DHS Senior Medical Officer Shares Expertise on the Level of Medical Training Needed From Today’s Security Professionals

Training for failure versus success is game changing when it comes to responding to a worst-case scenario. However, today’s threat landscape has shown us that being prepared extends far beyond typical protection responsibilities. Basic medical training for security professionals is becoming more and more necessary to fulfill one’s duty of care.

Dr. Alex Eastman is the Senior Medical Officer at the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Health Security (OHS). In this role, he is responsible for operational medicine across DHS in addition to countering threats to the United States worldwide. On the operational front, Dr. Eastman is a Task Force Officer with ICE Homeland Security Investigations and is assigned to the Special Response Team (SRT) program. He is also a Dallas Police Department lieutenant, the Chief Medical Officer of the Dallas Police Department, and the Lead Medical Officer for the Dallas Police SWAT Team. He is actively involved in national planning for law enforcement medical support through the Department of Justice’s Officer Safety and Wellness Group, the Committee on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care, the Hartford Consensus Working Group, and serves as the Medical Advisor for the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

Dr. Alex Eastman joins host Fred Burton to discuss:

• How he applies emergency medicine to his career in the security industry.
• The biggest gaps in medical training that security teams experience when protecting people, property, and reputation.
• Advice for corporate security and protection leaders on where to start with training their teams to be prepared for medical emergencies.