FM 4-25.11 First Aid — 2002
FM 4-25.11 (FM 21-11), First Aid is a 227-page U.S. military field manual published in December 2002 for teaching service members how to provide immediate first aid when medical personnel are not immediately available. The manual covers both self-aid and buddy aid, with an emphasis on recognizing life-threatening conditions, taking prompt action, and continuing to monitor an injured or ill person until medical help takes over. It was approved for public release with unlimited distribution.
The book begins with the fundamentals of first aid and an explanation of vital body functions, including breathing, circulation, and the effects of oxygen deprivation. It then moves into basic emergency measures for airway problems, breathing difficulties, bleeding, shock, and casualty evaluation. The manual includes extensive illustrated instructions and procedures throughout, making it a practical historical reference rather than simply a discussion of first-aid theory.
What You’ll Find Inside
- Fundamentals of First Aid — casualty evaluation, vital body functions, breathing, circulation, oxygen deprivation, bleeding, shock, and infection.
- Basic First-Aid Measures — opening an airway, rescue breathing, airway obstructions, controlling bleeding, dressings, pressure techniques, tourniquets, and treatment for shock.
- Injury and Wound Care — head, neck, facial, chest, and abdominal injuries, burns, dressings, and bandaging techniques.
- Fractures and Immobilization — recognizing suspected fractures and using splints, padding, slings, swathes, and other methods for immobilization.
- Heat and Cold Injuries — heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, frostbite, immersion foot, trench foot, and other climatic injuries.
- Bites and Stings — snakebites, human and animal bites, marine animals, spiders, scorpions, insects, and allergic reactions.
- Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Emergencies — first-aid considerations for chemical and biological agents, nerve agents, blister agents, choking agents, blood agents, toxins, incendiaries, and nuclear detonation injuries.
- Psychological First Aid — emotional distress, stress reactions, combat and operational stress, and ways of providing psychological support.
- First-Aid Kits and Supplies — field first-aid cases, general-purpose kits, dressings, standard bandages, and triangular or cravat bandages.
- Rescue and Transportation — principles of rescue, casualty handling, positioning, evacuation, manual carries, and improvised litters.
One of the most interesting features of this manual is its extensive collection of period military illustrations and diagrams showing first-aid procedures, bandaging, casualty positioning, fracture immobilization, and other techniques. The illustrations give the book the look and feel of an actual field-training manual from the early 2000s.
Historical reference note: This is a 2002 military training manual. Medical practices and recommendations can change, so the book is best viewed as a historical first-aid and emergency-preparedness reference rather than a substitute for current first-aid training or modern medical guidance.
