Let me start by saying, I'm going to try and be as brief as I can with this blog post. That will not be an easy task. Ohio did/does an amazing job of bringing in as many people in as they can. As long as you want to learn and should be there, it's a go. None of this, SWAT officers ONLY business that so many of these other shows want to try. That is why OTOA had close to 1000 people at the conference. It was a HUGE success. The banquet stated there were people from 14 states and 2 countries. Nicely done OTOA!
Held at Kalahari Resort in Sandusky Ohio, as soon as you make entrance into the place you know it's going to be a big conference.
Day one TEMS class.
This is why I attended the show. It featured the TEMS class. A "break-out" as they call it. We arrived after registration at a off site location. The class started a 8 AM sharp and featured about 15 minutes of safety talk and then went right into a brief lecture. The lecture offered all the new and important happenings in TEMS/TCCC. Nothing ground breaking, but just re-affirmation on what we need to do and the changes that Co-TECC has implemented as of late.
They then broke us off into our stations, the day featured 6 different stations. Some creativity and informational stations lead to not being overwhelmed physically for 40 minutes out of every hour for the rest of the day. Each station had a round table debrief and discussion. Solid information all around.
#1 Moving Vehicle - Featured treating a live patient while in a moving car/back of a pick-up. We got the scenario and were told where the treat was, the rest was up to us as a team (two man). We waved the police cruiser in and moved the victim in the back while we worked on him. Seems simple, but while the car was swaying, turning and accelerating, it added a new dimension to it. Part two was equally as difficult as we had to load the patient into pick-up truck and tube/TQ/IV while moving as mentioned earlier. All in all, moving in a fast moving vehicle is much different than moving in an ambulance.
#2 Active shooter - This was a school shooting. We get a scenario and are told to move out as a team with a SWAT team. Upon making 1st contact, shots go off and we have to split the team as the call goes out that others are down. The 2nd victim has a cut suit on. We have to surgically cric this victim while the officers with us are actively engaged in shooting at the perp. The added stress and splitting off from the team definitely makes you think. Cutting into a human (or that close to him) scares you no matter if it's a suit or not. Live actors lead to the drama and havoc of this type of situation.
#3 A/C joint/Shoulder issues - A bit of a lull after 2 solid fast moving sessions. But I got to say, as EMS providers, we don't get as much rehab info as we need. This was a great session taught by two very educated TEMS medics.
#4 Training - Maybe the best session of the day. Why? We got to met a VERY creative and budget constrained Medical Control doctor. He wanted his guys to train like they played. He had a great imagination and you could tell he loved his job. His training consisted of a slab of ribs over a Styrofoam (pictured) torso with balloons to mimic needle decompression. A remote controlled fish tank pump that sent blood flying in the air at the push of a button and many other home made props that lead to some impressive training.
#5 Mass Casualty - The one station that dropped the ball. The communication and scenario were given, we have live role players all day, and the lead proctor seemed to be more interested in telling us not to touch the role players rather than letting us know we had people inside and would have an escort of SWAT. Inside, the scene was made chaotic and hectic by screams, blasts and general poor lighting. Every room we moved too had a person down. We moved the casualties out as fast as we could. Never did we get the call to inform us of an Officer down nor were we told the people standing by the triage area were "not supposed to be there" which lead to us getting a firm talking to about abandoning our patients, etc...Lastly, the officer down didn't get the attention a scene like this would have genuinely had, why? We didn't know he was an officer. Leading to some stern discussion by our team vs. the overly concerned proctor who didn't really do his job conveying the scenario.
#6 Meth lab - A very well set up and acted scenario. By this time, seven hours into the day, we were tired and mentally drained from the day. This set up made us pay attention. It featured a blown up meth lab with kids inside (we didn't know about the kids prior to entry) and a mom and dad more worried about bickering than helping. Well done done controlled chaos and well, lets just say trying to tube a 4 year old while mom keeps kicking you, adds to the increased stress level
Overall, the TEMS "breakout" was a solid day of reality based training. I wish I had more pictures to show. We had a brief - debrief at the end of the day that really only consisted of applause for the actors and certs being handed out because each evolution offered great discussion. The OTOA tactical doctors, medic providers and med control did a great job with this session.
Day two - in-conference, conference.
This day was "vendor day" but featured so MUCH more. There were over 150 vendors in attendance and a LOT to see and do. The OTOA staff did an amazing job of having you visit each booth by giving away cards that were to be turned in at the end of the night, if your card was completely filled out you won a door prize.
Luckily, I was able to meet, collaborate and rub elbows with those I wanted too. North American Rescue, Eleven 10, Combat Swag, Tactical Medical Solutions, 5.11 and maybe my favorite company Tru-Spec. All of these people were unbelievably approachable and friendly. I really enjoyed dealing with each of these companies. I even got invited to tour the facilities of a several of them.
Along with the vendor showcase, every hour on the hour a new smaller break out was set up. Dealing with topics that included , long range shots, SABA, TQ usage, ballistics, leadership topics...etc. My favorite of the day was meeting and listening to Jim Smith (former Delta operator and veteran of "Black Hawk Down"). He spoke on preparedness for the 21st century in an ever evolving and challenging profession. Great guy with a great story and message. Worth going for this day alone. More on Mr. Smith can be found here on his website.
The day ended with the door prize give away but that was not all, we also had a vendor picnic and got to shoot a variety of weapons provided by the vendors including less lethal munitions. And let me say, they did NOT skimp on what they brought out to shoot.
Overall, two great days of conference gold. OTOA does a great job. But, this is not complete yet. I have two more days to go. Please check out part II coming tomorrow, which features CTT Solutions and Victory 1st both full day firearm classes held by top notch instructors Until then...
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