What should be done before lifting a patient in a hazardous environment?

Before lifting a patient in a hazardous environment, evaluating the hazards and planning accordingly is crucial. This step ensures that the EMT assesses the surrounding conditions, identifies potential threats, and formulates a strategy to safely perform the lift while minimizing risk to both the patient and the responders.

By evaluating hazards, EMTs can determine whether certain risks, such as unstable surfaces, potential traffic, or environmental dangers, can be managed or if help from additional personnel is necessary. Planning will include considerations for the safest lifting techniques and the use of equipment, if needed, to avoid injury to both the patient and the EMTs involved. This proactive approach not only protects the EMTs from injury but also enhances the safety and efficacy of care provided to the patient, ensuring that a thorough assessment precedes any physical actions taken in a potentially dangerous situation.