CASUALTY EVACUATION OPERATIONS PURPOSE The purpose of this

CASUALTY EVACUATION OPERATIONS

PURPOSE The purpose of this briefing is to provide an overview of casualty evacuation procedures and to provide you the information necessary to set up a SOP for casualty evacuation procedures at your respective sites

TASK: Conduct cas-evac operations CONDITIONS: In a field environment, given an injured soldier, a radio, a combat lifesaver bag, and the desire to save their buddy’s life. STANDARDS: Soldiers must demonstrate a general knowledge of cas-evac operations, properly format and submit a med-evac request utilizing the “nine line” format.

REFERENCES • FM 8 -10 -4, Medical Platoon Leader’s Handbook (TTPs) • FM 7 -20, The Infantry Battalion • CTC Trends, JRTC, Nov 97, No. 97 -19 • CALL Newsletter, Jul 99, No. 99 -6 • CMTC Trends Compendium Apr 98 • FM 21 -11, First Aid for Soldiers

AGENDA • • • REDUCING COMBAT DEATHS CHS LIFESAVING MEASURES IMPORTANCE OF THE CLS PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS MEDICAL TREATMENT FACILITIES • TRANSPORTATION OF CASUALTIES • CATEGORIES OF PRECEDENCE • THE MEDEVAC REQUEST

REDUCING COMBAT DEATHS • Majority of combat deaths occur on The battlefield before evacuation Takes place • 80% of combat deaths occur within First hour after initial injury • 50% of combat deaths are a result of the soldier bleeding to death • Of these 50% of combat deaths, 40% could have lived had the bleeding been stopped

CHS LIFESAVING MEASURES • SELF-AID • BUDDY AID • COMBAT LIFESAVER • COMBAT MEDIC • TREATMENT SQUAD

WHAT IS A COMBAT LIFESAVER? • A MEMBER OF THE SQUAD OR CREW • TRAINED, EVALUATED & CERTIFIED IN MEDICAL SKILLS • EXPERTISE BEYOND BASIC FIRST AID

COMBAT LIFESAVER’S ROLE • ADDITIONAL LIFESAVING EXPERTISE AT THE SQUAD/CREW LEVEL • EXTENSION OF THE PLATOON MEDIC • USES SKILLS & EQUIPMENT CONSISTENT WITH HIS SECONDARY MISSION • PRIMARY MOS IS FIRST RESPONSIBILITY

Basic Planning Considerations • Medical Evacuation • Medical Treatment Facilities

Planning Medical Evacuation • Medical evacuation requirements and units available are listed to include their locations, missions, and attachments. • Location of casualty collecting points and ambulance exchange points are placed on overlays. • Identify routes, means and schedules (if any) of evacuation and responsibilities. • Evacuation request procedures and channels.

Medical Treatment Facilities • Medical treatment facilities (aid stations, hospitals). • Locations and missions of appropriate medical treatment facilities.

EXECUTION: Casualty evacuation is a team effort. The primary duty of a combat lifesaver is the mission. Treatment of casualties is secondary. Appropriate ground air evacuation techniques should be used based on METT-T and on patient categories of precedence (URGENT, PRIORITY, and ROUTINE). COMMUNICATIONS: Redundant communications are important to timely casualty evacuation. SAFETY: Leaders must retain common sense and attention to safety considerations despite their concern for casualties.

Transportation of Casualties • When the situation is urgent you may have to transport the casualty. For this reason, you must know how to transport him without increasing the seriousness of his condition. • Transporting a casualty by litter is safer and more comfortable for him than by manual means; it is also easier for you. • Manual transportation, however, may be the only feasible method because of the terrain or the combat situation.

Standard Evacuation Types UH-60 A/Q Ambulance *An M 113 series Armored Ambulance can carry 4 litters

UH-60 Q Interior

Non-Standard Evacuation Types

Casualty Evacuation TTPs • USE SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT • POLELESS LITTER • SKED LITTER • DESIGNATE AND TRAIN AID AND LITTER TMS

The rapidly employable lightweight litter, referred to as the SKEDS litter, is designed to be used as a rescue system in most types of terrain, including mountains, jungle, waterborne, and on snow or ice.

Manual Carries One-man carries Two-man carries

Manual Carries (One Man) • • Fireman’s Carry Support Carry Arms Carry Pistol-belt Carry and Drag • Neck Drag

TWO-MAN SUPPORT CARRY

TWO-MAN SUPPORT CARRY (cont)

Manual Carries (two man) • Two man support carry • Two man arms carry • Two man fore-andaft carry • Two hand seat carry

CATEGORIES OF PRECEDENCE FOR EVACUATION URGENT-PATIENT WHO SHOULD BE EVACUATED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND WITHIN TWO HOURS TO SAVE LIFE, LIMB, OR EYESIGHT. PRIORITY-PATIENT WHO SHOULD BE MOVED WITHIN FOUR HOURS OR HIS/HER CONDITION WILL DETERIORATE TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT HE WILL BECOME URGENT. ROUTINE-PERSONNEL WHOSE CONDITION IS NOT EXPECTED TO WORSEN SIGNIFICANTLY AND WHO WILL REQUIRE EVACUATION IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

MEDEVAC REQUEST FORMAT LINE ITEM/BREVITY CODES 1 Location of pickup site 2 site Frequency/Call sign of pickup 3 Number of patients by precedence 4 BPYROTECHNICS C - SMOKE D - NONE C - PRIORITY E - OTHER D - ROUTINE 8 Patient nationality and status Special equipment B - HOIST C - EXTRACTION EQUIPMENT D - VENTILATOR Number of patients by type L + # LITTER A + # AMBULATORY 6 A - PANELS A - URGENT A - NONE 5 7 Method of marking pickup site Security of pickup site N - NO ENEMY P - POSSIBLE ENEMY E - ENEMY IN AREA X - ARMED ESCORT NEEDED A - US MILITARY B - US CIVILIAN C - NON US MILITARY D - NON US CIVILIAN E - EPW 9 NBC contamination N - NUCLEAR B - BIOLOGICAL C – CHEMICAL

LINE 1 LOCATION OF THE PICKUP SITE

LINE 2 RADIO FREQUENCY/CALL SIGN AND SUFFIX SOI and ANCD

LINE 3 NUMBER OF PATIENTS BY PRECEDENCE BREVITY CODES: A- URGENT C -PRIORITY D -ROUTINE

LINE 4 SPECIAL EQUIPMENT REQUIRED BREVITY CODES: – A NONE – B HOIST – C EXTRACTION EQUIPMENT – D VENTILATOR

LINE 5 NUMBER OF PATIENTS BY TYPE BREVITY CODES: – L + #Patients Litter – A + #Patients Ambulatory

LINE 6 SECURITY OF PICKUP SITE (WARTIME) BREVITY CODES: – N NO ENEMY – P POSSIBLE ENEMY TROOPS IN AREA (APPROACH WITH CAUTION) – X ENEMY TROOPS IN AREA (ARMED ESCORT REQUIRED)

LINE 6 NUMBER AND TYPE OF WOUND, INJURY, OR ILLNESS (PEACETIME) GIVE SPECIFIC INFORMATION, GUNSHOT WOUND, BLEEDING AND BLOOD TYPE IF KNOWN

LINE 7 METHOD OF MARKING PICKUP SITE BREVITY CODE: – A PANELS – B PYROTECHNIC SIGNAL – C SMOKE SIGNAL – D NONE – E OTHER

LINE 8 PATIENT NATIONALITY AND STATUS ENCRYPT BREVITY CODE: – A US MILITARY – B US CIVILIAN – C NON-US MILITARY – D NON-US CIVILIAN – E EPW (Detainee)

LINE 9 NBC CONTAMINATION (Wartime) ENCRYPT BREVITY CODE: –N –B –C NUCLEAR BIOLOGICAL CHEMICAL

LINE 9 TERRAIN DESCRIPTION (PEACETIME) INCLUDE DETAILS OF TERRAIN FEATURES IN AND AROUND PROPOSED LANDING SITE

Example “Badger 03 this is Badger 76 MEDEVAC 9 line follows—over” “This is Badger 03 send it –over” “line 1 -- UV 8945 4452 “line 2 -- 30300 in the red, badger 76 “line 3 -- 1 C “line 4 -- A “line 5 -- 1 A “line 6 -- N “line 6 -- 1, broken ankle compound fracture (peacetime) “line 7 -- C “line 8 --A “line 9 -- NONE “line 9 -- Open field no power lines. (peacetime) “Over” “This is Badger 03 roger out”

SUMMARY • • • REDUCING COMBAT DEATHS CHS LIFESAVING MEASURES IMPORTANCE OF THE CLS PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS MEDICAL TREATMENT FACILITIES • TRANSPORTATION OF CASUALTIES • CATEGORIES OF PRECEDENCE • THE MEDEVAC REQUEST