Care Under Fire

Basic Management Plan for Care Under Fire

1. Return fire and take cover.
2. Apply a muzzle to protect care providers unless respiratory distress precludes its use. Note: Injured MWDs can be unpredictable and harm other team members providing assistance.
3. Recall the canine to a safe location if able and maintain positive control. Keep collars and tactical vests on to aid restraint and movement unless causing obvious harm (i.e. choking).
4. Try to keep the MWD from sustaining additional wounds.
5. Injured MWDs should be extricated from burning vehicles or buildings and moved to places of relative safety. Do what is necessary to stop the burning process. Remove all burning or smoldering harnesses, collars, vest, booties, goggles, and other gear. Avoid pulling away any items that are melted into the canine’s skin or hair coat; cut hair coat to free melted object.
6. Stop life-threatening extremity hemorrhage via placement of a quick application circumferential pressure bandage with hemostatic dressings, if tactically feasible.

* NOTE: CoTCCC recommended human-designed windlass limb tourniquets are generally ineffective in canines due to conformational differences; Limb tourniquets are, generally, not warranted to abate extremity hemorrhage in canines.

1. Airway management is generally best deferred until the Tactical Field Care phase.
2. P riority for casualty care is always given to human combatant casualties before canine casualties. The handler and canine should travel together as a single unit, when appropriate and logistically feasible.