Every militia member should be able to stop serious bleeding, treat shock, splint a limb, move a casualty and recognise when to evacuate, with a medical team of 2 to 3 people trained beyond that and a collection point agreed in advance. The corpus’s own first-aid pages give different times for direct pressure before a tourniquet, so the medical team must settle one written rule and teach only that.
Part of Community Militia Training
Casualty care in a militia is the basic first aid every member knows, the trained medical team and the arrangements for collecting, treating and moving injured people.
Two Levels Of Skill
The parent article lists what every member should know: stopping bleeding (direct pressure, tourniquets, wound packing), treating shock, splinting fractures, moving casualties and when to evacuate rather than treat in place, and names 2 to 3 members for advanced training in wound closure, burn treatment and infection management, protected from the most dangerous positions. The skills themselves are in the first-aid pages of the corpus: First Aid, Bleeding Control, Tourniquet Use, Wound Packing, Shock Treatment and Splinting. This article is about organising them for a group; it gives no new treatment.
The Corpus Disagrees About Bleeding Times
The pages above do not give one rule for how long to hold direct pressure before escalating.
| Page | Stated time |
|---|---|
| First Aid | Pressure for a minimum of 15 minutes without lifting |
| Bleeding Control | 10 full minutes without lifting |
| Tourniquet Use | A tourniquet for arterial limb bleeding that does not stop with 10 minutes of pressure |
| Improvised Tourniquet | A last resort if pressure fails to control bleeding after 3 to 5 minutes |
The Bleeding Control page itself says an arterial bleed can be fatal in as little as 3 to 5 minutes. I cannot settle this clinically, and I change no figure here. The shorter threshold is the more cautious reading for a spurting limb bleed. Whoever leads the medical team should read all four pages, decide one rule, write it in the group’s own protocol and teach only that; members who have learned two different rules hesitate. Flagged for review.
Worked Example: Medical Team Size
The parent gives a medical team of 2 to 3 for a community of 20 to 50. For an accident on watch such as a fall, one casualty needs at least 2 people on care and 2 or more to carry (four bearers for a 70 kg casualty, 19.5 kg each; see Physical Fitness). So the medical team of 2 to 3 handles care, and the bearers come from the rest of the group, which is why every member must know how to move a casualty and why the collection point must be close to the posts.
What You Need
- A collection point agreed in advance, concealed from outside view and reachable by stretcher from every post, with water, light and shelter.
- A medical kit at the point and a smaller one with each patrol (Personal Equipment Standards).
- Stretchers or the materials for them (Stretcher Building).
- A trained medical team who do not stand ordinary watch on the night they are on call.
- A written protocol for each of the skills above.
Method: Training Casualty Care In The Group
Step 1: Teach everyone the basic skills in short sessions with demonstration and practice on a partner (Skill Demonstrations).
Step 2: Run a casualty drill at each monthly exercise: a casualty is found, reported, treated and carried to the collection point against the clock.
Step 3: Rehearse triage in principle. With several casualties, treat first those who can be saved with the resources at hand, not the loudest (Medical Emergencies).
Step 4: Treat anyone who is hurt. The parent’s rule is that someone who surrenders or is incapacitated is no longer a combatant: provide basic care and detain if necessary.
Step 5: Care for the carers. After an incident, check on the members who gave and saw the care (Structured Check-Ins, Buddy System for Trauma).
Common Mistakes
- Training one person only. When that person is the casualty, no one else knows.
- Medical team on every watch. They are exhausted when needed.
- Practising on live limbs with real tourniquets. Use trainers, or a brief controlled practice under the medical lead.
- Waiting for the “right” kit. Improvised materials work if people know how.
Safety
Blood and infection
Blood can carry infection. Wash hands, use gloves or a barrier when you can, and clean everything afterwards (Infection Prevention). Note the time a tourniquet was applied and send the casualty on for care; the Tourniquet Use page advises against loosening it in the field.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Communication Protocols — calling for help in a clear form
- Combine with: Equipment and Logistics — keeping the kits stocked