Hikers Learn to Improvise When Help Isn't
Available
You're
hiking in the mountains and you find someone lying on the trail with an
apparent injury.
You should:
A. Dial 911 if you have a cell phone.
B. Run for help.
C. Talk to the victim to see if he or she's conscious and check the victim's
breathing.
The first two answers seem like the right thing to do. But the correct
response is C. That's because a victim whose airway is blocked will die
in a few minutes, long before emergency personnel could arrive.
Knowing how to respond to a medical emergency in the wilderness could
save someone's life, whether backpacking in the Smokies or mountain biking
in the Piedmont.
Last weekend, 16 hikers, campers, Scout leaders and kayaking guides came
together to learn principles and techniques of wilderness first aid in
a two-day, 18-hour course. Those who complete the course by the nonprofit
Wilderness Safety Council of Alexandria, Va., become certified for two
years.
Paul Hultberg signed up with hiking buddies Gary Lavinder and Ray Raymer,
all of Statesville, because "I kept thinking about what happens if
someone gets hurt. How do I deal with that?"
In opening words to the class, council director Christopher Tate drove
home two overriding themes.
"Never create a second victim," he told the class at Reedy Creek
Park in northeast Charlotte. Determine "what will kill them first."
What will kill them first, Tate said, is asphyxiation if the tongue or
a foreign object blocks the airway. Ignore for a moment the sight of a
bloody wound.
After talking with the victim, step back and assess the scene.
"Look at the whole picture," Tate said, "and develop a
plan to help the patient. Take control."
Survey the victim's condition. Bleeding? Head, neck or spine injury? Loss
of body heat?
Take vital signs. Record pulse rate (55-90 beats a minute is the range),
respiration (12-18 breaths a minute at rest) and color, temperature and
moisture of skin. Ask about allergies, medications, last food and liquid
intake. Keep notes to pass on to medical personnel.
With latex gloves, gently feel or prod the victim from head to toes to
detect bumps, cuts or fractures that may be masked by pain from an obvious
injury.
Tate set up scenarios in the park's woods in which students improvised
to treat "victims" injured miles from help.
Students dug into backpacks to fashion splints from tent poles, wrap broken
legs in inflatable ground pads and cover victims with sleeping bags to
stop heat loss.
Afterward, Karen Hewitt of Davidson said the course gave her tools to
administer first aid with confidence.
"I feel very, very comfortable in knowing I can handle most emergency
situations," she said. "I had a CPR class. I'm the kind of person
who can't sit back. I have to help."
Jack Horan:
jhoran@charlotteobserver.com
This article first appeared in the Charlotte Observer on June 24, 2001.
You can view it and other reporting on outdoor adventure in North Carolina
at their website: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/outdoors/
