Letter from the Chair

March 25, 2022
John Wipfler, MD

Hello fellow Section members,

Dr. Dominique Wong has done another incredible job assembling educational materials for the quarterly newsletter, with the help of myself, Dr. Springer, Dr. Bradley, and others.

It is appropriate that we take a moment to think about and pray for those impacted by the events in Ukraine. Many of you have been involved, whether sending medical supplies, donations, or prayers. Some have actually headed to Poland and nearby locations to help. How this is going to all end is an open chapter currently. Needless to say, it weighs on our hearts and adds stress to our lives.

If any of you have avenues to assist that you would like to share, please send the information to your fellow Section members.

The impact of COVID continues to strike all arenas of public safety including LEOs, and we feature an article that summarizes this nicely. We have several articles focusing on hyperactive delirium, and a first responder wellness program is highlighted. The modern tactical medical provider (TMP) and others in Law Enforcement Medicine require a wide range of knowledge and skills, and Dr. Brian Springer has an excellent summary of considerations in becoming competent with the modern pistol and other firearms. He also has an upcoming presentation that will be covering this important topic.

For those of you who were able to join us on March 15, Officer Brandi Kamper and Dr. Jeffrey Mott provided an exceptionally valuable presentation, Operational Skills: Top things you really need to know. She has summarized her key observations and recommendations as viewed from the eyes of a full-time police officer and paramedic (and soon to graduate from PA school) for the newsletter. I think you will find her one-hour presentation to be worth watching, and it is available for viewing via our Members-Only page of the Section website. Thank you again Brandi and Jeff for your dedication to excellence in education and for serving our fellow brothers and sisters. And thank you to Deanna Harper and Director Rick Murray who have done so much work and used their expertise to help our section and assembled these educational webinar lectures where they can be rewatched on our section website.

I would like to extend my personal congratulations to Dr. Jeremy Ackerman and ask my fellow Section members to join me. On March 11, 2022, Dr. Ackerman, along with 6 members of the Fulton County Police Department (Georgia) were awarded the Department’s Medal of Honor, the highest honor the Department grants. This was in recognition of bravery and heroism while attempting to overcome a violent armed individual who had barricaded himself in a home with multiple firearms and explosives. FCPD SWAT and another team were called in to bring armored vehicles, as the subject had already fired on officers. Over the course of the 18-hour standoff, the subject fired hundreds of rounds of ammunition, including armor-piercing rounds, at the police and deputies from multiple weapons, significantly damaging two armored vehicles. Dr. Ackerman was inside one of the Bearcat armored vehicles while direct gunfire struck the vehicle multiple times. Thankfully no LEOs, TMPs, or innocent citizens were hurt during this high-threat critical incident. The Medal reads “in recognition of your overwhelming bravery and heroism for putting the lives of the citizens of LaGrange, Georgia above your own. You made a selfless sacrifice and allowed your courage to overcome a violent individual.” Here is a 3-minute news story about the incident.

Our section leadership would also like to also thank Dr. Ackerman for his excellent webinar presentation on February 22, Ethical Considerations for Tactical Physicians. Another in-depth look at Law Enforcement Medicine was provided by Dr. Dominique Wong on January 18: Law Enforcement Medicine: Towards an Evidence-Based Expansion of TEMS. Dr. Wong discussed the wide variety of hazards faced by the modern law enforcement officer, and the need for medical professionals who not only can address high-threat tactical situations, but provide medical care and guidance for patrol, mobile field force, negotiators, K-9, MCI response, HazMat, and others. Dr. Wong’s and Dr. Ackerman’s webinars are both available for viewing on our Section website.

Post and Upcoming educational webinars for the Section of Tactical Emergency Medicine:

Tuesday, April 12: All post-webinar info and videos can be found posted on the Tactical Section Website under Members Only. 

"8th Webinar"
Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at 7 pm CST
The Tactical Section is hosting the virtual CME accredited session entitled
"The Armed Tactical Medical Professional"
This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM.

Other upcoming sessions/speakers include:

• May 17 – Dr. Nelson Tang and Dr. Bill Bozeman
• June 14 – Dr. Florian Schmitzberger
• July 12 – Dr. Jeff Metzger and Dr. Alex Eastman
• August 16 –Section leadership on Key Topics Impacting Tactical / LEM
• September 13 – TBA

In addition, we have several large projects, the key building blocks of which are just now being assembled, and our Section Leaders will keep you posted and ask for you to get involved over the next few weeks.

Reminder: Upcoming ACEP Scientific Assembly: San Francisco, California October 1-4, 2022
Our Section Meeting will be held on Monday, October 3, 2022.

I send each of you my very best wishes for a Happy Springtime. With warmer weather and sunshine coming, may you be blessed with special time outdoors with loved ones, to better appreciate our beautiful world. Thank you for dedicating yourselves to the support and care of others. May you continue to learn, sharpen your already-impressive skills, and go forth to do good.

With Highest Regards,

John

E. John Wipfler, III, MD, FACEP, RDMS