A small car and tanker truck loaded with gasoline have collided. The car is lodged under the tanker, from which gasoline is leaking from a ruptured valve. The car engine is smoking and the threat of fire and explosion is great. Assessment reveals your patient to be unresponsive with a patent airway, but breathing with difficulty at 8 times a minute. In caring for this patient, your immediate action should be to:

Question

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In this scenario, the threat of fire and explosion is great, and the leak in the tanker truck loaded with gasoline can cause a massive blast. Therefore, the priority is to rapidly extricate the patient from the wreckage to a safe area away from the leaking gasoline to prevent injury from a possible explosion. As the patient has an unresponsive airway with breathing difficulty at 8 times a minute, the rescuer can provide manual stabilization of the cervical spine while rapidly removing the patient from the car, clear the airway, provide high-flow oxygen, and initiate positive pressure ventilation if necessary as soon as possible. Obtaining vital signs can be performed while moving the patient to a safe area. Suctioning can be performed en route to the safe area. Placing the vest immobilization device is necessary before extrication if there is a suspected spinal injury.

A Small Car and Tanker Truck Loaded with Gasoline Have