Place victim's arm around your neck and hold their wrist:Ģ. The one-person walk assist offers the least chance for injury to both rescuer and victim.ġ. If your victim is able to walk with only minor help from you, let them. In mass-casualty training, we refer to people who can self- extricate with little or no assistance as walking wounded. One-person carries should only be performed with the confidence that you won't cause injury to yourself or further injury to the victim. The body will compensate by relying on large muscle groups, such as the back, as this could result in rescuer injury. You may feel a sudden burst of energy and strength, but will lose it just as quickly. Adrenaline will work both for and against you. Carries conducted by a single rescuer can be extremely taxing on the rescuer. Either way, there are times when you'll be forced to move someone by yourself. You may be the only person available to help, or perhaps your team has already split up to render aid to multiple victims. What is the safety and stability of the environment?.What is the size and condition of the victim(s)?.What are the capabilities and conditions of the rescuers?.How many victims are in need of rescue?.The way you choose to relocate a victim will depend on several factors and exact steps may vary depending on victim injury: ![]() The techniques discussed in the article are tried-and-true first responder techniques that are applicable to any survival situation. Also, the mental demands of moving an unconscious victim already increase the rescuer's anxiety out of concern. They're unable to assist you in any way, tell you if you're hurting them, or causing greater injury by your movements. ![]() If the victim is unconscious this creates a deadweight situation. The victim may be vocal, crying or shouting, distracting you from your task, which also lends itself to injury. If the victim is conscious, pain from their injuries may cause them to shift their weight around while you're moving them, creating a scenario where your back or joints are forced into unnatural or unsafe positions - leading to a strong likelihood of rescuer injury. Moving a victim is harder than most realize. It doesn't sound heroic to say, but it does no good for anyone if you injure yourself and become part of the problem rather than the solution. ![]() Regardless of whether you carry or drag a victim to safety, you must remember to keep your own safety a high priority. Victim Drags: The movement of a victim by lifting part of their body as the other part drags - often used when a carry isn't possible or practical. Victim Carries: When one or more rescuer is able to lift the victim and carry them to a location of safety. Each has their place and which one you should apply depends on several factors. There are two different categories of emergent victim removal: carries and drags. Once you've determined there's a need to remove someone from harm or get them to a position where they can receive help, quick but careful thought must be given to how this will be performed. Therefore you'll need to know the correct techniques to use when moving a victim and when you should employ them. This can be used for an infant or child, but carrying a full-sized adult victim for any distance greater than a few feet, particularly over uneven terrain, is impractical and dangerous. Despite what Hollywood would have you believe, you will rarely, if ever, see someone carrying an adult victim out in front of them “cradle in arms” style. Life safety is the top priority and whether you're moving someone from danger or delivering them to lifesaving medical aid, knowing safe and effective ways to conduct these maneuvers can make all the difference.įor many people, the general inclination is to carry someone as they've seen on television. Among the seemingly endless tactics a firefighter is taught from day one, the ability to remove someone from harm is near the top of the list. I have been a firefighter for over 20 years and relocating people away from precarious or deadly incidents is an essential component of my job. ![]() Seek professional training before attempting to use any tools or techniques discussed in this story. His article is meant to be an overview and not a detailed guide on rescue carries and drags.
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