McConnell's first EMT Rodeo Published Sept. 4, 2019 By Airman 1st Class Alexi Myrick 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- An Airman’s scream echoes, as paint flies through the air, as he is dragged to safety by his peers to receive medical care. This is what Airmen from the 22nd Medical Group experienced during a training August 22. McConnell’s 22nd MDG held its first Emergency Medical Technician Rodeo, which provided medical personnel an opportunity to practice different types of tactical combat casualty care techniques. The rodeo consisted of medical technicians armed with paintball guns enduring a simulated combat scenario while trying to identify and perform combat care tactics on an Airman with simulated injuries. “Being a ready medic means that our medics are ready to perform their medical training to employ lifesaving effects in a deployed environment,” said Lt. Col. Richard Speakman, 22nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron commander. “The rodeo is how we are simulating some combat scenarios, giving combat stress and teaching medics how to perform under tactical conditions providing combat care.” The medics used Tactical Combat Casualty Care tactics as a way to effectively recover and stabilize the simulated injuries. TCCC is a standardized course created to give Airmen the tools that they need to survive using lifesaving medical training while in a combat environment. “This rodeo is imperative to our medics,” said Joshua Clevenger, 22nd MDG education and training medical technician. “We will use the training to identify what we need to focus on during future training and allow [us] to become more experienced in the field.” The TCCC course will replace the Self Aid and Buddy Care Program and will focus on controlling massive bleeding, care under fire and airway management. The course will also include topics such as tactical evacuation care which is the recovery portion of the care and how to perform lifesaving procedures in a combat environment. Speakman explained that the emphasis on this training is teaching Airmen how to handle the threat while returning fire and performing lifesaving techniques on the injured. Classes for TCCC are tentatively scheduled to begin at the end of 2019 for Airmen across McConnell. For questions, the 22nd MDG can be reached at 316-759-6300.