d. Transport the Casualty.
(1) Ideally, you and three other soldiers will be available to evacuate the
casualty. A four-man litter carry can be used to quickly and safely transport a casualty
on a SKED litter to a nearby collection point where he can be transferred to a ground or
air ambulance.
(a) Each bearer kneels at one of the handles. They should kneel on
the knee closest to the litter and face in the same direction, usually so that the
casualty's feet are in the direction of travel. The leader of the litter team should position
himself at the handle nearest the casualty's right shoulder and direct the other bearers.
This position allows the leader to monitor the casualty during the evacuation.
(b) Upon command from the leader, the bearers stand up in unison,
lifting the casualty.
(c) Upon command from the leader, the bearers carry the casualty,
adjusting as needed to keep the casualty as level as possible.
(2) If only one other soldier is available, position yourself on opposite sides
of the litter and face toward the casualty, kneel on one knee, and grab the two near
handholds. Upon the command from the leader, both rise in unison, lifting the casualty.
(3) If no other person is available, use the dragline at the head of the litter to
drag the casualty.
7-6
IMPROVISED LITTERS
There are times when a casualty may have to be moved and a standard litter or
SKED litter is not available. The distance may be too great for manual carries or the
casualty may have an injury that would be aggravated by manual transportation. In
these situations, litters can be improvised from materials at hand. Improvised litters
must be as well constructed as possible to avoid the risk of dropping or further injuring
the casualty. Improvised litters are emergency measures and should be replaced by
standard litters at the first opportunity. Many different types of litters can be improvised,
depending upon materials available. Some are described in the following paragraphs.
7-7.
BLANKET AND POLE LITTER
An improvised litter can be made using two tent poles and a blanket. When the
casualty is placed on the litter, his weight will hold the litter together.
a. Open the blanket and lay it flat on the ground.
b. Place a pole in the middle of the blanket dividing its length into two equal
sections.
IS0877
7-9
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