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 Ashes in the Snow
  
Location: Raleigh, NC
Gender: Male
Ladder Addict
 |  |  | Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
< on 1/18/2010 12:39 AM >
|  | | | Hey everyone,
I haven't seen a thread in regards to emergency first aid you can do to yourself, or other's safely with a little know how, and a few supplies. I know a lot of people carry first aid kits, which is great, but there are some other things that I think could help people.
DISCLAIMER: This thread is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this forum. I assume NO responsibility or liability for injuries sustained using the information found here.
So first off, why should I make the post about it? Well I'm not an EMT, but I have had extensive emergency first aid training. I am a lifeguard, Eagle Scout, and have been CPR certified since I was 12 years old (24 years old now).
I'll be updating this thread as things come to mind, and Im going to try to keep it specific to our type of hobby.
To begin with, Let's start with the first aid kit you carry. We like to keep things light in our hobby, so with that in mind, you decide what you think you will need to carry with you. I know this will vary on the location, and type of place it is. Also keep in mind how you have to access your destination (ie through woods, drain, over fence, etc). At a bare minimum, you should carry the following:
Latex Gloves (very important)
Regular band-aids (assorted sizes)
Antiseptic
Alcohol Swabs/wipes
4” by 4” Gauze pads
4” by 4” Dressing bandages
2” Dressing rolls
Medical Tape
Assorted sized bandages
Ibuprofen (pain, fever, etc)
Benadryl (bee stings)
Tweezers (remove ticks/splinters)
Scissors (Unless you carry a knife)
Just to highlight... Make sure you have latex gloves. Your skin is your first line of defense against blood born pathogens, but Latex gloves really help.
Some other things you might consider bringing with you just for emergency/secondary useful applications would be a compression strap like this:
Even the version with the plastic buckles will work great. Besides using this to strap things to your pack or what not, you can also improvise this to be used as a sling, or apply a splint, and in a worst case scenario, it can even be used as an emergency tourniquet.
OK, some first aid scenarios that could happen:
Minor cuts - Use your drinking water to clean the cut, even use some antiseptic if you have it or an alcohol wipe. Apply band aids as necessary.
Major cuts that result in moderate to bad bleeding - Wash with water if able, apply gauze/bandages as necessary and apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. Then apply clean gauze/bandages and medical tape to keep wound clean. If cut occurs on an arm/leg, and the bleeding is severe, press one of the 2 main arteries against a bone to slow the bleeding down. The Brachial Artery is located on the inside of your upper arm, and the Popliteal Artery is on the inside of your thigh. Pressing a flat palm against these places will slow the flow of blood. Be careful not to cut off circulation completely for long periods of time.
There is a 3rd artery, the Carotid artery located on your neck. This is the common artery used to check your pulse.
Broken Bones (Keep in mind, broken bones are serious injuries and require immediate medical attention. Try not to move the extremity that is broken b/c it could cause further damage to the body.)
Broken Arm/Collar bone - Immobilize the arm from moving/swaying. Put arm into sling either using a t-shirt, or rope, or strap, whatever you have.
How to make a Sling:
1. Fold a scarf or cloth into a triangle.
2. Put one end of the triangle at the shoulder of the uninjured arm. Let the triangle dangle down the chest.
3. Place the injured arm or bent elbow over the triangle dangling down the chest.
4. Pull the dangling portion of the triangle up to meet the end at the shoulder. The injured arm should be inside the triangle, elbow covered and fingers peeking out.
5. Tie the two ends together at the side of the neck—not at the back (you can damage the spine).
6. An ordinary safety pin will keep the sling in place. Using the safety pin, attach the point of the triangle at the elbow to the sling. (If you don't have a safety pin, twirl the point until the arm is snug, then make a knot.)
7. Make sure the hand is four to five inches higher than the elbow to keep the blood flow circulating and to decrease pain. Adjust the sling, if necessary.
Broken Leg/Shin - First, if the bone is protruding, clean the area, disinfect it, and keep it as clean as possible. Infection could yield in the loss of a limb. For a leg/shin break, you will need to splint the extremity. This will keep the leg from being able to bend, or move in a manner that will further damage the wound.
How to make a leg splint:
1. Get some rigid material long enough to extend at least from above the knee to below the heel. One possibility is to cut a foam sleeping pad to the right length and then fold it over to increase rigidity.
2. Gather materials to tie the splint into place. Any of the following will do: pack straps, rope, clothing, belts, bandannas, triangular bandages.
3. Make sure the leg is straight.
4. Place the splinting material along the underside of the leg, so that it extends from above the underside of the knee to below the heel.
5. Fold the splinting material up around the sides of the leg.
6. Tie the splinting material into place below and above the fracture. Make sure both the knee and ankle are immobilized.
7. Place padding in any empty spaces between the splint and the leg.
8. Check circulation, sensation and motion beyond the fracture site, to make sure the splint isn't too tight.
Spinal/Neck Injuries - These usually result from falling from high distances. The most important thing to remember with a possible Neck/Spinal injury is to NOT MOVE THE VICTIM. You need to immobilize the neck from moving, and not let the body move if you suspect a spinal injury. Massive damage can be done to nerves, possibly paralyzing the victim, if allowed to move. A lot of times, the person will want to move, but you must not let them until properly examined.
- If it is a neck injury, one method of immobilizing it is to get on your knees at their head. If they are on their back, you should be at the top of their head, facing their feet. Slowly put their head in between your thighs, putting your knees against their shoulders. Gently bring your legs to their head, immobilizing any movement of their neck. Immediately send someone from help, seeing as they will not be able to move, and you won't be able to transport them by yourself.
- If The person is face down, it is possible to roll the victim to their back, but it takes at least 2 people to do, but is best performed with 3 people. With two people, put one at the head, and one at the feet. The person at the head should hold the shoulders, and the other person should hold the legs. Slowly rotate the person onto their back, minimizing any movement of the neck/back/legs. With three people, have one person hold the head/neck, and the other two rotate the person onto their back.
- In all neck/back/spine injuries, remember the first thing to do is immobilize movement. Then immediately get help. If you are the only person there to assist, use things such as backpacks, large rocks, piled dirt, anything to put their head between to stop it from moving left and right.
- If you have the materials and manpower, you can create a makeshift Stretcher out of long sturdy poles and a sleeping bag/blanket, or use a board. If using a board, attempt to strap the head down with supports to keep it from moving, and be very gentle.
Hypothermia - Most people associate this with winter/cold and wet situations. In reality, Hypothermia can strike in the dead of summer if proper precautions aren't met. Hypothermia, by definition, is an abnormally low body temperature (Less than 95 degrees). It becomes life threatening below 90 degrees.
- Signs of Hypothermia:
1. Decreased mental function, poor decision making
2. Tiredness, Changes in Speech, Disorientation
3. Body stops to Shiver
- Shivering is a natural body reaction to generate heat, but when the body stops shivering, you need to begin to do other things to warm the body.
4. Loss of consciousness
- Treatment of Hypothermia:
1. Slowly build body heat, no more than a few degrees per hour
2. For mild hypothermia, remove wet clothing, remove from cold environment, and warm body with dry blankets/jackets.
3. For severe hypothermia, remove wet clothing, remove from cold environment, should be brought to seek medical attention immediately, but to warm up, use the above methods, as well as light a fire, and if need be, use body warmth. (don't be shy, if the person is severe, get nakey and in a sleeping bag together).
Dehydration - Dehydration is a serious condition that can lead to Heat stroke and other medical ailments. Make sure you stay hydrated during the winter, and especially the summer. Always keep water with you, replenish often.
Signs of Dehydration:
* Thirst
* Loss of Appetite
* Dry Skin
* Skin Flushing
* Dark Colored Urine
* Dry Mouth
* Fatigue or Weakness
* Chills
* Head Rushes
Treatment for Dehydration:
* Replenish Electrolytes (gatorade is good)
* Don't over drink yourself/the victim. Give sips, then more gradually.
( will continue to update as I get the time )
[last edit 1/18/2010 7:34 AM by Ashes in the Snow - edited 2 times]
http://www.flickr.com/kwikstix |
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Crumpet
  
Location: Brisbane, AUS
Gender: Male
You know you're in Brisbane when...
| | | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 1 on 1/18/2010 1:10 AM >
| | | | Just an FYI, if you take a look in the UE Encyclopedia, there's a listing there for First Aid Kit. If you can add some of this info there it would be very much appreciated!
Posted by Ashes in the Snow
Minor cuts - Use your drinking water to clean the cut, even use some antiseptic if you have it or an alcohol wipe. Apply band aids as necessary.
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My only gripe - I've heard that cleaning a cut with an alcohol wipe will impair wound healing, so I wouldn't recommend doing this. A tube of antiseptic isn't too much to carry around, anyway.
Your advice is great, and it's good to see something practical on here that could (potentially) save lives. I carry a medkit and know the function/use of all the stuff in it, but I really need to get Apply First Aid certified...
- Crumpet (http://www.urbanillusions.org)
[from micro's "drainer rules"] 3rd RULE: If someone says "rain" or "thunderstorm", the draining is over. |
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Ashes in the Snow
Location: Raleigh, NC
Gender: Male
Ladder Addict
| | | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 2 on 1/18/2010 1:23 AM >
| | | | Posted by Crumpet
Just an FYI, if you take a look in the UE Encyclopedia, there's a listing there for First Aid Kit. If you can add some of this info there it would be very much appreciated!
My only gripe - I've heard that cleaning a cut with an alcohol wipe will impair wound healing, so I wouldn't recommend doing this. A tube of antiseptic isn't too much to carry around, anyway.
Your advice is great, and it's good to see something practical on here that could (potentially) save lives. I carry a medkit and know the function/use of all the stuff in it, but I really need to get Apply First Aid certified...
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Alcohol wipes can impair wound healing, but, it depends on the environment you are in I suppose. Everything stated in the guide needs to be taken in context of where the injury occurs. If you are somewhere like a city and are able to keep it clean, that's one thing, but if you are somewhere remote, or it's dirty, you need to sterilize it to prevent infection... and if all you have are alcohol wipes, then that's what you need to use.
I'll add some stuff to the UE Encyclopedia after I finish doing my write up 
http://www.flickr.com/kwikstix |
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bfinan0
Location: Rochester, NY
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 3 on 1/18/2010 1:41 AM >
| | | | I will add an appropriate one for the season
Hypothermia
Supplies necessary: usually none specific.
If you are exploring alone in winter or the cold wet environment of a drain, (preventing and) detecting hypothermia is an important measure to take. Hypothermia is particularly pernicious in this way, as its symptoms are more easily noticeable to others than to the victim: it dulls the frozen's senses and mental perception, leaving behind only indirect symptoms. These signs often include being very cold but not shivery, feeling intense internal warmth as your body feels cold and clammy, blueness in the lips, and fleeting hallucinations. Depending on the circumstances, the usual first aid manual solution of leaving the cold environment may or may not be possible. If not, as is possible in a longer UE situation, your first priority is to stay dry! If the cause of hypothermia was a fall into cold water, or being out too long in a freezing rain, the moisture in your clothes will only take more heat from your already chilled body. Also, stay hydrated. Drinking water, even cold water, will help the body move heat around, and save energy to stay warm for longer. Finally, get moving if you can: exercise raises the body temperature, and when done productively, will put you closer to a warm environment.
(minor) Frostbite
Commonly found in conjunction with hypothermia, minor frostbite is NOT the gruesome condition of blue-black brittle extremities often seen on mountaineers and Antarcticans. The frostbite you will more likely encounter manifests itself as a chalky, cold, stiff swelling in fingers and toes, or a cool, frosted feel on the face. Either way, the remedy is to slowly warm up the affected areas by any means possible. In the earlier red/white stage, the flesh is not actually frozen so as long as you don't rub snow in it or burn it you can't do much further harm.
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Ashes in the Snow
Location: Raleigh, NC
Gender: Male
Ladder Addict
| | | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 4 on 1/18/2010 1:51 AM >
| | | | Thanks bud, you were apparently reading my mind as I was updating my original post as it included Hypothermia haha.
Like I state at the end of the original post, I will continue to Update this thread as I get the time. I will be working on it a lot tonight, but i'm about to leave and go home from work haha.
http://www.flickr.com/kwikstix |
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bfinan0
Location: Rochester, NY
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 5 on 1/18/2010 2:01 AM >
| | | | Posted by Ashes in the Snow
Thanks bud, you were apparently reading my mind as I was updating my original post as it included Hypothermia haha.
Like I state at the end of the original post, I will continue to Update this thread as I get the time. I will be working on it a lot tonight, but i'm about to leave and go home from work haha.
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No mind-reading--I've just had drain hypothermia twice, and two other frostbites on backpacking trips (one of them during late spring). It's not very impressive in UE injury threads, but if I'm getting it so much, I'm sure others must be too...
(and no, I wasn't being a moron, maybe it was May 14th but it was 14F/-10C with a -27F/-34C windchill and blowing snow. On the same day that the high temp was +68, and the forecast low was 50, so I was wearing a T-shirt, shorts and a raincoat. It's the Adirondacks...go figure!)
[last edit 1/18/2010 2:04 AM by bfinan0 - edited 1 times]
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splumer
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Gender: Male
| | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 6 on 1/20/2010 1:25 PM >
| | | | Posted by Ashes in the Snow
So first off, why should I make the post about it? Well I'm not an EMT, but I have had extensive emergency first aid training. I am a lifeguard, Eagle Scout, and have been CPR certified since I was 12 years old (24 years old now).
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Eagle Scout FTW! My son is Life, and should be getting his Eagle soon. I'm an ASM, and I'm writing up a merit badge book for urban exploration. As a joke, of course.
“We are not going to have the kind of cooperation we need if everyone insists on their own narrow version of reality. … the great divide in the world today … is between people who have the courage to listen and those who are convinced that they already know it all.”
-Madeline Albright |
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Ashes in the Snow
Location: Raleigh, NC
Gender: Male
Ladder Addict
| | | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 7 on 1/20/2010 2:16 PM >
| | | | ahahahaha that'd be great. We should come up with a UE patch of some sort... i'd put it on my bag
http://www.flickr.com/kwikstix |
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unitedguy85
Location: Eagan, MN/Chicago, IL/Denver, CO
Gender: Male
| |  | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 8 on 1/20/2010 2:42 PM >
| | | | Great information -- now if you could put this on a small 4x6 card to carry around...
Actually I also have found that the emergency survival kits for camping work well too... they include everything from what was listed, but also things like survival blankets - which are great when your wet .. to emergency aspirin.
You can pick those kits up for around $15-20. Tops.
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leatherman
Location: Texas
Gender: Male
| | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 9 on 1/21/2010 2:53 AM >
| | | | Ah another Eagle scout
Eagle here too...1993
good info btw
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WarBird69
   
Location: Eastern TN
Gender: Male
Atomic Bird of War
| | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 10 on 1/21/2010 3:05 AM >
| | | | Guess I'll chime in as yet another Eagle Scout...
Earned it in 1998. Man that seems like a lifetime ago...
When twilight draws near, when you are pushed to the very limits of your soul, when it seems that all you have left are the dead remnants of the fabric of your life:
-- BELIEVE |
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makman
Location: Rochester, NY
Gender: Male
I live alone with a criminal
| | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 11 on 1/21/2010 3:31 AM >
| | | | Underachiever here! I made it to 1st class and decided that I preferred just focusing on camping than going for rank advancement (or, for that matter, paying attention to what I was supposed to be learning).
It's a little funny- I'm now having to relearn all the knots, first aid, etc that I didn't pay attention to back in the scouts. Serves me right, I guess.
Be careful, not safe.
"Urbex- so much fun that it should be illegal." |
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bfinan0
Location: Rochester, NY
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 12 on 1/21/2010 3:50 AM >
| | | | Posted by makman
Underachiever here! I made it to 1st class and decided that I preferred just focusing on camping than going for rank advancement (or, for that matter, paying attention to what I was supposed to be learning).
It's a little funny- I'm now having to relearn all the knots, first aid, etc that I didn't pay attention to back in the scouts. Serves me right, I guess.
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I made it to Eagle (Troop 154, Irondequoit NY) somewhat grudgingly...I never wanted to get it, as I thought it was a bit pretentious, all I wanted to do was get into the outdoors and learn all the survival stuff (including the knots), and to work at camp (in the UEDB, sort of) in the summers. These together resulted in the earning of great numbers of merit badges (51 completed, another 8 that just needed "blue cards"), to the point that it was ridiculous not to get Eagle, so I finally did at the last possible time (freshman year of college). I also got out of it, however, 6 summers of teaching (and learning advanced levels of) outdoor skills.
[last edit 1/21/2010 3:53 AM by bfinan0 - edited 1 times]
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Ashes in the Snow
Location: Raleigh, NC
Gender: Male
Ladder Addict
| | | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 13 on 1/21/2010 4:15 PM >
| | | | Definitely something that I benefited from greatly. I got mine in 1999 when I was 13, stuck with scouts till I left for college, then helped with a few troops here and there in college.
I miss working at scout camp though, (Camp Cherokee, yanceville, NC). If I won the billion dollar lottery, I'd volunteer there the rest of my life.
http://www.flickr.com/kwikstix |
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hydrotherapy
Clever Girl
Location: Circle of Least Confusion
RPS is inside all of us
| | | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 14 on 1/21/2010 4:22 PM >
| | | | I'm going to add "superglue" as a critical addition to any explorer's bag. Much better at holding skin together than bandaids, especially from a small but deep laceration until you can gtfo.
Get down, girl, go 'head, get down. |
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Ashes in the Snow
Location: Raleigh, NC
Gender: Male
Ladder Addict
| | | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 15 on 1/21/2010 4:30 PM >
| | | | that's a good idea, and if you don't have superglue, find a Pine tree. Open it up to get some pine sap out of it an put it on the cut. I've done that a bunch, and it doesn't leave a scar
http://www.flickr.com/kwikstix |
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puravida9539
Location: Dallas Area
Gender: Male
Just give me a flashlight
| | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 16 on 1/22/2010 1:52 AM >
| | | | wow. I have never heard that about pine sap.
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bfinan0
Location: Rochester, NY
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 17 on 1/22/2010 2:17 AM >
| | | | As long as we're talking about commonly found natural first aid, how many of you know what this plant does?
The jewelweed, or spotted touch-me-not, found in the far northern US and southeastern Canada, can when its crushed leaves are applied shortly after exposure to poison-ivy (within 20min or so), reduce the appearance and intensity of poison-ivy rash. It does NOT relieve itching as does a calamine or hydrocortisone, and it is still VERY IMPORTANT to wash off the poison-ivy residue (and the touch-me-not) as soon as possible, to prevent spreading of the itching agent urushiol.
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splumer
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Gender: Male
| | Re: Emergency First Aid thread that You can do
<Reply # 18 on 1/22/2010 1:40 PM >
| | | | Posted by bfinan0
I made it to Eagle (Troop 154, Irondequoit NY) somewhat grudgingly...I never wanted to get it, as I thought it was a bit pretentious, all I wanted to do was get into the outdoors and learn all the survival stuff (including the knots), and to work at camp (in the UEDB, sort of) in the summers. These together resulted in the earning of great numbers of merit badges (51 completed, another 8 that just needed "blue cards"), to the point that it was ridiculous not to get Eagle, so I finally did at the last possible time (freshman year of college). I also got out of it, however, 6 summers of teaching (and learning advanced levels of) outdoor skills.
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I actually got my current job because of Boy Scouts. Well, partly because of scouts. We actually had a scout a couple years ago who went on his 18th birthday to turn in his paperwork and the folks at council told him he was too late, since it was his birthday. He pointed out that he was born at... I dunno, some time that hadn't passed yet, so technically he was still 17, and they gave it to him.
“We are not going to have the kind of cooperation we need if everyone insists on their own narrow version of reality. … the great divide in the world today … is between people who have the courage to listen and those who are convinced that they already know it all.”
-Madeline Albright |
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