Review: Combat Lifesaver Class – Jason
Combat Lifesaver 3/27-3/29 2026
The Combat Lifesaver class is the perfect balance between squad tactics and medical trauma training. There are three days to the course and the intensity of the stress levels increase with each day of the class in order to best challenge your mastery of the TCCC principles.
The first day of training is primarily class room lecture, combined with students’ hands-on skill demonstration. You will learn the distinction between care under fire and tactical field care, and when to implement each. The classroom session is very similar to other medical training I’ve received in wilderness medicine, with a focus on the US Army MARCH protocol. The principles are direct and simple, but the complexity lies in following all the steps consistently and then doing so under stress load. Also, this is the only class I’ve found available to civilians that teaches the lifesaving technique of needle decompression for tension pneumothorax.
The second day of class began with instruction on casualty evacuation techniques and procedures. We then progressed into react-to-contact scenarios of progressing difficulty, traveling as a 9-person squad, with two fire teams and a squad leader. The class, while no prerequisites, draws upon tactics learned in HEAT 1, HEAT 2, and HEAT Squad Tactics and is an excellent opportunity to practice these skills with a renewed focus on casualty management.
The third day is the capstone of the course. We began the day with an incredibly useful one-on-one evaluation of the MARCH protocol on a casualty actor. The instructor reviews your proficiency with actual bandaging, tourniquet, splinting, etc techniques and provides direct feedback. The afternoon was spent on the Trench warfare course, running multiple scenario missions clearing the trench of OPFOR. These scenarios were fun, but physically demanding, as casualties were taken and had to be dragged and litter carried back to the evacuation point.
Casualties in their gear are heavy, and the class is physically demanding, but manageable. The medical itinerary is simple to understand, but hard to master and the stress inoculation served by conducting realistic tactical encounters makes this class something special and far different from your typical austere environment medicine class. I recommend this to new and old students alike, and is mandatory as far as I’m concerned for anyone serious about tactical training, as casualties are a harsh reality.