Notes on medical response.

Like I previously stated in one of my posts, many of us are too busy to find time to actually prepare and I've been around others who simply state that they don't need it as "the ambulance is just around the corner". I shudder at that last part. While it is true that emergency services are minutes away after dialing 911 (or whatever your emergency number may be), it is important to remember that time is crucial. Say you're watching your friend bleed out in front of you and you dial 911. What are you going to do? Stand there and let him bleed out all over the ground and moan in agony while you're expecting that ambulance to just arrive out of the blue? Sorry, they didn't mention that there are drivers that don't take their lights and sirens seriously.

Now we'll rewind.

Your friend cuts him self pretty bad in the arm and he's losing a lot of blood. You notice it's squirting bright red and he's quickly going pale. Now, you're not trained and didn't think you need to be but you, as a rational-being, notice that something isn't right. Your conscious-mind will tell you that you need to stop that bleed. So instinctively you grab a cloth and you put it against the wound. Then there are people surrounding the situation and you tell them to back off, as it's making your friend feel restless with all the attention. You tell them to clear the area as the ambulance comes around the corner..

...

1) The number one thing to do in any emergency is to REMAIN CALM. Simply by staying next to some one's side and consciously making effort to not panic will save that person's life. Your judgement will not be clouded, you won't waste time relaying information to emergency call-takers (911) and you won't make the patient uneasy. With your judgement clear, you'll be able to make decisions and observe things clearly. You may notice that there are a group of people gathering around or that there's something that is causing a potential hazard around your patient. Relaying information to emergency call-takers properly is crucial as you are reporting what you see and feel, which by the time the first responders get there, they'll already have an idea of how to treat the person--which saves more time. Ensuring that your patient is relaxed, kept warm and comfortable does not stress the body into making an injury worse. Shock** (medical shock) sets in pretty fast, and it usually means the person is losing valuable time. Gain time by allowing them to relax, which can help slow down the onset of shock.

Going back to the story; because this person stayed calm, they were able to observe what was going on and how to appropriately react to the situation unfolding in front of them.

**Shock is the body's way of reacting to a traumatic injury or life-threatening illness. In a gist, with however blood-loss occurs, the body compensates by withdrawing available blood away from non-vital organs (bowels, skin, etc) to the main ones to stay alive, such as the heart, lungs and brain. At the same time, sensor organs inside the body's compromised artery or vein is sending messages to the brain, telling it to release epinephrine (adrenaline) into the body, which constrict blood vessels. That makes the heart work harder, in turn cycles oxygen (from the blood cells) around the body quickly to give it resources to hang on just a little longer.**

2)  Most first aid situations are dealt with using Common Sense. A few examples: Blood is coming out and it looks like it needs to be stopped, use your hand to stop it. Someone isn't breathing properly, tell them to relax and sit down. Someone got hit by a car, tell them to not move because it could make things worse. A lot of things done in first aid are crude but effective ways of ensuring the survival of the person in need. You do not need to be a surgeon to save the life of someone you love.

3) One thing that people fail to realize when it comes to responding to any emergency is your safety is number one. Simply put--you cannot help if you are hurt.

4) On kits; lots of pre-made first aid kits are not equipped to deal with traumatic scenarios. Get some training or help from someone who does have one and make your own kit.


Now if you do not find the time to get training, follow some of these steps on how to ensure the patient's safety.

1) Upon arrival, first ask if the person wants your help. If they are unable to answer (unconscious), then it is implied that they want your help. If they don't want your help, call 911 if you wish, but otherwise leave because you may end up in some liability problem.

2) There are things that call-takers or responders will need to know. Try and find out what happened by asking witnesses as their information is important. If not, don't move the person (unless they are in danger--IE: a gas tank about to explode beside them) and assess if they are conscious and breathing.

2) Secure the area to prevent further harm. Just make sure no one walks over the person or surrounds them, which can make things worse. The idea here is to prevent the situation from getting out of hand. So regardless keep unnecessary people away and don't let anything else happen. Just in case.

3) Enlist the help of others who are willing to help. Have someone provide security to keep others away, another to update the ambulance (if somehow you cannot) and others to flag down the medics to lead them to the site.

4) Keep the person rested and calm. Making their body get all worked up can complicate the compensations the body is trying to create for the situation at hand. Reassurance is one of the best tools as well. Stay by their side and do not leave.

5) Once help arrives, quickly update and move out of the way. Stand by if your assistance is needed again as you now developed a "relationship" with this person.


I hope this helps people out there in the real world, as nothing is ever flowers and sunshine. The way paths cross out there can potentially be fatal and it's best to remember how to at least try and fight your way through it. Although I highly suggest you get training of some kind, please do me a favour and remember the things said here.

Imagine this.

You're on a long, exhausting drive home from a relative's place in the middle of a forested mountain miles away from the urban jungle you're used to. Your eyes feel heavy, the dash-board lights become dreamy blurs in your night vision and the clock on the radio seems to have gone back in time. What time was it when you last checked the time? How much further do you have to go? How was your wife's day? You imagine laying in bed with her--your fingers running through her silk-like hair. She smiles and you smile back. Then all of a sudden the loudest explosion you'll ever hear wakes you from your slumber and your vehicle tumbles down a steep decline at the side of the highway you were just driving on.


Tossing and turning, vertigo kicking in, you don't believe how many curse words you've repeated in a span of thirty seconds and then suddenly...things stop, just as fast as they started. Obviously, you're awake, dazed and confused; wondering what the hell just happened. A small fire bursts from the crumpled front end of your jeep and adrenaline kicks in. You struggle to undo the seat-belt, at this point not even caring how the hell the fire started but the belt's jammed. You groan and curse and yell as you struggle to free yourself.


But out of the blue your thoughts calm and instinct kicks in.

Your knife.


Fumbling for the Spydero clipped inside your pocket, you flip out the silver blade that glints in the light from the fire and slash at the fabric running across your chest and hips. Unraveling the belt, you attempt to move only to feel a shocking pain shooting up your spine from your right leg. Taking a quick glance, you notice that you're bleeding from just below the knee cap. The fire begins to engulf the remainder of the engine block and it creeps forward towards you. You respiratory and circulatory rate shoot up, your vision narrows and the pain in your leg suddenly subsides. You even have the foresight to grab your Maxpedition backpack out from behind the passenger seat. Just as you begin to crawl out of the already broken driver's side window--you notice that the fire is moving faster and faster at you.

Without another thought you hoist your self up by grabbing the top of your door and with all your might you extricate your self out of the vehicle as if you've done it millions of times. Those hard early mornings of jogging and weight lifting pays off doesn't it?

Tumbling onto the dirt, you notice that your jeep is now in flames and you know you have to move. Picking yourself up, you jump down into a small dip in the ground by some roots of a tall Grand fir tree. Another explosion--your vehicle is gone. But hopefully it's just a matter of time until someone sees the flames.

A sudden tickling feeling felt on your right leg and you realize that the bleeding hasn't stopped on its own. Rolling up your jean pant legging you realize that there's a rather nasty gash and a steady flow of crimson coming out of it. Instincts kick in. You dig into the breast pocket of your jacket, fish around for the Z-Pak gauze pack and field dressing you taped together and separate the two. Opening up the vacuum-sealed pack of gauze, you press it into your leg. A white hot stinging pain is the consequence but you know you have to do it. Keeping direct pressure with the gauze on your leg, you tear open the field dressing with your teeth and place it over the packing gauze and tie the bandage tails.

You think you're in the clear but something tells you to just make sure. Pulling out your SureFire E1B flashlight from your pocket, you use the deadly bright 200-lumen LED to shine at the environment around you.

Nothing but continuing darkness and trees.

Laying onto your back, you take one deep breath and wait for rescue. You got enough supplies in your backpack for about three to four days, including enough light and other resources to ensure you are picked up by the authorities.

One last thought enters your mind before rest. What's your wife going to think after you blew up the jeep?

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Just a short story I decided to write. It comes as a situation that can happen to any of us, no matter how well aware you are. Life is short, and it can be shorter. Make sure you live it fully to the end.