According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there were 160 active shooter incidents between 2000 and 2013 resulting in 1,043 casualties. Currently, there are more than 16 such incidents annually.

To save lives in tactical and mass casualty incidents (MCI), EMS responders need to attend to and transport patients out of danger zones as quickly as possible. Speed is of the essence.

Based on personal experience, Chief Joe Pulvermacher of the Fitchburg Fire Department in Wisconsin started thinking of ways to safely and quickly extract victims from dangerous hostile environments. He took his ideas to Graham Medical, and together they developed the Tactical MegaMover®.

Modified Responses to Active Shooter and Tactical Mass Casualty Incidents

The traditional practice of having EMS personnel wait in safe zones until the SWAT team declares the area clear inevitably meant survival rates were lower. With traumatic injuries, it's essential to extract patients quickly, stop the bleeding and stabilize them as soon as possible. This means EMS persons must enter areas still considered warm zones that pose a danger to victims and EMS personnel alike.

Limitations Posed by Existing Equipment

Portable collapsible stretchers are the most practical solution for extracting victims from MCI. However, existing designs were developed for general use and are not as suitable for fluid tactical situations for several reasons, including:

• Size: Even when folded, flexible stretchers are bulky and not easily carried in tactical situations.
• Complexity: Designed for many eventualities, existing transport units are large with many straps and handholds that get in the way of rescuers.
• Stability: When used by small teams, they don't keep patients stable during difficult extractions.
• Large team: Their design envisions teams of four to eight personnel, a luxury not available in MCI incidents.

Chief Pulvermacher's Vision

Although Chief Pulvermacher was enthusiastic about MegaMover® products, having used them regularly, he realized they weren't ideal for active shooter incidents. Having experience of two active shooter incidents, the Comfort Suite Motel attack in 2004 and the Sikh Temple incident in 2012, Chief Pulvermacher prioritized his requirements as follows:

• Portability: The transport unit must be compact, light and easily secured to a tactical vest or backpack
• Ease of use: It must have a simple design and be usable by one, or at most two, personnel
• Simplicity: It can be easily used with shaking hands of a surrounding layperson, if needed, it doesn't require complex thinking
• Patient safety: There must be some way to secure patients
• Compact: There should be nothing to get in the way or under the feet of EMS personnel
• Cost: Low cost

He had approached several manufacturers, but finding little interest turned to Graham Medical for help. The company enthusiastically responded, and working together, they developed a solution, in just two years, that met and exceeded Chief Pulvermacher's expectations.

Key Features of The Tactical MegaMover®

The design of the Tactical MegaMover® is quite different from existing portable stretchers, resulting in a compact, lightweight solution that's extremely effective. Key features include:

• Small size: Dimensions are only 24 x 48 inches
• Compact: Can be attached to a tactical vest and worn on the rescuer
• Straps: Three long straps at either end
• Center strap: A central strap holds victims securely
• Extraction: Realizing less effort is needed to drag victims, the unit can be dragged or carried
• Strong: 500-pound rating
• Symmetrical: The Tactical MegaMover® can be loaded from either end
• Responders: Only one responder needed, two maximum
• Hands-free: The straps can be clipped to EMS personnel belts
• Large handholds for gloved and shaking hands

Contact us at Graham Medical to find out more and obtain a brochure on the Tactical MegaMover®. You can also see it at the 2018 EMS World Expo in Nashville, booth 606.