Considering the poor English used, I think this is what's meant:

- if a person has died, the red mat should be used on the stretcher to transport the body
- if a person has sustained an injury (such as a broken arm), the black mat should be used on the stretcher

Just a guess really.

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Note added at 2 hrs 2 mins (2004-08-02 13:53:10 GMT)
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Dear randa2,
I cannot profess any knowledge in the context of technology and technique of changing mats on a multi-mat stretcher... Though I am sure it cannot be quite as complicated as one might imagine.

Whoever summons the rescuer probably tells him what kind of accident has happened, so the rescuer should select the appropriate mat. Perhaps the mats are only for indicating the type of accident, but they might also be different with respect to their characteristics and properties.

Regarding changing mats on the stretcher, I have no idea. It\'s possible that it\'s a two-level stretcher, or maybe a two-sided stretcher. But maybe the mats have to be put on the stretcher beforehand, e.g. remove the red mat & put on the black mat before dispatching to the injured person (and vice versa).

There isn\'t much context to analyze it much further.
I hope this helps you :-]