Responding to Terrorist Acts: Explosive and Nuclear

Course overview

This 3 hour course prepares EMS providers to operate safely and manage patients after explosive or nuclear events. Learners review blast physics, injury categories (primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary), common injury patterns, secondary device considerations, and triage. The course covers scene safety, PPE, hemorrhage control, airway and ventilation priorities, and care for radiation incidents including contamination control and recognition of acute radiation syndrome. Emphasis is on rapid size up, evidence based treatment, and coordinated operations with fire, law enforcement, and HazMat.