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DECIDING ON A COURSE OF ACTION

Troops are thoroughly trained in dealing with an emergency situation since it can be very shocking. Their first response should be to take deep breaths and then begin to assess the situation calmly, however traumatic it might appear. They then follow this step-by-step procedure. First, it is important to see if there are any new dangers present and establish who has been injured. In any accident situation, where there may be injured people, always check for dangers to yourself before approaching victims. Such dangers include electric cables, fires, gas pipes, falling debris, dangerous structures, or wreckage. If there are two or more persons present, one is put in charge to avoid confusion. They then follow the DATE system: • D iagnosis—working out quickly what the patient’s illness or injury is. • A ssessment—working out the best form of first-aid treatment. • T reatment—giving treatment to the injured person. • E vacuation—making sure that the patient is taken to a proper medical center or doctor if he or she is very ill or badly injured.

This soldier, taking part in a training exercise at Fort Polk, Louisiana, is taught to identify medical emergencies quickly. Once the problem is identified, he must then take appropriate action.