Wilderness First Aid
Basic Essentials
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Hat
Sunscreen
Insect Repellant
Boots
Long pants (long sleeves)
Rain gear
Meat Tenderizer
Hydration
• Did you know that if you're thirsty,
you're already partially
dehydrated?
• Drink to prevent thirst,
not to quench it.
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Heat Cramps: brief but painful involuntary muscle spasms.
They usually occur in the muscles being used during the
exercise, and are a result of insufficient liquid intake
• Heat Exhaustion: difficulty breathing, headache, feeling hot on
head and neck, dizziness, heat cramps, chills, nausea,
irritability, vomiting, extreme weakness or fatigue
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Heatstroke: rapid and shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat,
unusually high or low blood pressure, lack of sweating, mental
confusion and disorientation, unconsciousness, physical
collapse
Heat Exhaustion
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stop the activity,
move into a cool environment,
remove excess clothing
drink hydrating liquids (NOT coffee, tea,
sodas or juice!).
ABC's and other Acronyms
ABCD: First steps in assessing a victim for life
threatening conditions.
Sometimes E is added, for Exposure and Exam.
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A
B
C
Airway open?
Breathing?
Circulation (pulse, major bleeding, and
skin condition)
D
Disability?
RAP ABC:
Sequence of action for
starting adult CPR
Survey the Scene First
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R
A
P
Responsive?
Activate EMS
Position victim on back
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B
C
Airway open?
Breathing
Circulation (pulse)?
• LAF: Procedure used to determine
injuries
• L Look at the area for deformity, open
wounds, swelling
• A and
• F Feel for deformity, tenderness,
swelling
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DOTS: Sign of injury
D Deformity
O Open Wounds
T Tenderness
S Swelling
Sprains and Strains
What Is the Difference Between a Sprain and a
Strain?
A sprain is an injury to a ligament--a stretching or a
tearing. One or more ligaments can be injured during a
sprain. The severity of the injury will depend on the
extent of injury to a single ligament (whether the tear is
partial or complete) and the number of ligaments
involved.
A strain is an injury to either a muscle or a tendon.
Depending on the severity of the injury, a strain may be
a simple overstretch of the muscle or tendon, or it can
result in a partial or complete tear.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of a Strain?
Typically, people with a strain experience pain, muscle spasm, and
muscle weakness. They can also have localized swelling, cramping,
or inflammation and, with a minor or moderate strain, usually some
loss of muscle function. Patients typically have pain in the injured
area and general weakness of the muscle when they attempt to
move it. Severe strains that partially or completely tear the muscle or
tendon are often very painful and disabling.
RICE Therapy
Rest
Reduce regular exercise or activities of daily living as needed. Your doctor may
advise you to put no weight on an injured area for 48 hours. If you cannot put
weight on an ankle or knee, crutches may help. If you use a cane or one crutch
for an ankle injury, use it on the uninjured side to help you lean away and relieve
weight on the injured ankle.
Ice
Apply an ice pack to the injured area for 20 minutes at a time, 4 to 8 times a day.
A cold pack, ice bag, or plastic bag filled with crushed ice and wrapped in a towel
can be used. To avoid cold injury and frostbite, do not apply the ice for more than
20 minutes.
Compression
Compression of an injured ankle, knee, or wrist may help reduce swelling.
Examples of compression bandages are elastic wraps, special boots, air casts,
and splints. Ask your doctor for advice on which one to use.
Elevation
If possible, keep the injured ankle, knee, elbow, or wrist elevated on a pillow,
above the level of the heart, to help decrease swelling.
Fractures
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Prepare the casualty for splinting.
a. Reassure the casualty if he or she is conscious and able to
understand. Tell the casualty that you will be taking care of him or her.
b. Loosen any tight or binding clothing.
WARNING: Do Not Remove Any Protective Clothing Or Boots In A
Chemical Environment. Apply The Splint Over The Clothing.
WARNING: Do Not Remove Boots From The Casualty Unless They
Are Needed To Stabilize A Neck Injury Or There Is Actual Bleeding
From The Foot.
c. Remove all jewelry from the affected limb and place it in the
casualty's pocket. Tell the casualty that you are doing this to prevent
further injury if swelling occurs later.
2. Get splinting materials.
• a. Get splints (wooden boards, tree branches, poles,)
long enough to reach beyond the joints above and
below the broken part.
• b. Get materials to pad the splints, such as a jacket,
blanket, poncho, shelter half, or leafy vegetation.
• c. Get tie materials, such as strips of cloth or belts, to
tie the splints.
• NOTE: If splinting materials are not available, use
the chest wall to immobilize a suspected fracture
of the arm and an uninjured leg to immobilize the
fractured leg. Continue with steps 7 and 8.
• 3. Pad the splints. Apply padding between the splint and the
bony areas of the body. Suggested sites for padding are: wrist,
elbow, ankle, knee, crotch, and the armpit.
• 4. Check for signs of blood circulation problems below the injury.
• a. Check light-skinned persons for color of skin (skin may be
pale, white, or a bluish gray color).
• b. Check dark-skinned persons by depressing the toenail or
fingernail beds and seeing how fast the color returns. A slower
return of color to the injured side indicates a circulation problem.
• c. Check to see if the injured arm or leg feels colder than the
uninjured one.
• d. Ask the casualty about the presence of numbness, tightness,
or a cold sensation.
• WARNING: Evacuate The Casualty As Soon As Possible If
Blood Circulation Problems Are Found.
Bleeding
• Apply direct pressure
• Do not remove blood soaked dressings
– Place sterile or clean dressing over wound
• Protect yourself with gloves or plastic wrap or extra
dressing
– Elevate extremity above victim’s heart
– Locate pressure point and apply pressure
• Keep pressure over wound
• 5. Put on a splint.
• WARNING: If The Fracture Is Open, Do Not Attempt To Push
Bones Back Under The Skin. Apply A Field Dressing To Protect
The Area.
• a. Splint the broken arm or leg in the position you find it.
• NOTE: Do not try to reposition or straighten the fracture.
• b. Place one splint on each side of the arm or leg. Make sure the
splints reach beyond the joints above and below the fracture.
• c. Tie the splints with improvised (or actual) cravats.
• 1) Gently place the cravats at a minimum of two points above
and two points below the fracture if possible.
• WARNING: Do Not Tie Any Cravats Directly Over The Fracture.
• (2) Tie nonslip knots on the splint away from the injury.
6. Check the splint for tightness.
a. Make sure the cravats are tight enough to securely hold the
splinting materials in place.
b. Recheck circulation below the injury to make sure that
circulation is not impaired.
c. Make any adjustments without allowing the splint to become
ineffective.
7. Apply sling if applicable.
NOTE: A sling can be used to further immobilize an arm and to
provide support by the uninjured side.
a. Make a sling from any nonstretching material such as a
strip of clothing or blanket, poncho, shelter half, belt, or
shirttail.
b. Apply the sling so that the supporting pressure is on the
casualty's uninjured side.
c. Make sure that the hand of the supported arm is slightly
higher than the elbow.
Open and Closed Fracture
Positioning Splint and Padding
Tie Nonslip Knots
Immobilized Elbow Fracture or
Dislocation
Swathes
Immobilize Unsplinted Extremity
Bleeding
• Apply direct pressure
• Do not remove blood soaked dressings
– Place sterile or clean dressing over wound
• Protect yourself with gloves or plastic wrap or extra
dressing
– Elevate extremity above victim’s heart
– Locate pressure point and apply pressure
• Keep pressure over wound
Puncture Wounds
• Encourage wound to bleed
• Take out splinters with sterile tweezers
• Wash with soap and water, antibiotic
ointment and bandage
• If larger than a toothpick, do not remove
– Especially if throbbing.
BURNS
• Cool immediately with cool water.
• Do not open blisters
• If blisters have opened, seek medical
attention
Head Injuries
• A person is pushed to the ground or
struck a hard object with the head but
did not lose consciousness
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Vomiting more than once
Confusion
Drowsiness
Weakness or inability to walk
Severe headache
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Bleeding or fluid coming from ear or nose
Continuing or worsening headache
Stiff neck
Blurred vision
Slurred speech
Memory problems
Clumsiness
Unusual sensation
Tick Bites
• First, remove the tick. Forget any advice
you've heard about applying petroleum
jelly, fingernail polish, or a hot match to
the end of the tick. Those home
remedies almost never work. Instead of
forcing the tick to withdraw, they're likely
to kill the tick while it's embedded in the
skin, which increases the risk of
infection.
• Although it's not foolproof, the best way to remove a
tick is to pull it gently out with tweezers.
• Grasp the bug as close to where it's connected as
you can, and slowly lift it away from the skin.
• Don't twist or jerk the tweezers or you may break off
the tick's body, leaving the head behind, which can
lead to infection.
• Wash the bite area and your hands with soap and
water after removing the bug.
• If you live in an area where tick-borne diseases like
Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever occur,
save the tick by putting it in a small container filled
with rubbing alcohol. That way your doctor can test it
if trouble arises. Otherwise, dispose of it in the toilet.
Spider Bites
• 2 Central punctums (as opposed to one with
an insect bite
• Watch, if open sore develops, see the health
center
• Black widow causes pain at site and GI
upset
Poison Plants
• Wash area with warm soap water
• Change clothing
• Calamine and hydrocortisone cream
Shock
• keep the victim as calm
• If thirsty, moisten lips, unless burn victim then give fluids if no
danger of vomitting
• Never give alcoholic beverages
• KEEP AN INJURED PERSON WARM ENOUGH FOR
COMFORT, BUT DO NOT OVERHEAT HIM.
• When it is possible to place the injured person on his back on a
bed, cot, or stretcher, you should raise the lower end of the
support about 12 inches so his feet are higher than his head
• When his face is flushed rather than pale or if you have any
reason to suspect head injury, do not raise his feet. Rather, you
should keep his head level with or slightly higher than his feet.
• When the person has broken bones, you will have to judge what
position is best both for the fractures and for shock. A fractured
spine must be immobilized before the victim is moved to avoid
further injuries. When you are in doubt about the correct position
to use, have the victim lie flat on his back. THE BASIC
POSITION FOR TREATING SHOCK IS ONE IN WHICH THE
HEAD IS LOWER THAN THE FEET. Do the best you can, under
the particular circumstances, to get the injured person into this
position. In any case, never let a seriously injured person sit,
stand, or walk around.
Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack
• Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in
the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes.
• Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms. The pain
may be mild to intense. It may feel like pressure,
tightness, burning, or heavy weight. It may be located
in the chest, upper abdomen, neck, jaw, or inside the
arms or shoulders.
• Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting,
sweating, nausea or shortness of breath.
• Anxiety, nervousness and/or cold, sweaty skin.
• Paleness or pallor.
• Increased or irregular heart rate.
• Feeling of impending doom.
Snake Bite
What are the symptoms of poisonous bites?
While each individual may experience symptoms differently, the following are the most common
symptoms of poisonous snake bites:
•bloody wound discharge
•fang marks in the skin and swelling at the site of the bite
•severe localized pain
•diarrhea
•burning
•convulsions
•fainting
•dizziness
•weakness
•blurred vision
•excessive sweating
•fever
•increased thirst
•loss of muscle coordination
•nausea and vomiting
•numbness and tingling
•rapid pulse
How are snake bites treated?
Call for emergency assistance immediately
if someone has been bitten by a snake.
Responding quickly in this type of emergency is crucial.
While waiting for emergency assistance:
•Wash the bite with soap and water.
•Immobilize the bitten area and keep it lower than the heart.
•Cover the area with a clean, cool compress or a moist dressing to
minimize swelling and discomfort.
•Monitor vital signs
If a victim is unable to reach medical care within 30 minutes,
the American Red Cross recommends:
•Apply a bandage, wrapped two to four inches above the bite, to help slow
the venom.
•This should not cut off the flow of blood from a vein or artery - the band
should be loose enough to slip a finger under it.
•A suction device can be placed over the bite to help draw venom out of
the wound without making cuts. These devices are often included in
commercial snake bite kits.
Preventing snake bites:
Some bites, such as those inflicted when you accidentally step on
a snake in the woods, are nearly impossible to prevent. However,
there are precautions that can reduce your chances of being
bitten by a snake. These include:
•Leave snakes alone. Many people are bitten because they
try to kill a snake or get too close to it.
•Stay out of tall grass unless you wear thick leather boots
and remain on hiking paths as much as possible.
•Keep hands and feet out of areas you cannot see. Do not
pick up rocks or firewood unless you are out of a snake's
striking distance.
•Be cautious and alert when climbing rocks.