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Medical
Medical
hen emergencies strike, law Among the tools deputies are equipped
enforcement is often the first with are:
W to arrive — sometimes minutes • Narcan (naloxone) carried on their
Readiness on

before fire or EMS. That reality drives how Readiness on person to reverse opioid overdoses
Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies are • AEDs (Automated External
trained, equipped and expected to respond. Defibrillators) in patrol vehicles to restore
Every Call
From opioid overdoses to cardiac arrest heart rhythm during cardiac emergencies
and from choking incidents to traumatic Ever y Call • LifeVac choking rescue devices in
injuries, CCSO deputies receive advanced patrol vehicles to assist victims with airway
medical training that goes well beyond obstructions
basic first aid. They also receive Tactical Emergency Casualty Care • Medical “go bags” in patrol vehicles, which include QuickClot
Training which provides them with the ability to effectively respond combat gauze and tourniquets for severe bleeding; trauma dressings
to any medical trauma emergency, mass casualty incident or active and bandages including chest seals, and protective medical gloves and
shooter incident they could be faced with. The goal is simple: supplies.
stabilize patients and save lives until additional help arrives. In the past year alone, CCSO deputies have saved dozens of lives
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said the investment in training and using those tools and more.
equipment reflects the agency’s commitment to public safety and Dr. Ianni’s inbox is filled with testimonials from deputies who say
preservation of life. the training and first-rate equipment provided by Sheriff Rambosk
“Our deputies are guardians in every sense of the word,” Sheriff arms them with the skills and confidence to respond to any medical
Rambosk said. “They’re not just enforcing the law, they’re saving emergency they might encounter on the job.
lives. We make sure they have the training and the tools to act “I felt confident in my abilities on scene and thanks to the training
immediately when seconds matter most.” staff, I was able to help a victim that was suffering from a serious
CCSO’s medical training philosophy is rooted in preparedness. injury,” wrote one deputy after he used his tourniquet and wound-
Deputies regularly train in life-saving techniques, learning how packing skills on a victim who had been stabbed multiple times.
to recognize medical distress, control severe bleeding, administer Cpl. Richard Jacobs put his medical training to the test in 2024
emergency medications, and use specialized equipment under when he was the first responder to a domestic-related shooting in
pressure. According to CCSO medical training coordinator Dr John Ave Maria. The 51-year-old victim had a gunshot wound to the chest.
Ianni, every deputy must be ready for any call because emergencies Cpl. Jacobs grabbed his Quickclot gauze from his Go Bag and began
don’t wait for the “right” responder. Deputies cannot assume someone packing the wound.
else will arrive first. Whether it’s a traffic crash on a rural roadway, a “I just kept stuffing the gauze into the wound until I couldn’t stuff
school emergency, or a call inside a home, deputies must be capable anymore,” Cpl. Jacobs recalled.
of acting immediately and decisively. He maintained pressure on the gauze in the wound until
“When we train together I tell our deputies this, ‘Band-Aids and paramedics and firefighters arrived and took over care. His quick
gauze don’t fix bullet holes,” Dr. Ianni said. “Sadly, it’s the reality we thinking and expert use of his CCSO medical training are credited
face nowadays in law enforcement, but our deputies as well as other with saving the victim’s life.
law enforcement officers across the nation are faced with new and “I can say 100 percent the Casualty Care Training I received
ever-evolving dangers and circumstances. They must be ready to act at the Collier County Sheriff’s Office helped save this citizen’s life,”
at a moment’s notice, swiftly and sharply.” said Cpl. Jacobs.
To support that mission, CCSO patrol deputies are outfitted with
state-of-the-art medical tools, many carried directly on their person Listen wherever you get your podcasts or stream it on SoundCloud.
and others stored in their patrol vehicles.

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