Preparation of The Stretcher
The stretcher must be unfolded, and the hinges secured and tested: a first responder presses the cloth with his knee at several points. When a vacuum mattress is used, it must be put on the stretcher, and the balls must be evenly distributed. A blanket is often used since hypothermia is a major risk for a casualty. The blanket must be wrapped around the casualty to avoid the heat leak from below (this is not necessary when the stretcher has a mattress, e.g. a vacuum mattress, or in case of an ambulance stretcher). For this purpose, the blanket is put before the lifting, and folded in a specific way:
- the blanket is laid so the diagonal is along the axis of the stretcher;
- the corners are put on the centre of the stretcher;
- the folded part are then rolled towards the stretcher;
- the rolls are then put under the blanket, so they will not unroll spontaneously; the corners are sticking out so they can be pulled.
Read more about this topic: Casualty Lifting
Famous quotes containing the words preparation of the, preparation of and/or preparation:
“With memory set smarting like a reopened wound, a man’s past is not simply a dead history, an outworn preparation of the present: it is not a repented error shaken loose from the life: it is a still quivering part of himself, bringing shudders and bitter flavours and the tinglings of a merited shame.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)
“With memory set smarting like a reopened wound, a man’s past is not simply a dead history, an outworn preparation of the present: it is not a repented error shaken loose from the life: it is a still quivering part of himself, bringing shudders and bitter flavours and the tinglings of a merited shame.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)
“Living each day as a preparation for the next is an exciting way to live. Looking forward to something is much more fun than looking back at something—and much more constructive. If we can prepare ourselves so that we never have to think, “Oh, if I had only known, if I had only been ready,” our lives can really be the great adventure we so passionately want them to be.”
—Hortense Odlum (1892–?)