Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service (CFRS) has become the first fire service to use a new Tac Medics Response Bag, designed by Gloucestershire-based medical bag and infection control specialists CorrMed, to boost efficiencies for frontline medics in time-critical situations.
The bag is designed for use by Police Medic teams including Firearms, Surveillance, Public Order, and Roads Policing Units, as well as fire & rescue services, and specialist trauma response teams. They were initially developed in partnership with police teams from Gloucestershire Constabulary, City of London, Avon and Somerset, West Midlands, and West Mercia, who were consulted throughout the bag’s design process to ensure they are robust enough to live up to the demands of day-to-day clinical use. Omega Medical, an event medic team in Cornwall, supported the design and brought CFRS onboard from a Fire Service perspective, before realising that Police and Fire Medics worked similarly.
CFRS roll-out
CFRS recently used the bags at the UKRO Trauma Challenge and will now become the first fire service to use them for daily operation, with Fleet to fund 50 of them. Training will be completed in the next few weeks, before being rolled out across every station in Cornwall.
Made for easy and rapid access to catastrophic haemorrhage supplies, the bag is made from 500-denier heavy-duty Tarpex making it durable, wipe clean and waterproof, the latter an essential aspect for firefighters. With a 100% Infection Control design, internal transparent lids also protect contents from contamination. In addition, the bag includes a colour-coded pouch system that aligns with both CABCDE and MARCH Primary surveys, and can carry a CD oxygen bottle, Airways, BVM, and Defibrillator along with further pouches for other vital equipment.
Supports rapid, time-critical access
During high stress situations, when mental bandwidth is often strained, frontline medics need quick and easy access to essential equipment.
Innovative features such as the external cat bleed pouch are deliberately positioned in a pocket on the outside of the bag where it is easily accessible for rapid deployment. This organisational innovation is paired with colour-coded pouches and quick-release finger tabs, supporting human factors by enhancing functionality within critical, time-sensitive environments.
This aspect is vital, as a catastrophic bleed can kill a patient in just three to five minutes, making every second count.
In addition, the bag’s pouches have the option to be customised in accordance with the primary survey, allowing medics to work through CABCDE or MARCH.
Upon unzipping, either side of the bag can lay flat to provide a portable tool station. Critical equipment is presented in a logical sequence, from initial assessment through to intervention. The strategic layout of the cat bleed and airways pouches enables each item to have its own designated place, supporting rapid access to vital tools and preventing chaotic "bag explosions" to save tactical medics precious time and energy.
An industry-informed, tailored approach
Additionally, the clear organisation makes it immediately apparent what is missing, decreasing the time it takes to restock. It is these refinements that set the Tac Medics Response Bag apart from others on the market, as it is tailored for and informed by the realities of front-line responders.
Christian Brown, Director of Fleet, said:
"Having worked closely with medical teams across the South West, I’ve long been looking for a solution that meets the unique needs of our frontline responders. I’m incredibly proud to have helped design this bag, and it’s rewarding to see this innovative tool now helping our teams deliver better care when it matters most."
Mark Fuszard, Operations Director Omega Medical, commented:
“After working with the CFRS Extrication and Trauma team for over 10 years now, we realised there wasn’t an ideal solution in place regarding a new medical bag for the Cornwall Fire Appliances. With the team’s input and my experience with HEMS pre-hospital care, we worked with the team at CorrMed to produce not only a robust, fit for purpose bag but one that is easily auditable for speed on checking kit. We’re delighted with the result.”
Katherine Billing, Chief Fire Officer of Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service, added:
“As demonstrated during the UKRO Trauma Challenge, the compact design, specialised materials, and robust nature of the Tactical Medical Response Backpack have all proven to be essential for both responders and those in need, highlighting the critical role of innovation and flexibility in emergency medical situations. During circumstances when the fire service must deal with such scenarios, they need a bag which has equipment laid out and easy for them to find.
“Now thanks to Fleet, we can ensure they can operate even more effectively and having the bag will be a crucial asset for crisis response, helping optimise our medical capability.”
Katie Houghton, Managing Director of CorrMed commented:
“With our design and our specialist manufacturing capabilities, backed by medical expertise through our collaboration with front line staff including police medics and fire service medics from all over the UK, we have engineered a solution to ensure emergency services can treat victims on scene as quickly and effectively as possible. The advantages are already being seen, both in improvements in efficiency, but also reductions in time wasted during emergency medical incidents. We are just now beginning to measure the impact, and look forward to sharing extensive results in the near future.”
Image caption: (L-R): Watch Manager Pete Richardson, Firefighter Brett Baker, Station Manager Mark Sherris, FLEET Director Christian Brown, CFRS Chief Fire Officer Kathryn Billing, Firefighter Tony McGuire, Omega Medical Director Mark Fuszard, Watch Manager Chris Williams