Skills Heroes Need: Physical First Aid
Among the skills heroes need, physical first aid is among the most common. Minor injuries are common, and moderate ones aren't all that rare. Everyone should at least attempt to learn the basics. If this isn't something you're good at, however, there are a few other options: 1) Stay out of the way. This is always more helpful than running around in a panic. 2) If you're good on the phone and expert help is needed, you can volunteer for that. 3) Stock supplies for more experienced people to use. In a crisis, always select a task that you can do well.
First aid. Lifeforms can be fragile. Know how to fix them when they break down. Most of the time, first aid is literally that -- the initial treatment in the field before expert care becomes available. However, many minor injuries and illnesses can be treated at home and require no further attention. Conversely, sometimes there is no other help available, even for serious conditions, due to widespread disaster, poverty, or other reasons. Make sure you can do the most good with whatever you have. These are some books on first aid and survival at various levels.
* Basic first aid. Here is an online guide to first aid. Buy or make a first aid kit at your level of skill, suited to the conditions and number of people you may need to treat. Here are instructions for a home kit or bugout kit.
* Bleeding control. Since bleeding out causes many preventable deaths in combat and in mass-casualty incidents, tourniquet application is a fast way to save lives if you have someone else to do the methodical triage. Severe blood loss is the most common cause of death that is quick and easy to stop with simple skills. In a mass-casualty incident it can be very valuable to have a few people running around doing only that. Choose the right tourniquet for your needs and skills. Note that while windlass models are often more efficient, an elastic band like the SWAT-T can be used for many other emergency purposes, so it's worth packing one of each if you can. Know how to improvise a tourniquet from common items in case you run out of dedicated ones. Find a Stop the Bleed class near you or shop for bleeding control supplies.
* CPR. Heart trouble can kill very quickly -- brain damage starts around four minutes -- and this is among the more common life-threatening emergencies. Knowing how to handle this is a good way to save lives. There are text and video instructions. You can also do CPR for pets or livestock such as calves. Know when to avoid starting CPR or stop performing it. Find a CPR class near you. While it's best to have current training, a good idea of the concept is better than nothing if no trained help is available. The victim is already dead; you can't kill them any deader. There are mobile apps for learning first aid and for directing trained bystanders to cases of cardiac arrest.
* Herbal medicine. Some people respond better to natural than synthetic materials. Ideally, stock both. Learn what to put in an herbal first aid kit. Keep a cabinet of herbal teas; many problems can be soothed by a good cuppa. Consider an essential oil first aid kit for aromatherapy and other uses.
* Mass Casualty Incident. This is any situation where the number of casualties exceeds the personnel and/or supplies available to treat them. It doesn't take a huge number -- a handful will do it if you only have one medic and a couple of beds. It requires special planning to handle critical resource shortages. That involves triage. Shop for triage supplies. This handbook covers disaster management. It's also important to account for sudden peaks in demand. A few local-American hospitals have a proper surge plan, but many do not. Read about how one hospital developed a surge plan and see what it looks like. In fact if you belong to any group that experiences fluctuating demand, such as HVAC, make sure it has a surge plan.
* Pain control. In addition to having several different medications in your first aid kit, you should learn as many non-drug methods as possible. Many of these will be available in emergencies when other things are scarce, out of reach, or contraindicated. Even when you can't fix the problem, just being there and speaking calmly can help the victim cope instead of panicking.
* Phone calls. Moderate to severe emergencies benefit from expert care if it is available. This means someone needs to call emergency services. It is best to know the local resources and conditions before deciding whether to activate them; an emergency probably will not be improved by adding trigger-happy police or calling a fire department that lacks a brush truck while you are in the bush. If possible, know what if anything it costs to summon help and who pays for that, as further support for deciding whether to call. In some areas the consolidated emergency number will go to a dispatch office far away, and you might be better calling a local direct number. Phone Guy is a vitally important job in many emergencies, and should ideally be done by someone with good phone skills.
* PTSD prevention. Various methods have been tried, but the field is still developing, so little hard evidence is available. The more helpless people feel, the more likely they are to suffer lasting trauma, so the most important thing to do is restore their agency as soon as possible. Playing a stacking-sorting game such as Tetris can minimize trauma and engage the brain's sorting function. You can find these as apps or online. Carry some on your smartphone or other mobile device. There are tabletop stacking games and Tetris blocks too. Fidget toys can help with PTSD, stress, or anxiety in general. Stuffed animals, fuzzy blankets, and other comfort items soothe children -- and adults who are willing to use them.
* Spectrum of consent. If at all possible, ask what would help and do what the victim asks. Use assisted decision-making if a victim cannot make independent decisions, temporarily or usually. With an unconscious victim, ask someone who knows them what they would want. As a last resort, use your best judgment.
* Street medics. These volunteers provide help during disasters, protests, or other emergencies. There are courses in street medic training and urban emergency first response training. Watch a video on street medic training. Here are some more resources for trainers. In a related role, street nurses take care of homeless people, immigrants, refugees, migrant workers, and others who may lack access to more conventional health care.
* Temperature emergencies. Know how to dress for hot weather and treat heat-related emergencies. In particular, acute kidney injury becoming chronic kidney damage, instead of healing, is a signature injury of global warming. It's most often caused by working in high heat without enough rest, water, or a place to cool off. So if basic treatment doesn't solve a problem, consider it an emergency and seek expert care. Also it's better to lose a job than to lose your life. Know how to dress for cold weather and treat cold-related emergencies. Due to climate change, atypical cold-weather events are appearing in places unprepared for them, so be prepared. Understand the effects of temperature on drowning and water rescue. If you want to be heroic, learn water rescue and ice rescue; and if you haven't done those things, don't get involved in a water or ice rescue attempt. The life you save may be your own.
* Triage. This is the process of separating casualties according to severity. Read simple and detailed instructions for primary and secondary triage. A notable flaw of many triage systems is that all mobile casualties are classified as delayed, without checking for injuries; significant bleeding always needs prompt treatment, but may leave people walking for a while. Mobile sorting is only safe if you have a second triage person to check the walking wounded. Most first responders will use medical triage such as START/JUMPSTART developed for civilian contexts. The SALT method is easy for nonmedics to use. It has the advantage of "obvious life threat" for the Immediate category, meaning that someone who is mobile but spurting blood will be appropriately hurried to care. In dangerous situations, combat triage may be more appropriate. This flyer explains combat casualty care (Page 1, Page 2, Page 3). Compare a combat triage flow chart with a civilian triage flow chart. Consider the Hot-Warm-Cold Zones in selecting a triage method. Be prepared to include care of the dying and their friends or relatives.
Shop for triage supplies. A MET Tag is a popular type of triage tag. Read the instructions. This design is so simple that it uses only pictures, no text, thus removing the language barrier. It can be used effectively by minimally trained or even untrained people. It's much faster than more complicated modern tags. which require a lengthy training manual. Explore the design history of triage tags. In Terramagne-America, the more detailed tags are often used by trained personnel or situations with a moderate number of casualties. The simpler MET tags are used by citizen responders, larger incidents, and situations where people may speak different languages. Learn how they work before you're trying to fill them out in the rain with a flashlight and people dying all around you.
* Wilderness first aid. Whereas most first aid assumes that more help is only a few minutes away, this field applies to situations where it may take hours or days to reach expert care. The first aid kits have different concerns with lighter weight (for carrying) or more comprehensive tools and supplies (for base camp). Mountain Man Medical carries a great selection of kits and separate items. Learn the basics of wilderness first aid. Watch a video of six scenarios. Here are some articles on wilderness first aid. Survivalist first aid is similar, but assumes that NO expert help is available, due to widespread disaster or civilization collapse. Learn the wilderness version first, then the more advanced survivalist skills. Extreme Medicine and Surviving Extremes can give an idea just how far out things could go.
* Xenobiology and other weirdnesses. Think outside the box. What would you do for a centaur with a heart attack? What if an alien species needed first aid? How could you communicate with aliens? Here are some basic tips on first contact techniques. This kind of thought experiment helps prepare you for the unexpected in everyday life.
* Zoology. Animals need first aid too. Read instructions for pets, livestock, and wildlife. You can make a pet first aid kit or buy a pet first aid kit. Know how to make a barn first aid kit. The prepacked barn first aid kits are typically designed for horses, but some supplies generalize to other livestock, and you can aways add specialty items for whatever animals you have.
First aid. Lifeforms can be fragile. Know how to fix them when they break down. Most of the time, first aid is literally that -- the initial treatment in the field before expert care becomes available. However, many minor injuries and illnesses can be treated at home and require no further attention. Conversely, sometimes there is no other help available, even for serious conditions, due to widespread disaster, poverty, or other reasons. Make sure you can do the most good with whatever you have. These are some books on first aid and survival at various levels.
* Basic first aid. Here is an online guide to first aid. Buy or make a first aid kit at your level of skill, suited to the conditions and number of people you may need to treat. Here are instructions for a home kit or bugout kit.
* Bleeding control. Since bleeding out causes many preventable deaths in combat and in mass-casualty incidents, tourniquet application is a fast way to save lives if you have someone else to do the methodical triage. Severe blood loss is the most common cause of death that is quick and easy to stop with simple skills. In a mass-casualty incident it can be very valuable to have a few people running around doing only that. Choose the right tourniquet for your needs and skills. Note that while windlass models are often more efficient, an elastic band like the SWAT-T can be used for many other emergency purposes, so it's worth packing one of each if you can. Know how to improvise a tourniquet from common items in case you run out of dedicated ones. Find a Stop the Bleed class near you or shop for bleeding control supplies.
* CPR. Heart trouble can kill very quickly -- brain damage starts around four minutes -- and this is among the more common life-threatening emergencies. Knowing how to handle this is a good way to save lives. There are text and video instructions. You can also do CPR for pets or livestock such as calves. Know when to avoid starting CPR or stop performing it. Find a CPR class near you. While it's best to have current training, a good idea of the concept is better than nothing if no trained help is available. The victim is already dead; you can't kill them any deader. There are mobile apps for learning first aid and for directing trained bystanders to cases of cardiac arrest.
* Herbal medicine. Some people respond better to natural than synthetic materials. Ideally, stock both. Learn what to put in an herbal first aid kit. Keep a cabinet of herbal teas; many problems can be soothed by a good cuppa. Consider an essential oil first aid kit for aromatherapy and other uses.
* Mass Casualty Incident. This is any situation where the number of casualties exceeds the personnel and/or supplies available to treat them. It doesn't take a huge number -- a handful will do it if you only have one medic and a couple of beds. It requires special planning to handle critical resource shortages. That involves triage. Shop for triage supplies. This handbook covers disaster management. It's also important to account for sudden peaks in demand. A few local-American hospitals have a proper surge plan, but many do not. Read about how one hospital developed a surge plan and see what it looks like. In fact if you belong to any group that experiences fluctuating demand, such as HVAC, make sure it has a surge plan.
* Pain control. In addition to having several different medications in your first aid kit, you should learn as many non-drug methods as possible. Many of these will be available in emergencies when other things are scarce, out of reach, or contraindicated. Even when you can't fix the problem, just being there and speaking calmly can help the victim cope instead of panicking.
* Phone calls. Moderate to severe emergencies benefit from expert care if it is available. This means someone needs to call emergency services. It is best to know the local resources and conditions before deciding whether to activate them; an emergency probably will not be improved by adding trigger-happy police or calling a fire department that lacks a brush truck while you are in the bush. If possible, know what if anything it costs to summon help and who pays for that, as further support for deciding whether to call. In some areas the consolidated emergency number will go to a dispatch office far away, and you might be better calling a local direct number. Phone Guy is a vitally important job in many emergencies, and should ideally be done by someone with good phone skills.
* PTSD prevention. Various methods have been tried, but the field is still developing, so little hard evidence is available. The more helpless people feel, the more likely they are to suffer lasting trauma, so the most important thing to do is restore their agency as soon as possible. Playing a stacking-sorting game such as Tetris can minimize trauma and engage the brain's sorting function. You can find these as apps or online. Carry some on your smartphone or other mobile device. There are tabletop stacking games and Tetris blocks too. Fidget toys can help with PTSD, stress, or anxiety in general. Stuffed animals, fuzzy blankets, and other comfort items soothe children -- and adults who are willing to use them.
* Spectrum of consent. If at all possible, ask what would help and do what the victim asks. Use assisted decision-making if a victim cannot make independent decisions, temporarily or usually. With an unconscious victim, ask someone who knows them what they would want. As a last resort, use your best judgment.
* Street medics. These volunteers provide help during disasters, protests, or other emergencies. There are courses in street medic training and urban emergency first response training. Watch a video on street medic training. Here are some more resources for trainers. In a related role, street nurses take care of homeless people, immigrants, refugees, migrant workers, and others who may lack access to more conventional health care.
* Temperature emergencies. Know how to dress for hot weather and treat heat-related emergencies. In particular, acute kidney injury becoming chronic kidney damage, instead of healing, is a signature injury of global warming. It's most often caused by working in high heat without enough rest, water, or a place to cool off. So if basic treatment doesn't solve a problem, consider it an emergency and seek expert care. Also it's better to lose a job than to lose your life. Know how to dress for cold weather and treat cold-related emergencies. Due to climate change, atypical cold-weather events are appearing in places unprepared for them, so be prepared. Understand the effects of temperature on drowning and water rescue. If you want to be heroic, learn water rescue and ice rescue; and if you haven't done those things, don't get involved in a water or ice rescue attempt. The life you save may be your own.
* Triage. This is the process of separating casualties according to severity. Read simple and detailed instructions for primary and secondary triage. A notable flaw of many triage systems is that all mobile casualties are classified as delayed, without checking for injuries; significant bleeding always needs prompt treatment, but may leave people walking for a while. Mobile sorting is only safe if you have a second triage person to check the walking wounded. Most first responders will use medical triage such as START/JUMPSTART developed for civilian contexts. The SALT method is easy for nonmedics to use. It has the advantage of "obvious life threat" for the Immediate category, meaning that someone who is mobile but spurting blood will be appropriately hurried to care. In dangerous situations, combat triage may be more appropriate. This flyer explains combat casualty care (Page 1, Page 2, Page 3). Compare a combat triage flow chart with a civilian triage flow chart. Consider the Hot-Warm-Cold Zones in selecting a triage method. Be prepared to include care of the dying and their friends or relatives.
Shop for triage supplies. A MET Tag is a popular type of triage tag. Read the instructions. This design is so simple that it uses only pictures, no text, thus removing the language barrier. It can be used effectively by minimally trained or even untrained people. It's much faster than more complicated modern tags. which require a lengthy training manual. Explore the design history of triage tags. In Terramagne-America, the more detailed tags are often used by trained personnel or situations with a moderate number of casualties. The simpler MET tags are used by citizen responders, larger incidents, and situations where people may speak different languages. Learn how they work before you're trying to fill them out in the rain with a flashlight and people dying all around you.
* Wilderness first aid. Whereas most first aid assumes that more help is only a few minutes away, this field applies to situations where it may take hours or days to reach expert care. The first aid kits have different concerns with lighter weight (for carrying) or more comprehensive tools and supplies (for base camp). Mountain Man Medical carries a great selection of kits and separate items. Learn the basics of wilderness first aid. Watch a video of six scenarios. Here are some articles on wilderness first aid. Survivalist first aid is similar, but assumes that NO expert help is available, due to widespread disaster or civilization collapse. Learn the wilderness version first, then the more advanced survivalist skills. Extreme Medicine and Surviving Extremes can give an idea just how far out things could go.
* Xenobiology and other weirdnesses. Think outside the box. What would you do for a centaur with a heart attack? What if an alien species needed first aid? How could you communicate with aliens? Here are some basic tips on first contact techniques. This kind of thought experiment helps prepare you for the unexpected in everyday life.
* Zoology. Animals need first aid too. Read instructions for pets, livestock, and wildlife. You can make a pet first aid kit or buy a pet first aid kit. Know how to make a barn first aid kit. The prepacked barn first aid kits are typically designed for horses, but some supplies generalize to other livestock, and you can aways add specialty items for whatever animals you have.