Hospital emergency staff lack the experience of trench rescue and must be aware of their limitations when assisting in pre-hospital scenarios such as entrapments, caution NICK CASTLE and ROBERT OWEN

For most emergency nurses, rescue is something that happens in the pre-hospital phase of patient management. Even for those who are regularly involved in prehospital care, typically as part of mobile medical teams (MMTs), exposure to rescue situations is typically limited to patients trapped in cars following road traffic accidents.