The training was to teach Soldiers how to save lives d... VIEW ORIGINAL
The Soldiers trained in Eagle First Responder (EFR) to better prepare themselves to save lives during their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
"Eagle First Responder gives you a little bit more in depth than other basic Combat Life Saver classes," said Pvt. Samantha M. Lupree, a medic with HHC, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st BCT. "It's a little bit more descriptive and it teaches it in a different way. It's good for those situations where you need a medic but you have to treat these life threats that we cannot get to in time."
The class described three different situations where different types of medical care would be given: care under fire, which happens during engagements; tactical field care which is when the patient has been moved to a safer area; medical evacuation of the patient to a hospital for further treatment.
The Soldiers were taught several different life saving techniques with both demonstration, hands-on and a test at the end of the training. One of the techniques was applying tourniquets.
"We taught hasty tourniquets and deliberate tourniquets," said Lupree. "Hasty is high and tight, over the uniform. When you're getting shot at, this is what you do to save their life before you can get to a safer situation.
"Transfer it to a deliberate, which is a tourniquet that we put down lower on the skin directly; stops the bleeding where it's at," continued Lupree. "We save as much tissue on whatever limb is affected as possible."
The class also taught the Soldiers how to use an emergency bandage, commonly referred to as an Israeli Dressing.
"We got our emergency bandage, which is basically for more minor wounds like lacerations, where you don't quite need a tourniquet but you still need to control the bleed," said Lupree. "It's a pressure dressing; doesn't apply as much pressure as a tourniquet but will still get the job done."
The Soldiers also learned how to apply seals to sucking chest wounds to prevent air from entering. Lupree stated that even after applying a seal, the patient is still in danger.
"Now when we put the chest seal on, we'll most likely be causing tension pneumothorax, which is pressure buildup in the chest," said Lupree. "So we taught them how to burp the wound, how to check for other wounds and minimize it from getting too severe.
"Burping the wound is when you glove or sanitize your finger, and you have to lift up the side of the chest seal," Lupree added. "You stick your finger down into the wound and you are essentially releasing air, popping the bubble inside the chest."
The last thing the class was taught was three different ways to carry a patient: fireman's carry, fore-and-aft carry and seated carry.
"We taught the fireman's carry, basically lift the person up, go arm between their legs and throw them up on your shoulders," said Lupree.
"Second one we taught was the fore-and-aft," continued Lupree. "It takes two people. One person goes behind the patient, sits them up and clasps their hands in front of the patient's chest. The second person will go in between the patient's legs and carry them around the calf or knee, and they will lift together carrying the patient in a laying position.
"The last one is the seated carry," Lupree added. "Both people will grab one arm, with the other arm at the wrist, and then with the open hand you grab the other person's arm. This creates a seat for a patient to sit on."
Lupree said the training went really well, with each class responding effectively and testing really well. She also said participation was high and there were good questions with sincere and concise training.
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