Attend to Medical needs. Your ability to help yourself and others in your group relies heavily on your health. If the event that caused this survival situation has left you or members of your group injured, this issue must now take priority. Serious injuries must be immediately treated using first aid before helping those with minor injuries. As above in step two, prevention of additional injury and infection must also be a consideration. Even minor wounds will need attention soon. Years ago, a women survived a plane crash in the Amazon jungle with only minor cuts and bruises. She put aside her panic and a lack of outdoor skills, and used her incredible will to live to survive 4 days before being rescued. However, she almost died in the hospital weeks later due to severe infection and fever caused by the scratches on her arms and legs.
-Any injury, no matter how minor, can interfere with your ability to perform basic survival skills.
-Do not move victims unless their life is in immediate danger.
-Determine which injuries are the most serious and treat them first.
-Find out if anyone in your group has advanced medical training.
-Make sure no one is hiding there injuries.
-Consider creating a shelter over individuals that cannot be moved.
-Never risk injuring yourself to help an injured person. You are useless if you are injured.
-Ask victims were it hurts. You cannot always see an injury.
-Keep talking to the victim, using first names, while treating them.
-Learn CPR and First Aid before you need it!
-Immediate first Aid includes:
1.Airway- Make sure there is an unobstructed path for air into the mouth and nose to the lungs.
2.Breathing- Check that the victim is actually breathing. If they can talk, they can breath. If they are unconscious, open their mouth and put your ear to their lips, while looking at their chest. If they are not breathing, look into the throat for a blockage. If there is no blockage, begin artificial respiration.
3.Circulation- Is the person’s heart beating? Check for pulse with your index and middle finger. The best locations are the neck, the wrist, and even the ankle. Learn to find you own pulse ahead of time. If there is no heart beat, begin CPR.
4. Bleeding- Look for blood, and feel for wet areas. Even minor cuts on the head and face bleed a lot, but may not be serious. The biggest danger is arterial and venous bleeding. If the blood is bright red, chances are an artery has been damaged. Elevate this area and cover it with as clean a material as available. Apply strong direct pressure. A tourniquet should be used only when an large artery in an extremity has been severed and loss of life is imminent.
-Care for other injuries:
1. Burns: 1st degree (red surface): cool with clean water or ointment. 2nd degree (blistered skin): cool with clean water and cover lightly. 3rd degree (deep, black skin): cool with clean water, cover with clean wet dressing. Do not apply pressure. Do not apply ointment. Treat victim for shock.
2.Fractures and dislocations: Immobilize the injury, and the joints above and below the area, with a splint. Treat compounded (exposed broken bone) injuries before applying splint. Make sure to pad the splint. Never try to reset a fracture or dislocation.
3. Head, neck, and back: Immobilize victim. ALL movement should be avoided. Treat for shock. Check airway and circulation.
4.Shock: Have victim lay down. Insulate victim from heat loss. (Do not allow to over heat) Raise legs 8-10 inches off the ground. Have them drink plenty of fluids, except in the case of abdominal injuries.
