How do you prepare for an emergency you hope will never happen?
In this episode of the Paratus Podcast, Dr. Fredrik Granholm explores the evolution of tactical medicine and the role healthcare professionals play when responding to complex, high-threat, and mass casualty events.
From its military origins to its application in modern prehospital care, Dr. Granholm explains the differences between tactical medicine, disaster medicine, and traditional EMS.
He also discusses rescue task forces, scene safety, communication challenges, and the importance of interoperability when multiple emergency services must work together under extreme pressure.
At the heart of the conversation is preparation. Dr. Granholm explores why pre-planning, realistic training, and shared mental models can help teams communicate more effectively, recognize evolving risks, and coordinate their response when faced with uncertainty.
A fascinating discussion on preparing healthcare and emergency response teams for situations where complexity, danger, and limited information collide.
This Week's Paratus Podcast Guest:
Dr Fredrik Granholm is a Swedish consultant physician based at Sundsvall Hospital in northern Sweden, specializing in disaster medicine, trauma, and civil defense.
Driven by a deep passion for critical care in both hospital and prehospital settings, he works clinically in anesthesia and the ICU, alongside years of operational experience as a HEMS physician, air ambulance medical director, and serving for many years as the Medical Director of the County EMS.
He is also a co-founder of the international, biannual conference Tactical Trauma, which operates under the motto: "All things prehospital trauma, with a tactical twist."
Internationally, he is an affiliate faculty member at the Fellowship in Disaster Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard Medical School) and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London.
His focus centers on tactical medicine, counter-terrorism response, and strengthening civilian healthcare against hybrid threats.
About Paratus Medical:
Binders. Word documents. Paper printouts.
Medical protocols contain critical knowledge that can save lives, yet they are often trapped in formats that are difficult to manage, track, and use in high-pressure situations.
Frontline professionals are frequently expected to remember hundreds of pages of procedures when seconds matter most.
Paratus Medical develops digital tools that help organizations manage protocols more effectively while supporting frontline responders in emergency and critical care situations.
Our solutions are used across EMS, intensive care units, patient transport services, first responder organizations, maritime operations, and even space medicine through our partnership with the Canadian Space Agency.
The Paratus Podcast:
Created in 2025, the Paratus Podcast features short, expert-driven conversations on preparedness, healthcare innovation, and real-world emergency response. Each episode delivers practical insights and stories from professionals working on the front lines. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode.