When would you apply a tourniquet?

• A. During Care Under Fire
• B. After Evacuation
• C. In Hospital
• D. During Transport

Answer: (A)

When there’s life-threatening bleeding from an injured limb while danger is still present, the quickest, most effective action is to apply a tourniquet immediately to stop the hemorrhage. This happens during Care Under Fire because the priority is to control life-threatening bleeding right away, even as you’re moving to safety or continuing to operate under threat. A tourniquet can be applied rapidly and doesn’t require a safe environment or full equipment, making it the best first step in this moment to prevent rapid blood loss and save the casualty’s life. Once the casualty is stabilized enough to evacuate or reach a safer area, further care can be provided, but the critical hemorrhage control is done during the care under fire phase.