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Transportation of victims is one of the most important tasks in case of serious injuries or if they are suspected. Moving without observing a number of rules can aggravate the condition of the victim, causing him to experience excruciating pain or becoming an additional damaging factor.
Therefore, doctors are unanimous in their opinion: it is best that specialists transport a seriously injured person. Therefore, the best option is to call an ambulance. However, this may not always be the case.
It is recommended to transport the victim on your own in situations where there is no way to contact professional doctors or they cannot get to the scene of the incident. Also, the injured person should be taken out if there is an immediate danger to life – that is, if the victim is in a smoky or burning room, in a destruction zone, etc. In these cases, the victim will really have to be transported on his own and with improvised means.
Such transportation is called emergency. With it, the comfort of the patient is often neglected, since the main task is to save his life.
A short-term transportation option is also possible – situations where people who are close to the victim must transport him not too far away so that the person can receive professional help. In this case, they try to choose the best way to move the victim, so as not to cause him additional pain and discomfort.
Transport preparation
Proper preparation should be made for transport using improvised means.
First of all, the victim is examined to find out the nature of the injuries. First of all, the condition of the spine, head, neck, pelvic region and abdomen, as well as limbs, should be of interest. You need to make sure the person is conscious. In the event that the victim is unconscious, the pulse and respiration should be checked.
In the event that there is a suspicion that the injuries suffered by the victim are serious, transportation should be carried out only if there is no hope that medical personnel will arrive. In these situations, the victim should be moved in the position in which he is at the moment.
General rules for moving victims by improvised means
Depending on the nature of the injuries and their severity, there are several general principles that must be followed when moving victims:
- In case of trauma to the cervical spine, it is necessary to immobilize the head and neck of the victim before transportation. In other cases, the victim must be transported with his head turned to one side. Thus, it will be possible to avoid the retraction of the tongue and asphyxia, as well as the entry of vomit into the respiratory tract.
- In the event that the victim has lost a lot of blood, place him in such a way that the legs during transportation are located higher than the head. This is necessary to ensure blood flow to the brain.
- When climbing stairs, the victim must be carried head first. If they go down the stairs, then the injured person is carried feet first.
- If the victim is transported by several people, then the one who goes in front performs the duties of the main one. He must follow the road, informing in a timely manner of all possible obstacles. He should also coordinate the actions of the other rescuers. It is important that the rest should not move in step. The condition of the victim in this case should be monitored by the one who walks behind.
Choosing a position for transporting the victim
As noted above, in the event that the injuries received by a person are very serious, it is necessary to move it without changing its position. In less severe situations, you should be guided by the symptoms and general condition of the victim:
- A person must be placed on his side if he: is unconscious; received a burn or injury to the back of the body (back, back of the thighs); suffering from bouts of vomiting.
- During transportation, a person with: neck and chest injuries should be in a sitting or semi-sitting position; fractures of the upper extremities or clavicle.
- In the supine position with raised legs are transported: with injuries of the abdominal cavity; in case of significant blood loss; for suspected internal bleeding.
- In the so-called “frog position” (on the back, with legs slightly apart, and a roller is placed under the knees), the victim should be moved: in case of spinal injury or damage to the spinal cord; with fracture of the pelvic bones.
During transportation, it is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of the victim. If a person suddenly becomes worse, you should immediately stop and begin to apply resuscitation measures (artificial respiration, chest compressions). Continue activities should be until the condition of the victim improves.
Ways of carrying and transporting victims by improvised means
How the casualty is transported depends on the condition of the casualty and the severity of their injuries. You should also take into account the number of those who can help in moving the patient, and their physical parameters (strength and endurance).
There are situations when no stretcher, no straps, no other special equipment is available that could be used to transport an injured person. In this case, you have to use improvised means. Below we will discuss only some of the methods of such transportation.
Homemade pole stretcher
To make a stretcher from poles, you will need two long poles. They are slightly bent over the steam and placed parallel to each other. Horizontal crossbars are tied to this base (like steps on a ladder). In order to make the structure more rigid and reliable, it can also be strengthened with diagonal crossbars.
In the event that transportation will be carried out by one person, the victim must be placed with his feet in the direction of travel. In this case, shock absorbers from long branches can also be attached to the drag. If two people take part in the movement, then the person is placed with his head in the direction of travel.
Twig stretcher
Volokushi can also be made from branches. The best option would be large spruce paws. The butt parts of the branches will in this case be rods, and the victim is laid on the “fan” of the drag, having previously laid it either with warm clothes or blankets, or with an additional layer of branches.
Drags made of tarpaulin or polyethylene
In the event that even the simplest stretcher cannot be made, the victim can be transported on drags from a piece of tarpaulin or polyethylene. This method will “work” on snow, grass or sand.
In the corners, rope loops are tied to a tarpaulin or polyethylene folded several times. Warm or soft things are placed on the cloth, the victim, wrapped in blankets, is placed on the cloth, a roller is placed under the head and wrapped tightly, creating a kind of cocoon. It is important that the loops do not tighten the victim.
Two or more people can drag such a cocoon, one more should insure.
Stretcher from jackets (storm jackets)
In order to move the victim to a not too significant distance, a stretcher made from windbreakers is suitable. Any long poles are inserted into the sleeves of two jackets, and the poles are also tied at the head and at the legs to make the structure more rigid.
rope stretcher
In the event that a rope is at hand, it can be used to make a reliable and relatively comfortable stretcher. Please note that the rope stretcher must not be used if a fracture of the spine or base of the skull is suspected!
Also keep in mind that in order to make the simplest rope stretcher, you will need a flat area. The best option for making a stretcher would be a rope fifty meters long. Starting from its middle, six to ten loops should be laid out on the ground on both sides. These loops should be located close enough to each other, and their width should be about sixty centimeters. It is imperative that the configuration and size of all loops are the same.
After the loops are laid out, each end of the rope should circle the arc for the handle and place the ends along the opposite side. At the free end of the rope, a so-called bleached knot is made, into which the tip of the loop is threaded. This process is repeated for each loop on both sides of the future stretcher.
The free ends of the rope are circled around the ends of the future stretcher and threaded into the knot loops. It is necessary to continue the process until most of the rope has been used. After that, the ends are tied, the loops in the knots are tightened, and the knots themselves are tightened. The result is the basis of the stretcher. Clothes are laid on it so that the victim is more comfortable and does not fall into the cells.
Another way to weave a stretcher can be used if, in addition to the rope, there are also poles. The length of each of them should be about three meters, and a diameter of five to six centimeters. In addition, in this case, you will need three more crossbars, 60 centimeters long and three centimeters in diameter.
The crossbars with poles are connected to each other, and, at the points of attachment of the crossbars on the poles, small grooves should be made. At the head, two parallel crossbars are tied to the poles, and one in the area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe legs.
For braiding, you will need at least twenty meters of rope.
rope seats
In the event that the victim is in a state in which transportation in a sitting position is possible, a saddle can be made from a rope, with the help of which both one porter and two can carry a person. Depending on how many people will take part in the transportation, the rope is wound into rings with a length of either forty to sixty, or up to 90 to 110 centimeters. The victim is put on rings on the hips, and the one who will carry him – on the shoulders. To prevent the victim from falling out, he is secured with a special loop. In the event that there are two porters, the loops are crossed with a “figure eight”, after which the porters put them on their shoulders, and the victim is placed on the crosshairs.
Backpack with a stick
With minor injuries to the lower extremities, a backpack with a stick can be used to transport a conscious victim. To do this, all things are taken out of the backpack, and a stick about a meter long is threaded into its straps. The backpack is worn on the back. The victim is placed on a stick in a sitting position, and he hugs the porter by the shoulders. To prevent the stick from pressing on the hips and back of the bearer, it is pre-wrapped with soft clothes.
If you have two backpacks on hand and two people ready to help evacuate the victim, another method can be used. A strong stick with a length of 120 to 140 centimeters is passed through the straps of backpacks worn on the shoulders of porters. First wrap it in something soft. The victim is placed on a stick, and in order to maintain balance, he holds on to the shoulders of those who carry him.
Backpack
The backpack itself can be used to transport victims of small stature. To do this, its side seams are torn at a distance of approximately thirty centimeters from the bottom. The victim’s legs are threaded through the holes so that the backpack is “put on” on him, like trousers. The backpack is fixed at chest level. The advantage of this method of transportation is that it can be carried out by one person.
Bay of rope
If there is a rope, it can be marked in a bay, the length of which should be a little more than a meter. The bay is unfolded and brought under the hips of the victim. The one who will carry it puts his hands through the upper forked part and puts it on his shoulders, like the straps of a backpack.
In the event that two people take part in the transportation, the rope is marked into a bay with a diameter of about one and a half meters. The forked bay is put on the shoulders by the porters, and the victim is placed in the weave. In order not to fall out, he must hold on to the shoulders of the porters.