First Aid Kits on Harness

[Mr Ed]

Sterile wound dressing is easy to carry inside your helmet or pants pocket. If I carry a first aid kit on a harness, the last view I usually have of it is it dissapearing down through the canopy after I rub it off on a branch...

[MasterBlaster]

If I carry a first aid kit on a harness, the last view I usually have of it is it dissapearing down through the canopy after I rub it off on a branch...

 

 

How does something attached to your saddle "rub off?" Do you lose your handsaw/lanyard like that, also? I plan on using a biner attached to the back of my saddle.

[Mr Ed]

Dont carry a handsaw ever. And I dont want a first aid kit flapping around on biner either.

[Paul Smith]

Sterile wound dressing is easy to carry inside your helmet or pants pocket. If I carry a first aid kit on a harness, the last view I usually have of it is it dissapearing down through the canopy after I rub it off on a branch...

 

That's why I use the compression straps on my Tree motion. I would struggle to get it out my self in an emergency but it will always be there for rescue situations where the groundy always knows there will be one!, it would make sense to carry a field dressing in my pocket along with my hemostats.

[skyhuck]

Dont carry a handsaw ever. .

 

[Dean Lofthouse]

Right chaps.

 

Firstly, I started this thread because as Peter said, points need raising.

 

It's no good carrying a field dressing if you don't know how to you it. A "large wound" first aid course and knowledge is better than any field dressing on your harness.

 

A field dressing only covers the wound, it's no good covering up the wound while it's still peeing blood out underneath.

 

The first thing I would do is get myself out the tree, you only have seconds to make choices and I wouldn't waste them putting on a field dressing to an arterial bleed.

 

A turnoquet, if only applied for a minuite even, gives you time to investigate the wound, gather yourself, appraise the situation and find pressure points

 

Shock is a killer, I wouldn't look at the wound either, I would just concentrate on getting down. If you pass out up the tree through blood loss or shock your hard to treat and valuable time is wasted getting you down.

 

Once you are down, you stem the blood loss which ever way you can, forget about tornoquets are a last resort. Wrap a cloth around the arm and twist until theres enough pressure to stop the bleed and you can fish around in the and have a look.

 

If you can see the artery apply pressure, either just outside the wound, on a pressure point nearby (if you know what pressure point are) or stick your fingers in the wound and grab the sucker!

 

Once you have pressure on or a tournoquet, release the pressure every now and again to allow blood to flow to the damaged limb to stop it dying

 

THEN, when you have stopped the bleeding apply the field dressing and pressure, if you have laserated arterial bleed as in Petes case, there's no way he could have self treated and got pressure on up the tree, he could have used a pressure point but would have passed out through shock and we'd of lost the poor soul

 

The best treatment for PeteMc's wound was get the frig down the tree and fast, tournoque while you find a pressure point (a few seconds) if you can't find one whack a field dressing on and apply pressure with the heel of your hand.

 

The best thing you can take up a tree and this is only MY opinion, is first aid knowledge, your hands and a tape sling

[Dean Lofthouse]

it would make sense to carry a field dressing in my pocket along with my hemostats.

 

Where do you keep the scalpels, in the truck.

 

Hemostats? That's what I called prepared for action.

[Paul Smith]

Dean an excellent reply!

 

I would just like to add a couple of points.

 

By applying a tornique you have made the decision to save a life! If it needs a tornique(arterial bleeding, spurting in time with the heart beat) then in my opinion the casualty would probably bleed to death without the use of one! An average of 4 Minutes and you could be DEAD!

 

We more often than not are no more than 20 minutes from a hospital by which time a trauma team would be dealing with the casualty. If you remove the tornique you risk the loss of even more blood and the possibility of death! In the worst case scenario the casualty may not get treated for an hour which could mean damaged tissues below the tornique and maybe even loose a limb, but the casualty would be alive!

 

our job as a first aider is to save life and not try to worry about possible infection and other minor issues.

 

Torniques can only be placed on limbs and as Dean says Knowledge is invaluable, learn about pressure points and how to arrest bleeding.

 

Just my thoughts!

[skyhuck]

The best thing you can take up a tree and this is only MY opinion, is first aid knowledge, your hands and a tape sling

 

And a rope long enough to get you down in one pitch,imo.

 

Good post Dean.

[Buzz]

I agree a personal first aid kit on your harness probably is as much use as tits on a fish however i have one on mine. I never used to but i just figure everything helps.

 

Knowledge is the key as has been said before, i like to constantly make sure i can drop out of the tree quick if the poop was to hit the spinny thing. Pete's accident opened my eyes as it was the first that's happened to somebody i directly know and respect as a climber.

 

I think alot of the 1st aid at work courses we do are naff for the situations we may find ourselves in.