What is the purpose of buddy aid?

• A. Escort the casualty to safety
• B. Emergency actions to restore or maintain vital body functions
• C. Administer decon kits
• D. Record exposure times

Answer: (B)

Buddy aid focuses on the immediate, on-the-spot actions that keep a casualty alive by preserving or quickly restoring the body’s vital functions. This means prioritizing airway, breathing, and circulation (the ABCs) and addressing life-threatening conditions until further help can take over. By opening or securing the airway, providing rescue breaths or CPR if trained, controlling severe bleeding, and preparing the casualty for rapid evacuation, buddy aid directly aims to prevent deterioration and save lives in the critical moments after injury or exposure.

Other tasks like escorting the casualty to safety, performing decontamination, or recording exposure times are important in their own contexts, but they’re not the on-scene life-saving actions that buddy aid is designed to provide.