ABSTRACT
Of the many controversial issues surrounding the prehospital management of the victims of trauma, the decision to evacuate or stabilize on site is probably the one most often criticized. In a mass casualty situation this decision takes on a much greater significance. In brief, a multi-casualty incident can be defined as an incident where more than one patient requires transportation and treatment, but where the local facilities are able to cope. Since the very first ambulance units were formed, speedy evacuation from the scene of wounding has been a major objective in the management of the injured. Since the 1960s there has been growing concern over the management of civilian victims of trauma, not least in the standard of prehospital care which they receive. Globally, there is an increasing awareness of the need to correctly treat the seriously injured before evacuation to hospital and we are gradually acquiring the skills, expertise, equipment and personnel to do so.
