Care Under Fire is the care rendered by the first responder/CLS at the scene of the injury while still under effective hostile fire. Available medical equipment is limited to that carried by the individual responder or casualty (JFAK or a CLS bag). Remember: Always use the casualty’s JFAK first.
The critical feature of CUF is that the casualty and responder/CLS are still under effective hostile fire.
The mission does not stop just because there is a casualty. Most battlefield casualty scenarios involve making medical and tactical decisions rapidly. In the combat environment, there is no “time-out” when casualties occur. Good medicine can sometimes be bad tactics; doing the RIGHT thing at the WRONG time can get you and your teammates killed or cause the mission to fail.
Order of initial actions will be dictated by the tactical situation. Little time is available to provide casualty care while under effective enemy fire. Suppressing hostile fire and gaining fire superiority should be the priority to minimize the risk of injury to other personnel and minimize additional injury to the casualty while completing the mission. Personnel may need to assist in returning fire instead of stopping to care for casualties (this includes the casualty if still able to fight). Wounded Service members who are exposed to enemy fire should be directed to continue to return fire, move as quickly as possible to any nearby cover, and perform self-aid, if able.
Remember: Do not become a casualty! Assess the situation and the risk. Suppress enemy fire and gain fire superiority first. Communicate with the casualty (return fire, move to cover, self-aid), and develop a plan before moving to care for a casualty under fire.