[Mass casualty incident - special features of "threatening situations"].

Terrorist attacks or amok runs may cause "threatening situations" for emergency medical services (EMS), fire fighters and physicians. Cooperation with the police is of paramount importance. In order to minimize the risk to rescue personnel and affected persons, emergency medical care has to follow tactical principles. So, the strategy in such "threatening situations" is "Stop the bleeding and clear the scene". The police define three areas of danger: unsafe, partly safe and secure. Medical care in these areas follows the concept of Tactical Combat Casualty Care. While only police should act in the unsafe area, the EMS can operate in the partly safe area after appropriate arrangements. Safety may only be achieved in emergency departments, which have to be made to secure areas by certain measures.The task force "Tactical Medicine" of the Scientific Working Group Emergency Medicine of the German Association for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care describes in this article essential criteria for a coordinated approach in "threatening situations". Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.