What is the fore-and-aft carry?

Answer 1

The two-man fore-and-aft carry is used to transport a conscious or unconscious casualty and is the preferred two-man carry for moving a casualty for a long distance.

• Position the casualty on his back with his arms by his side.
• The taller of the two bearers kneels at the casualty's head and faces toward the casualty's feet, slides his hands under the casualty's arms and across the casualty's chest, and locks his hands together over the casualty's chest.
• The second bearer spreads the casualty's legs, kneels between the casualty's legs with his back to the other bearer, and grasps under the casualty's knees.
• Both bearers rise together, lifting the casualty.

Answer 2

"The fore-and-aft lift can be used for lifting a patient from the ground or from a chair (etc), to a stretcher. This lift can be used when the patient's injuries permit. A major consideration is that during the lift, the patient's spine and limbs will be flexed which could aggravate any injuries present." - St. John Ambulance Advanced Training Module: Stretcher Handling & Patient Lifts

Basically we use it for a patient who can't get up on his/her own, but doesn't have any physical trauma that would counterindicate using such a lift.

If the patient has injuries or is too large, you should use a clamshell or spine board instead.

Also remember that the fore-and-aft is a lift, not a carry, and as such it should only be used to put a patient on a stretcher, not to carry them any sort of distance.