you do not feel a pulse, immediately administer CPR.
Get the victim to a medical facility as soon as possible.
TRANSPORTATION PROCEDURES
Learning Objective: When you finish this chapter, you
will be able to—
Recall the procedures to transport a person.
So far, you’ve learned about the emergency
methods used to get an injured person out of danger and
into a position where first aid can be administered. As
you have learned, these emergency rescue procedures
often involve substantial risk to the victim and should be
used only when clearly necessary.
Once you’ve rescued the victim from the immediate
danger, slow down! Handle and transport the victim
with care, being careful about the injuries that have been
sustained. In the excitement and confusion that almost
always accompany a mishap, you are likely to feel
rushed, as though you must do everything rapidly. This
is a reasonable way to feel. Speed is essential in treating
many injuries and in getting the casualty to a medical
officer or hospital. However, it’s not reasonable to let
yourself feel so hurried that you handle the victim
roughly or carelessly or transport the victim in a way
that will make the injuries worse.
GENERAL PRECAUTIONS
The basic precautions to observe when transporting
an injured person are summarized as follows:
Give necessary first aid before attempting to
transport the victim if possible. Be sure all injuries have
been located. Treat serious breathing problems,
bleeding, and shock in that order. Immobilize all
fractures, sprains, and dislocations. Do whatever you
can to reduce the victim’s pain and to make the victim as
comfortable as possible under the circumstances.
Use a regular stretcher if one is available. If you
must use an improvised stretcher, be sure it is strong
enough. Also, be sure that you have enough personnel to
carry the stretcher so that you won’t run any risk of
dropping the victim.
Whenever possible, bring the stretcher to the
victim instead of carrying the victim to the stretcher.
Fasten the victim to the stretcher to prevent
slipping, sliding, or falling off. Tie the victim’s feet
together, unless the injuries make it impracticable.
Use blankets, garments, or other material to pad
the stretcher and to protect the victim from exposure.
As a general rule, an injured person should be
lying down, face up, while being moved. However, in
some instances the type or location of the injury will
necessitate the use of another position. If the victim has
a chest wound, raising the head and shoulders may give
greater comfort, and ease any breathing difficulties the
victim may have. A person who has a broken bone
should be moved very carefully so that the injury will
not be made worse. If the victim has received a severe
injury to the head, the victim should be kept lying on the
side or on the back with the head turned to one side to
prevent choking on saliva, blood, or vomit while being
transported. In all cases, it is important to place the
victim in a position that prevents further injuries.
The stretcher should be carried in such a way that
the victim will be moved feet first, so that the rear
stretcher bearer can continually watch the victim for
signs of breathing difficulty.
If you must use a motor vehicle to transport a
seriously injured person, the best means is an
ambulance. If no ambulance is available, a truck or
station wagon makes a fairly good substitute. If it is
necessary to use a passenger car to transport a seriously
injured person, the victim should be put in a place that
requires the least amount of bending, twisting, or
turning.
Don’t turn the victim over to anyone without
giving a complete account of the situation. Be sure the
person taking over knows what caused the injury and
what first-aid treatment has been given. If a constricting
band has been applied, make sure that is known to the
person who is taking charge of the victim.
14-27
Student Notes:
