“Helping Those who Help” , “Protecting those who protect the people.” “Good Medicine in Bad Places”, “The Best Medicine in the Worst Places”; the definition of Special Operations Medical Support programs can utilize different word combinations but the essence and philosophy should be the same: the provision of medical support in unconventional settings, and the direct care of those tasked with the highly demanding task of assuring our safety.

Societal changes and technological advances demand the provision of medical care in high risk and unfriendly environments. Violence and terrorism, natural and man-made disasters, and the dangerous chemicals transported and stored throughout our community are examples of the new and increasingly extraordinary challenges that today's medical providers must face, imposing the need for the development and training of specialized medical teams to meet these growing demands.

From preventative care to direct emergency medical care and education, the tasks of tactical and Special Operations medical providers are diverse and always challenging. The undeniable high impact nature associated with this field imposes the need for continuous specialized training. Advanced multi-disciplinary training of these medical teams and units in toxicology, counterterrorism, hazardous materials, chemical agents, explosives, and radiological weapons, as well as cross training in rescue, weapons and tactics are a necessity in order to achieve an optimal level of preparedness.

In this issue of the IJRDM, we showcase a series of articles from leading authors in the field of Tactical and Special Operations Medical Support, this compilation of original studies, and state of the art reviews were developed with the main objective of furthering the knowledge base of what we consider to be a priority in today's world with the hope of assisting those who protect and bring “good medicine to the worst places”.

Amado Alejandro Báez MD MSc EMT-P Editor-in-Chief Internet Journal of Rescue and Disaster Medicine aabaez@partners.org

Brigadier General Humberto Hugo Pérez Compres MD
Director Dominican Armed Forces Central Hospital
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Next Issue: Fall-Winter 2005
Current Issues in Critical Care Transport.