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APPENDIX K

EVACUATION OF CASUALTIES FROM AN APC

Section I. INTRODUCTION

Mechanized infantry moves and fights mounted whenever possible. If platoon members are wounded or injured while in the APC, they will require evacuation.

To evacuate casualties quickly every man in the platoon must know the evacuation procedures for different vehicle positions, such as vehicle upright, turned on either side, or overturned. This appendix covers the procedures to follow for different situations.

Observe for Vehicle Fire. When an APC is found that has been hit by enemy fire or damaged by a mine, it should be inspected to determine the extent of damage and to find out if there is a danger of fire. The externally fixed fire extinguisher handle should be pulled and a portable fire extinguisher readied, if the threat of fire exists. The handles for the fixed fire extinguisher on the inside are in the driver's compartment and on the top left side of the APC. The fixed fire extinguisher is used to extinguish a fire in the engine compartment. The portable fire extinguisher is used to suppress a fire in the troop compartment. Open hatches and working exit points should be identified to plan the swift evacuation of casualties.

Move Vehicle to Safe Location. If the vehicle can move under its own power, it should be moved to a safe place before evacuating casualties. If the driver is wounded and cannot operate the vehicle, he should be removed through the troop compartment, replaced, and the vehicle driven to a safe location.

Check and Treat Casualty. Too rapid an evacuation of a casualty may cause further injury Before a casualty is evacuated, he should be checked thoroughly to discover the full extent of his injuries, and first aid should be administered to those wounds requiring immediate attention. There may be some instances, though, when the casualty should be evacuated immediately. For instance, if the vehicle is burning or when conditions inside the APC do not allow for effective evaluation of injuries.

Evacuate Casualty. After giving the necessary first aid, the casualty's CVC helmet should be disconnected or helmet removed and his seat belt released. If the vehicle is on its side or overturned, he must be supported before the seat belt is released, to prevent additional injuries. He is then evacuated.

Before evacuation, the load-carrying equipment (LCE) should be removed from casualties in the troop compartment so that the equipment does not catch on anything during evacuation.

To evacuate a casualty, individual soldiers must know what exits are available. The APC has five exits: TL/gunner's hatch, driver's hatch, cargo hatch, ramp door, and ramp. Some may be used to evacuate any of the occupants, and others are used to evacuate specific occupants.

When possible, the gunner's hatch and driver's hatch will be the evacuation exit for the gunner and driver. If one or both of these exits is blocked, or if the tactical situation stops their use, casualties from these positions will be evacuated through the troop compartment and out the ramp door or the ramp.

The ramp will be the main exit used to evacuate casualties from the troop compartment. The ramp door will be used if the ramp cannot be opened. Casualties may also be evacuated through the cargo hatch if the ramp and ramp door do not work.

Section II. PROCEDURES FOR CASUALTY EVACUATION

The following procedures must be rehearsed so that the squad can effectively evacuate casualties.

When the driver's hatch is open and the situation allows, the driver is evacuated through the driver's hatch. The soldiers doing the evacuating will evacuate the driver after opening the hatch fully. One man will then lean head first into the hatch (assisted as necessary) to make sure that the engine is off. If possible, he will raise the seat to the full up position, unbuckle the driver's seat belt, and disconnect his CVC helmet. Depending on the driver's injuries, he will be lifted out, from the top, by two soldiers, helped by another from inside the vehicle. A pistol belt, placed around the driver's chest and under his arms, can be used to pull him out. Once he is on the top of the vehicle, he will be passed down to personnel on the ground.

The driver may have to be evacuated through the troop compartment and out the ramp, because his hatch is inoperable or the vehicle is receiving enemy fire, or due to some other tactical condition. The man closest to the driver checks to make sure that the engine is shut off. The driver's seat is lowered and pulled to the rear. The driver's seat belt is unbuckled and his CVC helmet disconnected. The driver is grasped under the arms or in another way, depending on his injuries. He then is pulled into the troop compartment. Care must be taken not to further injure the driver because of close quarters or protruding objects. He will be evacuated out the ramp.

If the vehicle is on its side, the driver must be supported while his seat belt is unbuckled, to prevent further injury. If the vehicle is on its left side, it takes two people to pull out the injured driver because the hatch opening will be next to the ground. If the vehicle is on its right side, four people will be needed to pull out the driver and to pass him down from the vehicle.

A soldier injured while occupying the gunner's position is pulled into the troop compartment. The CVC helmet is disconnected and removed and the soldier is then evacuated from the vehicle by the ramp or ramp door.

Injured persons in the troop compartment will be evacuated through the ramp, the ramp door, or the cargo hatch. The casualty's seat belt must be unbuckled before being evacuated through the most convenient exit.

The first steps in evacuating casualties are checking for injury and administering first aid, before evacuating the casualties from the vehicle. Casualties should be moved quickly but safely to the proper medical facility for further treatment. Prompt, sure action on the part of fellow soldiers to evacuate casualties to the rear, as stated in the unit SOP, will help increase their chances of survival and speed their return to their units.