Care Under Fire/Threat is the care rendered by first responders while still under effective hostile fire or threat and is characterized by making medical and tactical decisions rapidly based on an understanding of the threats and the environment.

Returning fire to suppress the enemy, taking cover and gaining fire superiority are the initial priorities for all personnel in Care Under Fire.

The best medicine on the battlefield is fire superiority!

Treatment priorities, as established by the TCCC guidelines, are to extricate casualties from burning vehicles or buildings and stop life-threatening hemorrhage through the use of limb tourniquets, if tactically feasible.

If you can do only ONE thing for the casualty, identify and stop life-threatening bleeding, and keep them from bleeding to death by using a CoTCCC-recommended tourniquet.

Once a tourniquet has been applied, the priority is to get the casualty to the nearest cover and out of effective enemy fire/threat. Carries and drags will enable responders to do this as quickly as possible without causing further harm to the casualty.