(Modern Survival.org) – Disaster can strike anywhere, at any time. When it does, people often sustain injuries and need to be moved out of danger. This becomes much more complicated when the person is unconscious or incapacitated. If you’re facing a situation where a loved one is knocked out cold, and you have to move them to safety, do you know how to do it without injuring yourself in the process?
Daniel Shaw, a retired US Marine, is here to explain how to move someone using a fireman’s carry in the following video:
Before moving an individual who may have injuries, you have to be sure the risk of the environment is greater than the risk of causing additional harm. Fires, building collapse, or hordes of angry rioters are valid reasons to pick up a downed comrade and move them to a safer location.
A fireman’s carry is one way to pick up the dead weight of another person while reducing the risk of injury to yourself. To begin, place the person on their back, grab around the knees, and move the person’s feet in toward their body. Next, stand on the individual’s feet to stabilize them while you begin to lift.
From this point, reach down, grab the person’s arm, and extend it out. Begin to pull them up using this arm as you bend over. While holding their arm with one hand, place your other arm between their legs. Get your shoulder deep into their lower abdomen, then lift with your legs. For added stability, you can clasp their hand hanging in front of you with the hand securing their leg—leaving you a free arm to move debris or perform other actions while you move to a safer location.
Make sure to lift with your legs while performing a fireman’s carry. Throwing your back out will seriously hamper any attempts to rescue a downed friend.
To ensure you can perform this maneuver when time is of the essence, practice it with friends and family. If you have kids, they will have fun getting carried around while you hone your survival skills.
~Here’s to Your Survival!
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