. It has been endorsed by the American Col- trauma care has earned him the respect of prehospital trauma
lege of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and by NAEMT. The care providers worldwide. Lessons learned from TCCC are
TCCC Guidelines, updated every year, are now used by com- adopted and applied in just about every country on our planet.
bat medical personnel in many countries around the world Globally, Dr Butler is the single most recognized and respected
and a number of these concepts have also been incorporated voice in prehospital trauma care.
into civilian prehospital trauma care protocols.

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