Tactical Field Care is the care rendered once the combat medic/corpsman and casualty are no longer under direct threat from effective enemy fire. This allows for the time and the relative safety for a more deliberate approach to casualty assessment and treatment.

The tactical situation is fluid and can change quickly. Maintain situational awareness. Establish a security perimeter in accordance with unit standard operating procedures and/or battle drills. Casualties with altered mental status should be disarmed and weapons communications equipment, and other sensitive items should be secured/redistributed.

In the Tactical Field Care phase, MARCH PAWS is followed for a more deliberate approach to the assessment and treatment of casualties than was possible during Care Under Fire. A full tactical trauma assessment should follow the steps of the MARCH PAWS sequence.

In TFC the Combat Medic/Corpsman should communicate with the casualty throughout assessment and treatment, communicate with other first responders, Combat Lifesavers, and medical providers regarding casualty assessment and treatment (using the DD 1380), communicate casualty status and evacuation requirements with tactical leadership, and communicate with the evacuation system (TACEVAC) including 9-line MEDEVAC requests and MIST reports.

When there are multiple casualties, the combat medic/corpsman may need to triage casualties into prioritized treatment groups (immediate, delayed, minimal, expectant) based upon severity of injuries prior to providing or assisting other first responders, combat lifesavers, and medical personnel with casualty care. The Combat Medic/Corpsman should consider MARCH in deciding how to prioritize treatment and evacuation of multiple casualties in the TFC phase of care.

The Casualty Collection Points (CCPs) should be established reasonably close to the fight where casualties are likely to occur, be near natural “lines of drift”, provide relative cover and concealment from the enemy whenever possible, and have access to evacuation routes.