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Glossary October 15, 2026 • 1 min read

Rescue Task Force (RTF)

Definition

In an active shooter incident, a team with both (1) a medical element and (2) a security element assigned to execute a medical mission. An RTF usually operates in a Warm Zone to triage patients, provide Indirect Threat Care, and coordinate casualty evacuation. Team members are explicitly assigned to either medical duties or security duties – not both.

Official Definition

Source: Active Shooter Incident Management: Instructor Guide, C3 Pathways, Inc., 2026.

Discussion

Rescue Task Force moving down a school hallway, with medics carrying a patient on a backboard between two police officers with patrol rifles

How a Rescue Task Force (RTF) is staffed varies by jurisdiction. Two things are constant: a medical mission and staffing that includes a medical element and a security element. What can vary by jurisdiction is both the size (number) of the team and who staffs the medical and security elements. Agencies should decide who fills each role before an event happens.

What’s important in a Rescue Task Force is the assigned role (i.e., medical or security) – not the uniform someone is wearing. A team of 4 police officers with 2 assigned as the medical element and 2 assigned as the security element is a Task Force by definition. The fact that all four have weapons is irrelevant. FEMA defines a Task Force as “any combination of resources of different kinds and/or types assembled to support a specific mission or operational need.” (FEMA ICS Glossary of Related Terms, page 14)

Author
John Nichols
Lead Instructor
Reviewed By
William Godfrey
Lead Instructor
Last updated:

Frequently Asked Questions

Two things are constant: a medical mission and staffing that includes a medical element and a security element.
Usually in the Warm Zone. They may be assigned tasks in the cold zone, for example if injured self-evacuate to the cold zone (i.e., ran past the Inner Perimeter) an RTF might be assigned to provide medical care. This is appropriate as law enforcement may not have evaluated those survivors for potential threats. Generally, an RTF is not deployed into a Hot Zone.
The medical element triages patients, provides Indirect Threat Care, and coordinates casualty evacuation while the security element protects the team from threats.
How a Rescue Task Force is staffed varies by jurisdiction. Two things are constant: a medical mission and staffing that includes a medical element and a security element. What can vary by jurisdiction is both the size (number) of the team and who staffs the medical and security elements. Agencies should decide who fills each role before an event happens.
The Triage Group Supervisor manages Rescue Task Forces. Note that the security element of an RTF remains on the Tactical Group Supervisor radio channel.
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Related Terms

Topics

  • Active Shooter
  • Incident Management
  • C3 Pathways
  • NCIER
  • ASIM
  • Law Enforcement
  • Training
  • Fire
  • EMS
  • Integrated Response

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