Stretchers may also be improvised by using two long poles (about 7 feet long) and any strong cloth, such as a rug, blanket, sheet, mattress cover, two or three gunny sacks, or two coats.

WARNING

Many improvised stretchers do not give sufficient support to be used in cases where there are fractures or extensive wounds.

EMERGENCY RESCUE LINES.

- The steel wire lifeline can be used to haul a casualty to safety. An emergency rescue line can also be made from a strong fiber line.

Both are used only in extreme emergencies, when no other means are available to move a casualty.

FIREMAN'S CARRY.

- One of the easiest ways to carry an unconscious casualty is by means of the fireman's carry.

Figure 13-23 shows the procedures described in the following steps:

1. Turn the casualty so he/she is lying face down (see A in fig. 13-23).

Kneel on one knee at the patient's head, facing the casualty.

Pass your hands under the patient's armpits; then slide your hands down the back.

2. Raise the casualty to his/her knees (see B in fig. 13-23).

Take a better hold across the patient's back.

3. Raise the casualty to a standing position, and stick your right leg between the patient's legs (see C in fig. 13-23). Grasp the patient's right wrist in your left hand and swing the casualty around the back of your neck and down your left shoulder.

4. Stoop quickly and pull the casualty across your shoulders.

At the same time, put your right arm between the patient's legs (see D in fig. 13-23). 5.

Grasp the patient's right wrist with your right hand and straighten up (see E in fig. 13-23).

TIED-HANDS CRAWL.

- The tied-hands crawl, shown in figure 13-24, may be used to drag an unconscious casualty for a short distance;

it is particularly useful when you must crawl underneath a low structure.

To carry a casualty by this method, lie the patient flat on his/her back.

Cross the patient’s wrists and tie them together.

Kneel astride the casualty and lift the patient's arms over your head so his/her wrists are at the back of your neck. When you crawl forward, raise your shoulders high enough so that the casualty's head will not bump against the deck or ground.

BLANKET DRAG.

- The blanket drag can be used to remove a casualty who is so seriously injured that the person should not be lifted or carried by one

Figure 13-23. - Fireman's carry.