First Aid

[Woodsearcher]

3 minutes ago, Haironyourchest said:

One glance at the rear seat, or your phone, and you could drive off a cliff or into an oncoming truck. One slip on a ladder and you could fall and break your neck. One wrong move in Jujitsu class and you could end up bed-bound for six months (happened to a guy I know) Chainsawing is no more dangerous than any other potentially dangerous activity, unless you're gung-ho about it, and that goes for everything. It's just scary because it's loud, novel, and there are horror movies about it. Its just physics. Physics can be outsmarted every time, without fail, but it requires constant humility and patience, all the time. If an accident happens under those conditions its a act of God and might just as well have happened driving to the shops. Carrying a trauma kit is an acknowledgement that an act of God can happen, and if it does, we are prepared to meet it with a will to survive. I keep my trauma kit in the car, along with four strobe beacons, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, torches, tyre repair kit and so on. That gear might save someone else's life some day, who wasn't prepared. 

Spot on.

 

I use to operate industrial bandsaws on night shifts, it only takes one moment to cause a life changing event.  Seen it happen so many times.

 

I have a healthy fear of saws full stop.

 

Like you say maybe I could also help someone else by being prepared too.

 

Thanks. 

[Haironyourchest]

Thanking you, it's great to discuss these things from time to time, keeps me mindful about my own working practices. Just found a serious youtube vid medical seminar on tourniquets. Watched to about ten min, but have to go beddies now, looking forward to finishing it tomorrow.

 

 

[Jcarbor]

On the last first aid course I did they covered tourniquets and the advice given was once you apply a tourniquet you should leave it to the medics to release it.

That was a couple of years ago. Has the advice changed?

John, using a tourniquet is very effective, what you need to be aware of is to balance its use, on a severe arterial bleed if you don’t slow the bleed then the outcome is obviously not good at all, tighten the tourniquet till the flow reduces, constantly observe the distal ( end extremities of the limb) don’t let the limb go blue or white, slowly ease off if needed. Use direct pressure or celox on the wound it takes 12 minutes for a clot to begin to form. A tourniquet can buy you time until help turns up, don’t be afraid to us one if needed.

[Big Jim]

Something else to consider in remote areas is that whilst an ambulance may eventually be able to get near (as far as the road or track allows, they probably wont know the area (some ambo crews are right townies that never stray into the countryside) and will have a bugger of a job finding you. If you call 999, really stress the remoteness of you location and hopefully they've dispatch a helimed and/or MR team.

If anyone wants first aid training in the Derbyshire/Notts area that's more appropriate to Arbs (or even farmers, rangers etc )than the usual First Aid at Work course, id recommend a company called Paramedical https://paramedicalfirstaidtraining.co.uk/about-us/ . Its run by serving and very experienced Paramedics, one is ex Helimed.  Chris and Tony are happy to discuss requirements and tailor courses to suit your work environment, likely injuries etc , and all courses are certified.  They can also supply kit including Defibs (and provide training in their use) at really good rates.  (and no I'm not on commission, I just work with them and know what they are like as clinicians).