First aid skills are an integral part of modern training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They help to keep the wounded alive until qualified medical care can be provided. During the full-scale war, the number of Ukraine’s defenders has soared, so the need for qualified medical training for the military has also increased.
In Ukraine, TCCC is being developed by PULSE, which was established at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Among other initiatives, experts conduct training for the Armed Forces and other defence units. Thanks to financial support from donors, the training is free of charge.
Metinvest supports PULSE’s mission. As part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative, the Group has already allocated UAH4 million for the development of TCCC. The funds will be used to organise training in the combat zone. Above all, they will help to provide a material and technical base for training: quality materials for practicing skills, logistics and payment for instructors’services.
Commenting on the news, Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest Group, said: “As part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative, Metinvest is doing everything in its power to bring as many defenders of Ukraine back home as possible. In eight months of the full-scale war, the Group has allocated more than UAH1.4 billion in aid to the Ukrainian army. Aside from gear, tactical equipment, vehicles and protective structures, we also send medical supplies to the front line. In particular, we have already provided more than 31,500 tourniquets and first aid kits. Yet, equipment and materials alone are not enough to save lives in combat conditions. It is important that soldiers have the necessary knowledge and skills. Hence why we have supported the PULSE initiative, which trains our defenders in tactical combat casualty care. Qualified, timely medical care is crucial for saving wounded soldiers’ lives.”
From March to date, more than 10,000 servicemen have received basic TCCC training from PULSE instructors. Overall, around one million people need to be trained. PULSE instructors are now working simultaneously in several areas, including at the rear of the troops defending the Donetsk region. In particular, the soldiers of the 35th separate marine brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Ostrogradsky have received TCCC training from PULSE.
Oleh Palas, Major of the Medical Service, said: “Almost all our medics were involved in the training. These are combat medics of platoons, senior combat medics, medical instructors, paramedics and evacuation teams. Most of them have extensive experience gained during the ATO/JFO, although there were also those who had just completed a two-week first aid course. This course was especially valuable for them. Usually, our medics train almost every day in the unit, but this is the second time such training has been conducted. I hope that we will be able to organise simulation trainings more often, as they allow us to keep our medics combat-ready constantly.”
PULSE trains representatives of almost all service branches: the Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy, Medical Forces Command, Security Service of Ukraine, National Police and State Emergency Service, as well as intelligence and special units, and so on. The aim of the PULSE training is not just to provide basic skills for self- and mutual aid on the battlefield, but also to make the training system of the Ukrainian military identical to the American one, according to the TCCC protocol.
Fedir Serdiuk, founder of the PULSE charitable foundation, said:“In my opinion, one of the most dramatic realities in the war unleashed by Russia is that while the enemy is losing unmotivated soldiers with low morale, Ukraine is losing strong, brave patriots. Our duty and strategic interest are to save the lives of these people. The US Army in Iraq and Afghanistan has the best survivor-to-wounded ratio in world history. They had only one death per 10 wounded. This became possible through the development of protection technologies, communications and logistics, but primarily through the introduction of the TCCC system. This is the best result in the history of war, and these are the figures we should strive for. To accomplish this, PULSE instructors are now training people in the field, enhancing practical skills, and consultants are supporting the development of TCCC in formations, forces, services and units. It is important to win and save all the lives possible.”
The training for the military is designed to develop practical skills, enabling aid to be provided in difficult, dangerous and stressful conditions. Modern tourniquets, hemostatic and bandaging equipment, various equipment to ensure airway patency, occlusion stickers and decompression needles, warming and anti-hypothermic equipment and so on are used for training, as are various mannequins and simulation equipment. Training and the coordination of instructor groups within the Armed Forces is part of PULSE’s strategy to support the Ukrainian Defence Forces in the development of TCCC.
Metinvest has also organised first aid training for employees of its enterprises. So far, more than 2,000 employees from Zaporizhzhia, Kamianske, Kryvyi Rih and Pokrovsk have received training by professional instructors from FAST.