Page 41 - JSOM Summer 2019

About Cypress Creek EMS
Cypress Creek EMS was formed in 1975 and covers an area
north of Houston, Texas, that is larger in land mass and pop-
ulation than Atlanta, Georgia. CCEMS also handles 9-1-1
dispatch for 15 other emergency agencies, mostly fire depart-
ments. Cypress Creek is known for innovation. In the mid-
1990s, CCEMS formed one of the first tactical medic teams
in the country. That team now operates full-time, providing
front-line medical support to local, state, and federal law en-
forcement agencies deployable anywhere in the country. Team
members are certified both as paramedics and police officers.
The CCEMS tactical medic team was the first in the country
to carry whole blood in the field on missions and during train-
ing. In 2000, the CCEMS tactical Operators began offering
their expertise to others through the BTOMSC. BTOMS is
also one of three approved training courses for particpation
with the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force—TACTICAL
EMTF-TAC response element supporting Texas DPS SWAT
and SRT teams across the state. The military established the
BTOMSC as a requirement for DoD EMS and Disaster Fel-
lows at San Antonio. Cementing the military and civilian EMS
partnership, this has developed over the years to include many
graduates of the fellowship continuing their involvement as
faculty members, and a recently implemented fellowship pro-
gram where military physicians rotate in and out of Cypress
Creek EMS as assistant medical directors. The twice-yearly
course continues to attract professionals from all over the
world.

For more information, including the September 2019 course,
please go to https://www.ccems.com/special-operations/basic
-tactical-operational-medical-support-course-btomsc/
Disclosure
The author of this article has participated in several tactical
and medical courses over the years. He was invited to become
a faculty member in the Cypress Creek EMS program after
participating as a student and in conjunction with his role as
medical director for the East Baton Rouge Parish EMS, and he
uses this course for their tactical medics. Any opinions in this
article are those of the author alone.

Keywords: Cypress Creek EMS Basic Tactical Operational
Medical Support Course; tactical EMS; course; class

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