A fireman's carry or fireman's lift is a technique allowing one person to carry another person without assistance, by placing the carried person across the shoulders of the carrier.

The technique was commonly used by firefighter

Firefighter

Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...

s to carry injured or unconscious

Unconsciousness

Unconsciousness is the condition of being not conscious—in a mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli. Being in a comatose state or coma is a type of unconsciousness. Fainting due to a drop in blood pressure and a...

 people away from danger, but has been replaced in firefighting due to the drawback that smoke and heat are greater higher up, and may be fatal to the person being carried.

The "fireman's carry" technique is still taught for use outside of firefighting. Soldier

Soldier

A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...

s use this technique to carry wounded comrades. Lifeguard

Lifeguard

A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...

s are sometimes trained to use the fireman's carry.

Many professional wrestling

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

 moves

Professional wrestling moves

Professional wrestling moves can refer to several types of moves used against opponents in professional wrestling, including:*Professional wrestling aerial techniques*Professional wrestling attacks*Professional wrestling double-team maneuvers...

 such as Death Valley driver, Samoan drop, F-5 and others include this technique.

The "fireman's carry" was once used by Judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

 founder Kanō Jigorō

Kano Jigoro

was the founder of judo. Judo was the first Japanese martial art to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical innovations attributed to Kanō include the use of black and white belts, and the introduction of dan ranking to show the...

 as an unexpected method to defeat a tough opponent. Its success inspired the creation of the Judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

 technique known as kata guruma

Kata Guruma

is one of the traditional forty throws of Judo as developed by Kano Jigoro, is detailed in Kano's writings as borrowed from a book on western wrestling. Kata guruma belongs to the third group of the traditional throwing list in the Gokyo no waza of the Kodokan Judo. It is also part of the...

.

Advantages

Carrying someone in this manner has several advantages over other methods of moving another person. The subject's torso is fairly level, which helps prevent further injuries. When the subject's weight is evenly distributed over both shoulders, it is easier to carry them for a longer distance (50 feet or more).

The fireman's carry is preferred over a single-shoulder carry if someone is seriously hurt or if the person must be carried for a considerable amount of time. A person being carried over one shoulder would experience more jarring as his or her body is dangling more freely over the carrier's shoulder. Also, blood

Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....

 would be unevenly distributed if someone was dangling upside-down over the carrier's shoulder for an extended period of time. This could also be a very uncomfortable position for the carried person if he or she is still conscious.

Disadvantages

In firefighting, smoke and heat are greater higher up, and may be fatal to the person being carried.

Current practice in firefighting

Currently, the technique preferred in firefighting involves dragging a person by the shoulders or upper clothing in a supine position

Supine position

The supine position is a position of the body: lying down with the face up, as opposed to the prone position, which is face down, sometimes with the hands behind the head or neck. When used in surgical procedures, it allows access to the peritoneal, thoracic and pericardial regions; as well as the...

across the floor or ground. This uses the rescuer's upper legs (the strongest muscles in the body) to push against the floor for leverage in order to pull the person towards an exit. This technique is also easier for rescuers who may be younger or of smaller size or stature. In addition, dragging, especially feet first, helps avoid stressing a potentially injured spine.