First+Aid,+Basics+of+First+Aid

=Basics of First Aid= (Return to First Aid)

Ok, there are a lot of things about first aid that people should know:

1. It can happen anywhere. You can be minding your own business, staying safe and healthy and you may still be suddenly called upon to save a person's life or help treat their wounds. It could be a friend, a stranger, and it will probably be one of your own children of family members. 2. Having the proper supplies is critical. 3. Time is critical. 4. It is your responsability as a Jedi of any skill to be able to address and handle at least small injuries and minor first aid.

First aid is this: When an accident happens, for any reason, and a person is injured, sick, or in danger, the period of time after the accident but before the trained medical personel arrive is called first aid. It can be critical to saving saving a person's life, but if it is used wrongly it can damage or even cripple a person. The powers of life are in your hands.
 * So what is first aid**?

Firstly I am red-cross certified. I have worked as a medical staff member for two years at a scout ranch full of stupid little boys running around with nice sharp pocket knives and no sense. I currently work at a hospital in close contact with nurses in ER. I have personally entered a burning building, treated AMS, severe Hypothermia, and done life guarding. My crowning achievement was a car accident where I had to remove a person from a dangerous car. They had back complications but I was able to remove her without making them worse which turned out to save her life. It allowed the EM to notice internal bleeding. Had she remained sitting in the car which could have exploded due to severe gas leakage she would have bled to death inside. I know what I am talking about. I have done it, and I feel qualified at least to pass on the basics.
 * Why should I know**?

1. **The Kit**: First off keep first aid kits in your car, house, and with you nearby. It costs time to improvise bandages or tools. Even if you don't know how to use the kit, someone else may be able to. If you have a good grasp of first aid and Emergency Prep. you should construct your first all-care-aid-pack ACAP. Place in it two or three times the contents of a good large first aid kit with water, a blanket, food, and other basic needs and tools. Keep this kit in a light backpack. This kit will allow you to grab the pack and be more than ready for most first aid.
 * __The Basics__**:

2. **Stupid**: I usually do not use this word but for medical purposes it is an important term. When I say stupid I mean the opposite of first aid. The most important thing you need to know, is what you do know and what you don't know. If you 'screw up' because you have no idea what to do but you think you should be in charge, or you just want to help so much, you are stupid. People die because of people like this. If you move a person from a car without a back board you can damage an injured spine so badly that they will never walk again. The EM can save them and get them back into soccer practice. Don't be stupid. The 18-year-old who actually knows what he is doing may be younger, but no matter how old or smart you are, you are stupid to try treating something you haven't been trained for, unless you are the only person there and the EM's aren't coming.

3. **Timing**: When a situation occures you need to know three things. What is wrong? Is trained help coming? Can you treat what is wrong?

__Group 1__: If you have very little first aid training the best thing you can do is call for an ambulence and then see if you can help reduce immediate danger (like traffic, precarious objects, or fires and electronics out of control).

__Group 2__: If you know what you are doing have someone in the first group call for help while you try to figure out what is wrong with the person themselves. If you don't know, you need to make sure help is coming quick. Stupid people seem really stubborn about taking a perfectly bad situation and making it worse, all in the name of 'helping' or 'I am older, I should be in charge'. If you can only protect a person from stupid people you are still saving their lives. Let a fireman or police officer or EM take charge and help them.

4. **Learning to be prepared**: I can tell you that you won't know what to do unless you keep up with it. Learn about common problems. Go to the red cross and take their certification classes so that you are always certified. Look things up at a credible site (not Phil's extreme measures). If you saw it on TV or in a movie don't you dare do it. Talk to a person who knows what they are doing, practice it before you need it. Join the boy scouts when they learn about first aid or find an official first aid course. Just don't be stupid when someone needs you, and if you are, be smart enough to back up and help whoever knows what they are doing.

5. **Know the look, Look for the badge**: When you are in a serious problem involving first aid you quickly notice in those first moments who should be on the sidelines and who should be treating the person. They have a calm can-do look and they do not freak out. If there is someone who can officially take control (as a police officer, EM, or fire fighter) help them. Sometimes people don't like what the trained person does because the victim he or she is treating hurts worse for a while. You may have to put pressure on a gash to keep a person alive. First aid sometimes and often hurts the victim more before the victim stabilizes and stops bleeding, or burning, or whatever. Tell those bleeding hearts to leave. They can't bear to see someone hurt so they blame the person treating the victim and try to stop them. Trust me. The victim would rather be alive. It hurts, but it saves their lives.

6. **Common sense**: If you cut yourself, disinfect the cut. If you are bleeding badly, stop the bleeding before you die. If you have no idea what to do, find someone that does and stay calm. If you are afraid, calm down and butt out. Don't move people with broken limbs unless help isn't coming or they are in immediate danger. Don't move people with injured backs unless you absolutely must to save their lives. Let the professionals do their job. Keep your head on. Prevent stupid by being smart.

(Return to First Aid)