A fireman's carry or fireman's lift (also firefighter's-) is a technique allowing one person to carry another person without assistance, by placing the carried person across the shoulders of the carrier.[1]
A US Marine carrying an injured Afghan after an IED blast, 2011.An Iranian soldier performing a fireman's carry to rescue a wounded comrade while using his pistol in a military exercise.
The technique was commonly used by firefighters to carry injured or unconscious people away from danger, but has been replaced in firefighting due to the drawback that smoke and heat are greater higher up, and may be fatal to the person being carried.
The "fireman's carry" technique is still taught for use outside firefighting. Soldiers use this technique to carry the wounded.[1]Lifeguards are sometimes trained to use the fireman's carry.
The "Fireman's Carry" technique illustrated in a US Army training manual
Carrying someone in this manner has several advantages over other methods of moving another person. The subject's torso is fairly level, which helps prevent further injuries. When the subject's weight is evenly distributed over both shoulders, it is easier to carry them for a longer distance – 50 feet (15 metres) or more.
The fireman's carry is preferred over a single-shoulder carry if someone is seriously hurt or if the person must be carried for a considerable amount of time. A person being carried over one shoulder would experience more jarring as their body is dangling more freely over the carrier's shoulder. Also, blood would be unevenly distributed if someone was dangling upside-down over the carrier's shoulder for an extended period of time. This could also be a very uncomfortable position for the carried person if they are still conscious.
The fireman's carry allows a soldier to carry an injured comrade securely using only one hand, leaving their other hand free to carry and fire their weapon if required.
In firefighting, smoke and heat are greater higher up, and may be fatal to the person being carried. The person carried is largely outside the rescuer's field of vision, and almost all vital areas are out of the rescuer's view. Thus, dangerous changes in their condition can be missed, and an inexperienced rescuer can inadvertently create or further compound injuries via collision with obstacles. Furthermore, the rescuer's obstructed peripheral vision puts both persons at risk if the incident that caused the injury is still ongoing (fire, combat, public disturbances, etc.). It is also harder to get a patient onto a rescuer's shoulders than it is to drag a patient by their shoulders.
The fireman's carry presents severe hazards if the person being carried has or may have a spinal injury, and should be avoided. It is an easy way to carry the person injured away and get them to safety before any other injuries happen.
The fireman's carry, utilizing back and shoulder strength, is engineered as an emergency measure to optimize power, endurance, and mobility. As such, it may not be applicable where there is ongoing hazard, the carried person is larger than the rescuer, the rescuer is otherwise unable to move the victim at all, or it is imperative to cross significant distances, quickly. It is by no means appropriate when a stretcher is available and a viable alternative, or when the rescuer has the size and strength to easily carry the subject in a gentler, more compassionate and considerate hold.
Currently, the technique preferred in firefighting involves dragging a person by the shoulders or upper clothing in a supine position across the floor or ground. This uses the rescuer's upper legs (the strongest muscles in the body) to push against the floor for leverage in order to pull the person towards an exit. This technique is also easier for rescuers who may be younger or of smaller size or stature. In addition, dragging by the shoulders helps avoid stressing a potentially injured spine.[citation needed] Dragging by the feet can cause head injuries due to the victim's head bouncing on the floor.
Referencesedit
^ abUnited States Army. The Warrior Ethos and Soldier Combat Skills. Chapter 3: Combat Casualty Care and Preventive Medicine. Accessed June 12, 2010
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fireman's carry.
Web Version of U.S. Army FM 3-21.75 The Warrior Ethos and Soldier Combat Skills
January 01, 1970
fireman, carry, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, july, 2023,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Fireman s carry news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2023 Learn how and when to remove this message For the grappling move of this name see Takedown grappling A fireman s carry or fireman s lift also firefighter s is a technique allowing one person to carry another person without assistance by placing the carried person across the shoulders of the carrier 1 A US Marine carrying an injured Afghan after an IED blast 2011 An Iranian soldier performing a fireman s carry to rescue a wounded comrade while using his pistol in a military exercise The technique was commonly used by firefighters to carry injured or unconscious people away from danger but has been replaced in firefighting due to the drawback that smoke and heat are greater higher up and may be fatal to the person being carried The fireman s carry technique is still taught for use outside firefighting Soldiers use this technique to carry the wounded 1 Lifeguards are sometimes trained to use the fireman s carry Contents 1 Advantages 2 Disadvantages 3 Current practice in firefighting 4 References 5 External linksAdvantages editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed July 2023 Learn how and when to remove this message nbsp Steps A to E nbsp Steps F to JThe Fireman s Carry technique illustrated in a US Army training manual Carrying someone in this manner has several advantages over other methods of moving another person The subject s torso is fairly level which helps prevent further injuries When the subject s weight is evenly distributed over both shoulders it is easier to carry them for a longer distance 50 feet 15 metres or more The fireman s carry is preferred over a single shoulder carry if someone is seriously hurt or if the person must be carried for a considerable amount of time A person being carried over one shoulder would experience more jarring as their body is dangling more freely over the carrier s shoulder Also blood would be unevenly distributed if someone was dangling upside down over the carrier s shoulder for an extended period of time This could also be a very uncomfortable position for the carried person if they are still conscious The fireman s carry allows a soldier to carry an injured comrade securely using only one hand leaving their other hand free to carry and fire their weapon if required Disadvantages editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed July 2023 Learn how and when to remove this message In firefighting smoke and heat are greater higher up and may be fatal to the person being carried The person carried is largely outside the rescuer s field of vision and almost all vital areas are out of the rescuer s view Thus dangerous changes in their condition can be missed and an inexperienced rescuer can inadvertently create or further compound injuries via collision with obstacles Furthermore the rescuer s obstructed peripheral vision puts both persons at risk if the incident that caused the injury is still ongoing fire combat public disturbances etc It is also harder to get a patient onto a rescuer s shoulders than it is to drag a patient by their shoulders The fireman s carry presents severe hazards if the person being carried has or may have a spinal injury and should be avoided It is an easy way to carry the person injured away and get them to safety before any other injuries happen Current practice in firefighting editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed July 2023 Learn how and when to remove this message The fireman s carry utilizing back and shoulder strength is engineered as an emergency measure to optimize power endurance and mobility As such it may not be applicable where there is ongoing hazard the carried person is larger than the rescuer the rescuer is otherwise unable to move the victim at all or it is imperative to cross significant distances quickly It is by no means appropriate when a stretcher is available and a viable alternative or when the rescuer has the size and strength to easily carry the subject in a gentler more compassionate and considerate hold Currently the technique preferred in firefighting involves dragging a person by the shoulders or upper clothing in a supine position across the floor or ground This uses the rescuer s upper legs the strongest muscles in the body to push against the floor for leverage in order to pull the person towards an exit This technique is also easier for rescuers who may be younger or of smaller size or stature In addition dragging by the shoulders helps avoid stressing a potentially injured spine citation needed Dragging by the feet can cause head injuries due to the victim s head bouncing on the floor References edit a b United States Army The Warrior Ethos and Soldier Combat Skills Chapter 3 Combat Casualty Care and Preventive Medicine Accessed June 12 2010External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fireman s carry Web Version of U S Army FM 3 21 75 The Warrior Ethos and Soldier Combat Skills Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fireman 27s carry amp oldid 1216579913, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
