SEAL Survival Guide (73 page)
Read SEAL Survival Guide Online
Authors: Cade Courtley
When tragedy occurs, it always comes down like a hammer. The human body is an incredibly resilient machine capable of withstanding the unthinkable. On the other hand, we are not indestructible, and our bodies can be so unpredictably fragile that a life can be lost within moments. It’s almost guaranteed that there will be injuries when unexpected life-threatening situations occur. You may survive an initial ordeal, but if you lack the knowledge of how to stop a wound from bleeding or what to do if bitten by a snake . . . you’re done.
Whether you survive a lethal situation will often depend on whether you have some understanding of how to apply basic medical emergency techniques. The information I provide here is designed for educational use only and is not a substitute for specific training or experience. One of the very best pieces of advice I can give regarding survival is that you should go and get some medical training, because when bad things happen, people get hurt.
During an actual emergency you’ll have no time to flip through a book and learn—and being ill prepared, regardless of your other strengths or abilities, could be your death knell. Believe me, you do not want to stand by helplessly if someone you care for is in dire need of immediate care. If a dangerous situation were to occur and you were unable to help, it would haunt you and leave a mark for a long time. At a minimum, you should attend a basic first-aid class and get your CPR certification.
Several years ago, when I was considering becoming a firefighter in Los Angeles, I trained and became a nationally certified EMT. I knew
how important these skills were as a SEAL. Even though I decided to go a different route, the invaluable knowledge I learned as an EMT enabled me on several occasions to save lives.
Every SEAL platoon has two highly trained medical personnel called corpsmen. When I say “highly trained,” I mean they not only perform lifesaving surgical procedures but do so while avoiding bullets and explosions all around them. It’s been proven that getting everyone out alive often comes down to how quickly lifesaving techniques are performed at the onset of an injury—and these guys are the best!
STEP UP AND HELP!
In life-or-death situations you must do everything you can to survive and to help others survive. I believe strongly that we as humans have an obligation to provide aid, or a
duty to act.
As I mentioned earlier in this book, I recently came upon the scene of a pedestrian who had been struck by a car. As I approached the lifeless, bleeding body, I was amazed at the group of people who were just standing there and staring. Learning medical techniques makes you a leader and lifesaver in such situations.
Good Samaritan laws were established across the country beginning in 1959 to protect you from liability if, in good faith, you attempt to render emergency care at the scene of an emergency and you are doing so as to not exceed basic lifesaving techniques or beyond your level of training. But don’t attempt to conduct certain medical procedures beyond your level of training or “scope of practice,” or you may have to deal with legal repercussions. For example: You come across an unconscious person and begin CPR and mouth-to-mouth breathing. Even if this person died, you would be protected by the Good Samaritan Law. However, if you attempted to stop bleeding in the brain by removing the skullcap and plugging the hole with a sock . . . well,
that’s not in the spirit of the Good Samaritan Law and you might be in some trouble with that call.
I am bringing this up only to further stress the importance of receiving medical training. That said, each situation will be different, and you will decide what you can or will do depending on the survival scenario encountered.
Casualty Assessment
If you arrive at a scene where someone else is injured, the first and most important thing to do is a scene size-up. You must quickly identify possible hazards and decide whether it is safe to enter or stay at this location. The last thing you want to do is rush in to help, only to become one of the injured because of falling debris, an explosion, toxic fumes, or violence, for example. Maintain your situational awareness, because things can change quickly. Continually assess the scene for unusual characteristics such as sounds, smells, or things that seem odd.
As a general rule, you don’t want to move an injured person for fear they may have a spinal injury. It is best to attempt to give aid at the location at which you found someone and leave issues of transport to professional medical responders. However, if failing to move someone from a hazardous area means risk of further injury or death, then get them out of there.
A very relevant and disturbing example of the importance of scene size-up is the tactic that the “animals” (insurgents) in Iraq liked to use. This particular brand of despicable individuals would explode an IED or car bomb at a scene. They would then wait for military medics or first responders and ambulances to arrive to give aid to the injured. Ignoring all humane laws established in the Geneva Conventions, and regardless of whether the medics wore the international insignia designating that they were there only to practice medicine, these insurgents would then detonate another bomb, oftentimes a larger explosive device, killing those who were trying to help. Like I said—animals.
Get into Action
If you were injured or involved in the incident, you must evaluate your own condition and treat it before you attempt to help others. In my experience on the SEAL teams, this meant that if we were in a firefight, for instance, and I got wounded, it was expected that I would attend to and work on my own injuries. Everybody else had their hands full with the fight. I didn’t want or expect anyone to focus on my injuries when we were in an actively hostile situation. When you see a teammate injured, a guy who is closer to you than a brother, your immediate instinct is to go and help. But the priority must be to win the fight first or instead of one man down, there will be two.
SEALs say: “Self-aid, then buddy aid.”
Take care of your own injuries, if possible, because the rest of the guys are taking care of the guys who gave you the injuries. This is also an example of what is now referred to as CUF (“care under fire”).