BarabooDad
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2008
- Posts
- 8
1st aid thoughts
As an old Navy Corpsman (and MD now), I never go anywhere without a couple of battle dressings, both medium and small, and triangular bandage which can be used as a sling or a tourniquet. While most first aid is cuts and scrapes, bruises, mild burns, and strains, once in a while something bad does happen. Little 3x3's and 4x4's are not going to help then, but a battle dressing or a tourniquet can be life saving.
I know that current EMS training says tourniquets aren't needed anymore. That may be true in Boston or Seattle with trauma centers minutes away. Unfortunately, not so true in rural American where I've seen a man die because no one applied a simple tourniquet. (Or Iraq/Afghanistan, where they are routinely used).
So be safe; go to your local surplus store, buy a small and medium battle dressing and a "cravat" (triangular bandage). Have some kind of sturdy stick available to tie down the tourniquet (can be the bandage shears after you cut off all the nearby clothes). Learn how to tie on dressings, slings, and tourniquets, not just use tape. (Tape doesn't stick well when there's lots of blood). Then hopefully you'll never need to use any of this. (Another thing I've learned in 23 years of medicine - the more prepared you are, the less goes wrong!)
Happy RVing
As an old Navy Corpsman (and MD now), I never go anywhere without a couple of battle dressings, both medium and small, and triangular bandage which can be used as a sling or a tourniquet. While most first aid is cuts and scrapes, bruises, mild burns, and strains, once in a while something bad does happen. Little 3x3's and 4x4's are not going to help then, but a battle dressing or a tourniquet can be life saving.
I know that current EMS training says tourniquets aren't needed anymore. That may be true in Boston or Seattle with trauma centers minutes away. Unfortunately, not so true in rural American where I've seen a man die because no one applied a simple tourniquet. (Or Iraq/Afghanistan, where they are routinely used).
So be safe; go to your local surplus store, buy a small and medium battle dressing and a "cravat" (triangular bandage). Have some kind of sturdy stick available to tie down the tourniquet (can be the bandage shears after you cut off all the nearby clothes). Learn how to tie on dressings, slings, and tourniquets, not just use tape. (Tape doesn't stick well when there's lots of blood). Then hopefully you'll never need to use any of this. (Another thing I've learned in 23 years of medicine - the more prepared you are, the less goes wrong!)
Happy RVing
