EVAC / ERC
Mission
The Evacuation / En Route Care node prepares the casualty for transport to the next Role of care and executes that transport. ERC encompasses the clinical care delivered during transport — by team members, augmenting personnel, or dedicated en route care providers. The mission is continuous physiological stability across the handoff and across the movement.
Personnel & Task Organization
- En route care provider: qualifications match the casualty’s clinical state. A ventilated, transfusing patient requires a critical-care-capable provider; a stable T3 may require only a corpsman.
- Backfill: every provider sent on transport leaves a hole at the Role 2. Pre-planned backfill is part of the EVAC plan.
- Coordination: with the launching transport platform, with the receiving facility, with command operations.
Equipment & Logistics
- Transport ventilator with sufficient battery and gas for transport duration plus contingency.
- Portable monitor with vitals, ETCO2, SpO2; documentation of trends in transit.
- Blood for transport — cooled, accountable; sufficient for predicted needs plus margin.
- Oxygen for transport duration.
- Pharmacy — secured, transport-suitable, accountable through the transport.
- Communications during transit — with both originating and receiving facility.
Doctrinal References
- JP 4-02
- MCRP 4-11.1G
- JTS CPG: Joint En Route Care Guidelines (CoERCCC) (2025)
- JTS CPG: En Route Care Patient Packaging (21 Aug 2024)
- JTS CPG: Aeromedical Evacuation considerations
- Service-specific CASEVAC and MEDEVAC distinctions
Clinical Practice Guidelines
En Route Care bundle. Airway management in transport. Transfusion in transport. Hypothermia management on rotary-wing or austere ground transport.
Decision Points
| Decision | Trigger | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Evacuation precedence | Casualty clinical category and operational situation | Urgent / Priority / Routine per 9-line standard |
| Transport platform | Available platforms; weather; threat; distance; clinical need | Rotary, fixed-wing, ground, maritime as available |
| Provider escort decision | Clinical complexity vs. backfill cost | Match provider skill to casualty acuity |
| Abort criteria | Loss of capability in transport (oxygen, blood, monitoring); platform issue; new casualties at the Role 2 | Return to origin; reassess |
| Handoff | Arrival at receiving facility | Structured handoff with documentation |
Linked ELOs
| TLO | ELO | Primary or Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare to Receive | PR-8 (patient movement/evacuation plan) | Primary |
| Prepare to Receive | PR-10 (movement to/from team location) | Primary |
| Trauma Integration | TI-2 (continuum of care) | Primary |
| Trauma Integration | TI-3 (local asset integration) | Primary |
| Trauma Integration | TI-5 (documentation/reporting) | Primary |
| Trauma Integration | TI-6 (patient tracking continuity) | Primary |
Forms & Documentation
- 9-line MEDEVAC request.
- DA 4700 En Route Care Record with vitals trend and interventions.
- Receiving-facility handoff template.
- Continuity of DoDTR data fields.
Reference Imagery
Last reviewed: • OPSEC reviewed: