FM 21-11 First Aid for Soldiers

Preface

Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C., October 27, 1988

This manual meets the emergency medical training needs of individual soldiers. Because medical personnel will not always be readily available, the nonmedical soldiers will have to rely heavily on their own skills and knowledge of life-sustaining methods to survive on the integrated battlefield. This manual also addresses first aid measures for other life-threatening situations. It outlines both self-treatment (self-aid) and aid to other soldiers (buddy aid). More importantly, this manual emphasizes prompt and effective action in sustaining life and preventing or minimizing further suffering. First aid is the emergency care given to the sick, injured, or wounded before being treated by medical personnel. The Army Dictionary defines first aid as "urgent and immediate lifesaving and other measures which can be performed for casualties by nonmedical personnel when medical personnel are not immediately available." Nonmedical soldiers have received basic first aid training and should remain skilled in the correct procedures for giving first aid. Mastery of first aid procedures is also part of a group study training program entitled the Combat Lifesaver (DA Pam 351-20). A combat lifesaver is a nonmedical soldier who has been trained to provide emergency care. This includes administering intravenous infusions to casualties as his combat mission permits. Normally, each squad, team, or crew will have one member who is a combat lifesaver. This manual is directed to all soldiers. The procedures discussed apply to all types of casualties and the measures described are for use by both male and female soldiers.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitative (CPR) procedures were deleted from this manual. These procedures are not recognized as essential battlefield skills that all soldiers should be able to perform. Management and treatment of casualties on the battlefield has demonstrated that incidences of cardiac arrest are usually secondary to other injuries requiring immediate first aid. Other first aid procedures, such as controlling hemorrhage are far more critical and must be performed well to save lives. Learning and maintaining CPR skills is time and resource intensive. CPR has very little practical application to battlefield first aid and is not listed as a common task for soldiers. The Academy of Health Sciences, US Army refers to the American Heart Association for the CPR standard. If a nonmedical soldier desires to learn CPR, he may contact his supporting medical treatment facility for the appropriate information. All medical personnel, however, must maintain proficiency in CPR and may be available to help soldiers master the skill. The US Army's official reference for CPR is FM 8-230.

This manual has been designed to provide a ready reference for the individual soldier on first aid. Only the information necessary to support and sustain proficiency in first aid has been boxed and the task number has been listed. In addition, these first aid tasks for Skill Level 1 have been listed in Appendix G. The task number, title, and specific paragraph of the appropriate information is provided in the event a cross-reference is desired.

Acknowledgement

Grateful acknowledgement is made to the American Heart Association for their permission to use the copyrighted material.

Commercial Products

Commercial products (trade names or trademarks) mentioned in this publication are to provide descriptive information and for illustrative purposes only. Their use does not imply endorsement by the Department of Defense.

Standardization Agreements

The provisions of this publication are the subject of international agreement(s):

NATO STANAG                                      TITLE

2122 Medical Training in First Aid, Basic Hygiene and Emergency Care

2126 First Aid Kits and Emergency Medical Care Kits

2358 Medical First Aid and Hygiene Training In NBC Operations

2871 First Aid Material for Chemical Injuries

Neutral Language

Unless this publication states otherwise, masculine nouns and pronouns do not refer exclusively to men.

Appendixes

Appendix A is a listing of the contents of the First Aid Case and Kits.

Appendix B discusses some casualty transportation procedures. Much is dependent upon the manner in which a casualty is rescued and transported.

Appendix C outlines some basic principles that promote good health. The health of the individual soldier is an important factor in conserving the fighting strength. History has often demonstrated that the course of the battle is influenced more by the health of the soldier than by strategy or tactics.

Appendix E discusses application of digital pressure and illustrates pressure points.

Appendix F discusses specific information on decontamination procedures.

Appendix G is a listing of Skill Level 1 common tasks.

Proponent Statement

The proponent of this publication is the Academy of Health Sciences, US Army Submit changes for improving this publication on DA Form 2028 directly to Commandant, Academy of Health Sciences, US Army, ATTN: HSHA-CD, Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234-6100.

Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited.

The listing of any non-Federal product in this CD is not an endorsement of the product itself, but simply an acknowledgement of the source. 

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