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081-831-1046 (SL1) - Transport a Casualty

Standards: Transported the casualty using an appropriate carry without dropping or causing further injury to the casualty.

Conditions: You have evaluated and given first aid to a casualty. 
You need to move the casualty to get
further medical aid. 
There may or may not be other
soldiers to help. 
Necessary equipment and materials: 
two pistol belts or rifle slings or
improvised material that will not cut or
bind the casualty (cravat bandages or litter
straps), poncho, shirts or jackets, and
poles or tree limbs.

Standards:
Transported the casualty using an
appropriate carry without dropping or
causing further injury to the casualty.

Performance
Steps

1.   Select an appropriate carry for the casualty.

WARNING:
Do not use manual carries to move a
casualty with a neck or spine injury,
unless a life-threatening hazard is in
the immediate area. 
Seek medical personnel for
guidance on how to move and transport
the casualty.

a.
Fireman’s carry. 
Use for an unconscious or
severely injured casualty.

b.
Support carry.  Use for a casualty who is able to walk or hop on one leg.

c.
Arms carry.  Use for short distances only, for a casualty who is unable
to walk.

d.
Saddleback carry. 
Use for a conscious casualty
only.

e.
Pack-strap carry. 
Use for carrying a casualty
moderate distances.

f. 
Pistol-belt carry. 
Use for long distances. 
This carry allows the hands
of the casualty and bearer to be
free.

g.
Pistol-belt drag. 
Use in combat, generally for
short distances.

h.
Neck drag.  Use in combat, generally for short distances.

CAUTION:
Do not use the neck drag if the
casualty has a broken arm or a
suspected neck injury

i.  
Cradle-drop drag. 
Use to move a casualty who
cannot walk when being moved up or
down stairs.

j.  
Two-man support carry. 
Use for both conscious and
unconscious casualties.

k.
Two-man arms carry. 
Use for moderate distances
and for placing a casualty on a
litter.

Note.  In extreme
emergencies, the two-man arms carry is
the safest for transporting a casualty
with a back or neck injury. 
If possible, use two more
bearers to keep the casualty’s head
and legs in alignment with his body.

l.  
Two-man fore-and-aft
carry. 
Use for long distances and
for placing a casualty on a litter.

m.  
Two-hand seat carry. 
Use for carrying a casualty
short distances and for placing him
on a litter.

n.
Four-hand seat carry. 
Use for moderate distances
for a casualty who is conscious and
can stand but not walk. 
Can be used to place a
casualty on a litter and is
especially useful in transporting a
casualty with a head or foot injury.

o.
Use litters if materials
are available, if the casualty must
be moved a long distance, or if
manual carries will cause further
injury.

2.   Perform the carry.

a.
Fireman’s carry.

(1) 
Kneel at the casualty’s
uninjured side.

(2) 
Place casualty’s arms
above the head.

(3) 
Cross the ankle on the
injured side over the opposite
ankle.

(4) 
Place one of your hands
on the shoulder farther from you
and your other hand on his hip or
thigh.

(5) 
Roll the casualty
toward you onto his abdomen.

(6) 
Straddle the casualty.

(7) 
Place your hands under
the casualty’s chest and lock them
together.

(8) 
Lift the casualty to
his knees as you move backward.

(9) 
Continue to move
backward, thus straightening the
casualty’s legs and locking the
knees.

(10)  Walk forward,
bringing the casualty to a
standing position but tilted
slightly backward to prevent the
knees from buckling.

(11)  Maintain constant
support of the casualty with one
arm. 
Free your other arm,
quickly grasp his wrist, and raise
the arm high.

(12)  Instantly pass
your head under the casualty’s
raised arm, releasing it as you
pass under it.

(13)  Move swiftly to
face the casualty.

(14) 
Secure your arms around his
waist.

(15)  Immediately place
your foot between his feet and
spread them (approximately 6 to 8
inches apart).

(16)  Again grasp the
casualty’s wrist and raise the arm
high above your head.

(17)  Bend down and pull
the casualty’s arm over and down
your shoulder bringing his body
across your shoulders. 
At the same time pass your
arm between the legs.

(18)  Grasp the
casualty’s wrist with one hand
while placing your other hand on
your knee for support.

(19)  Rise with the
casualty correctly positioned.

Note.  Your other
hand is free for use as needed.

b.
Support carry.

(1) 
Raise the casualty to a
standing position as in the
fireman’s carry.

(2) 
Grasp the casualty’s
wrist and draw his arm around your
neck.

(3) 
Place your arm around
his waist.

Note.  The
casualty is thus able to walk using
you as a crutch.

c.
Arms carry.

(1) 
Raise the casualty to a
standing position as in the
fireman’s carry.

(2) 
Place one arm under the
casualty’s knees and your other
arm around his back.

(3) 
Lift the casualty
carrying him high to lessen
fatigue.

d.
Saddleback carry.

(1) 
Raise the casualty to a
standing position as in the
fireman’s carry.

(2) 
Support the casualty by
placing an arm around his waist.

(3) 
Move in front with your
back to him.

(4) 
Have the casualty
encircle your neck with his arms.

(5) 
As you stoop, raise the
casualty upon your back.

(6) 
Clasp your hands
together beneath his thighs if
possible.

e.
Pack-strap carry.

Note.  In this
carry the casualty’s weight rests high
on the bearer’s back. 
To eliminate the possibility of
injury to the casualty’s arms, the
bearer must hold the casualty’s arms
in a palms-down position.

(1) 
Raise the casualty to a
standing position as in the
fireman’s carry.

(2) 
Supporting the casualty
with your arms around him, grasp
the wrist closer to you.

(3) 
Place the arm over your
head and across your shoulder.

(4) 
Move in front of the
casualty while supporting his
weight against your back.

(5) 
Grasp the other wrist.

(6) 
Place this arm over
your shoulder.

(7) 
Bending forward, hoist
the casualty as high on your back
as possible so all his weight is
resting on your back.

f. 
Pistol-belt carry.

(1) 
Link two pistol belts
(or three, if necessary) together
to form a sling.

Note.  If pistol
belts are not available for use, other
items, such as one rifle sling, two
cravat bandages, two litter straps, or
any suitable material that will not
cut or bind the casualty may be used.

(2) 
Place the sling under
the casualty’s thighs and lower
back so a loop extends from each
side.

(3) 
Lie face up between the
casualty’s outstretched legs.

(4) 
Thrust your arms
through the loops.

(5) 
Grasp the hand and
trouser leg on the casualty’s
injured side.

(6) 
Roll toward the
casualty’s uninjured side onto
your abdomen, bringing him onto
your back.

(7) 
Adjust the sling as
necessary.

(8) 
Rise to a kneeling
position.

Note.  The belt
will hold the casualty in place.

(9) 
Placing one hand on
your knee for support, rise to an
upright position.

Note.  The
casualty is now supported on your
shoulders.

(10)
Carry the casualty with
your hands free for use in rifle
firing, climbing banks, or
surmounting obstacles.

g.
Pistol-belt drag.

(1) 
Extend two pistol belts
(or three, if necessary) or
similar objects to their full
length and join them together to
make one loop.

(2) 
Roll the casualty onto
his back.

(3) 
Pass the loop over the
casualty’s head and position it
across his chest and under the
armpits.

(4) 
Cross the remaining
portion of the loop forming a
figure eight.

Note.  Keep
tension on the belts so they do not
become unhooked.

(5) 
Lie on your side facing
the casualty, resting on your
elbow.

(6) 
Slip the loop over your
arm and shoulder on which you are
leaning.

(7) 
Turn away from the
casualty onto your abdomen so you
can drag the casualty as you
crawl.

h.
Neck drag.

WARNING:
Do not use the neck drag if the
casualty has a broken and/or fractured
arm or a suspected neck injury. 
If the casualty is unconscious,
protect his head from the ground.

(1) 
Tie the casualty’s
hands together at the wrists. 
(If conscious, the casualty
may clasp his hands together
around your neck.)

(2) 
Straddle the casualty
in a kneeling face-to-face
position.

(3) 
Loop the casualty’s
tied hands over and/or around your
neck.

(4) 
Crawl forward, looking
ahead, dragging the casualty with
you.

i.  
Cradle drop drag.

(1) 
With the casualty lying
on his back, kneel at the head.

(2) 
Slide your hands, palms
up, under the casualty’s
shoulders.

(3) 
Get a firm hold under
his armpits.

(4) 
Partially rise,
supporting the casualty’s head on
one of your forearms.

Note.  You may
bring your elbows together and let the
casualty’s head rest on both of your
forearms.

(5) 
With the casualty in a
semi-sitting position, rise and
drag the casualty backwards.

(6) 
Back down the steps (or
up if appropriate), supporting the
casualty’s head and body and
letting the hips and legs drop
from step to step.

j.  
Two-man support carry.

(1) 
Two bearers help the
casualty to his feet and support
him with their arms around his
waist.

(2) 
The bearers grasp the
casualty’s wrists and draw his
arms around their necks.

k.
Two-man arms carry.

Note.  In extreme
emergencies, when there is no time to
obtain a board, this carry is the
safest for transporting a casualty
with a back and/or neck injury. 
Use two additional bearers to
keep the head and legs in alignment
with the body.

(1) 
Two bearers kneel at
one side of the casualty and place
their arms beneath the casualty’s
back (shoulders), waist, hips, and
knees.

(2) 
The bearers lift the
casualty as they rise to their
knees. 
Keep the casualty’s body
level to prevent unnecessary
movement and further injury.

(3) 
As the bearers rise to
their feet, they turn the casualty
toward their chests. 
To lessen fatigue, bearers
should carry the casualty high and
as close to their chests as
possible.

l.  
Two-man fore-and-aft
carry.

(1) 
Position the casualty
on his back, if necessary.

(2) 
The taller of the
bearers kneels at the casualty’s
head.

(3) 
The shorter bearer
spreads the casualty’s legs and
kneels between the legs with his
back to the casualty.

(4) 
The shorter bearer
positions his hands behind the
casualty’s knees.

(5) 
The taller bearer
kneels at the casualty’s head,
slides his hands under the
casualty’s arms and across the
chest, and locks his (bearer’s)
hands together.

(6) 
The bearers rise
together while lifting the
casualty.

Note.  The
alternate method, with both bearers
facing the casualty, is useful for
placing the casualty on a litter.

m.  
Two-hand seat carry.

(1) 
Position the casualty
on his back, if necessary.

(2) 
A bearer kneels on each
side of the casualty at the hips.

(3) 
Each bearer passes his
arms under the casualty’s thighs
and back, and grasps the other
bearer’s wrists.

(4) 
The bearers rise while
lifting the casualty.

n.
Four-hand seat carry.

(1) 
Each bearer grasps one
of his own wrists and one of the
other bearer’s wrists to form a
packsaddle.

(2) 
The bearers lower
themselves sufficiently for the
casualty to sit on the packsaddle.

(3) 
The casualty places his
arms around the bearers’ shoulders
for support.

(4) 
The bearers rise to an
upright position.

o.
Improvised litter.

(1) 
Use the poncho and two
poles or limbs.

(a)  
Open the poncho and
lay the two poles lengthwise
across the center forming three
equal sections.

(b)  
Reach in and pull the
hood up toward you and lay it
flat on the poncho.

(c)  
Fold one section of
the poncho over the first pole.

(d)  
Fold the remaining
section of the poncho over the
second pole to the first pole.

(2) 
Use shirts or jackets
and two poles or limbs.

(a)  
Button two or three
shirts or jackets and turn them
inside out leaving the sleeves
inside.

(b)  
Lay the shirts or
jackets on the ground and pass
the poles through the sleeves.

(3) 
Place the casualty on
the litter by using any of the
following carries:

(a)  
One-man arms carry.

(b)  
Two-man arms carry.

(c)  
Two-man fore-and-aft
carry.

(d)  
Two-hand seat carry.

(e)  
Four-hand seat carry.

(4) 
Lift the litter.

(a)  
Raise the litter
together.

(b)  
Keep the litter as
level as possible.

Note.  Use caution
when transporting on a slope, incline,
and/or hill.

Evaluation Preparation: 

Setup:  For the one-man
carries, you will need another soldier to
play the part of the casualty and for the
two-man carries, two soldiers will be
needed. In the two-man carry, one soldier
will be the casualty and the other will help
the soldier who is being tested. 
Tell the casualty what the injuries
are and whether he is conscious or
unconscious. 
Obtain appropriate materials (strip
of cloth, pistol belts, poles, branches,
poncho, blanket, etc.) as necessary, to test
the carries.

Brief Soldier:  Tell the
soldier that the casualty has been given
first aid.  Describe a situation in terms of the casualty’s injuries,
whether the casualty is conscious or
unconscious, whether enemy fire can be
expected or not, and what distance (short,
moderate, or long) the casualty must be
moved. 
Tell the soldier to transport the
casualty using an appropriate carry.

Note:  Do not make
the situation too complex and remember, when
scoring the soldier, that two or more of the
carries might be appropriate for the
situation. 
The most important thing is that the
selected carry should not cause further
injury to the casualty and should not
endanger the lives of the two soldiers.

Performance
Measures

GO

NO
GO

1.   Selected the appropriate method of transporting the
casualty.

2.   Performed the carry.

3.   Did not cause further unnecessary injury.

Evaluation
Guidance: 
Score the soldier GO if all
performance measures are passed. 
Score the soldier NO GO if any
performance measure is failed. 
If the soldier scores NO GO, show
what was done wrong and how to do it
correctly.

 

References

 

Required

Related

 

 

FM
4-25.11


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