During a hostile incident, what is the primary purpose of 'sift and sort' procedures?

• A. Sorting equipment
• B. Sorting and prioritizing triage and treatment
• C. Sorting by color
• D. Sorting by age

Answer: (B)

During a hostile incident, the main goal of sift and sort is to rapidly identify casualties who need immediate life-saving care and organize them for quick treatment and evacuation, so scarce resources are used where they will save the most lives. This is all about triage decisions—deciding who requires immediate intervention, who can wait, and how to allocate treatment and transport—rather than sorting by equipment, age, or color (color may be used to communicate status, but the focus is on urgency and patient flow).