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Little bites, bumps and bruises are a fact of life and unfortunately so are heart attacks and car crashes. In the outback especially, if someone gets hurt a little first aid can go a long way. Words by Ben Woods. The Importance of First Aid Earlier in the decade various Australian Ministers of Health identified injury prevention as one of seven priority areas in health. Now whatever you think of our politicians, if they are citing injury as an area of concern then it must be costing them some money. Of course this also means that plenty of people are getting injured. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics there is an increased focus on injury in the health bureaucracies because while more people are living to an older age, a relatively high number of people are hurt and killed as a result of accidents. For nomads (especially the grey ones), injury and health concerns are perhaps even higher on the agenda as they may often find themselves some distance away from ‘civilisation’. And, as some of you have no doubt been unfortunate enough to find out, the RV travel presents plenty of opportunities for accidents, not the least of which being the relentless driving. All this means that knowledge of first aid and ready access to at least basic medical equipment is important if you want to travel for as many years as possible with as many limbs as possible. First Aid Procedures The following are definitely not a substitute to proper first aid training, but they provide a guide to procedures recommended by St John’s Ambulance of Australia that any of you out there ignorant of basic first aid can keep as a reference until you get yourselves some proper know how. A Serious Accident If you come across a person that is down and in trouble, you should call 000 immediately. Then check for any danger that might befall you or the casualty. Remove anything that might cause further injury and call for help. This is the first step in the DRABC (Danger, Response, Action, Breathing, Circulation) action plan, that a training course will teach you. Then check if the person is awake and look for any obvious signs of injury, such as bleeding. If they’re unconscious they should be carefully moved onto their side with their leg bent in such a way that they can’t roll over. If they’re conscious treat any injuries accordingly. If they’re unconscious at this stage (including people who are unconscious after being under water) and you have no further first aid training wait by the patient until help arrives. If you know what you’re doing check their airways, breathing and circulation and perform any aid necessary while waiting for assistance. Bleeding Bleeding can be serious and if it looks serious go through the above routine. Then apply direct pressure to the wound. Use gloves where possible and keep the bleeding part of the body elevated. Burns Seek medical attention for a burn that appears deep or where the skin has gone white or black. Also call a doctor for a surface burn that is larger than a 20 cent coin. If the burn affects the face, hands, genitals or if you’re unsure how serious the burn is, call the Doc. Otherwise treat burns with cool, gently running water. Remove any clothing or jewellery from the burnt area but leave any that is stuck to the skin. Limb Injuries For injuries to limbs such as fractures it is important to be extremely careful when handling it. The casualty should only be moved before being treated if there is danger to either party. The limb should be immobilised with a sling, bandage or splint. Quality first aid manuals will provide instructions on applying these treatments. Head and Spinal Injuries Initial treatment of either head or spinal injuries should be the same as that of the Serious Accident as seen above. Do not force open a jaw that is clenched. If blood is coming from an ear, lightly secure a sterile dressing. If attending to someone with an apparent neck or spinal injury try to put a stiff collar of sorts around their neck. Other wise support can come via your hands on either side of the patient’s head. It’s imperative that any first aid applied to a person with suspected spinal injuries be done extremely carefully and should be limited to the above. However, it is generally best to wait for the experts. Bites and Stings The recommended initial treatment for most bites and stings is direct pressure applied over the bitten area, preferably with some sort of bandage. The bandage should be wrapped tightly around as much of the affected area as possible. Bee stingers are often left behind in their victims and can be removed with fingernails or carefully with tweezers. The area should then be cleaned and a cold compress applied. If there is an apparent allergic reaction to any bite or sting, treat the situation as you would a Serious Accident as above, and call for help. Treatment of persons who have been bitten by a venomous spider or snake is made easier if the culprit is known. So do not wash venom from an affected area as this can aid identification. Other snake and spider bite don’ts are: never cut the bitten area or try to suck out the venom and never use a very tight bandage. First Aid Courses If at this point you have realised that doing a first aid course is a good idea, then you probably should contact either St John’s Ambulance or the Red Cross and get enrolled in one. Here’s a list of St John’s programs that you guys might find useful: Remote Area First Aid This is a course especially for bushwalkers, climbers and nomads of all description. Of particular interest here are the skills to be gained in dealing with medical situations in isolated areas. It costs $230 per person and this price includes text book and equipment. Senior First Aid To gain maximum general medical knowledge from a first aid course you will need to get involved in classes of Senior First Aid. Senior First Aid training runs over 18 hours and participants will learn the basics of resuscitation and the treatment of bleeding, fractures, burns, bites and the like. Cost is $160 per person including textbook and equipment. The above courses can be taken on a site of your choosing or you can contact St John’s about joining a group. First Aid Kits A good first aid kit is essential in the home, in the car and of course in your RV. You can buy first aid kits all over the place, but when you’re talking about the potential health of kith and kin surely it’s best to go for the goods and St John’s ambulance kits are certainly that. They have packages to suit all occasions and travels and the sale of St John’s equipment goes towards funding the training of the St John’s officers that attend to our medical problems at concerts and sporting events. St John’s Ambulance in Queensland has the following kits for sale but you can find similar packs from all their state chapters. Special Motorist Kit As the name says this kit is aimed at the motorist and includes stuff to assist in the treatment of wounds of various sorts as well as other essential items. So, inside you’ll find various bandages, saline, creams as well as scissors, forceps and a first aid brochure. It costs $79.95 Off Road 4WD Kit You might be wondering how first aid for motorists in general differs to that for off road four-wheel drivers? Anyhow this is a good kit for motoring travelers and comes with all the bandages, creams and ‘tools’ you hopefully wont need as well as a ‘how to’ book called Staying Alive . It retails through St John’s Queensland for $121.75. Outdoor Kit St John’s Queensland reckons this is the, ‘most comprehensive kit for camping and holidays’. It includes plenty of essentials like dressings, bandages, first aid book, creams and even a kidney dish and an emergency shock blanket. You can get one for $186.60. A Good Book St John’s Australian Remote Area First Aid is an excellent book to keep in your RV. It’s a guide to the treatment of ailments that can befall those in harsh isolated environs, such as dehydration. It also includes good tips for planning a safe outback adventure. Call the above St John’s number to obtain a copy. Precautionary Measures As the saying goes prevention is better than cure and there are some basic things travellers can do to avoid injury. To start with, (this should hopefully not really need saying) make sure your vehicle is in working order and that anything in your RV that could cause an injury is secure. West Australian Holidays and Adventures (Wanderers out West) offer lots of safety tips for vanners that can be accessed at www.wowest.com.au. The same website offers other sensible precautionary advice for travellers. For example, they stress the importance of planning and researching your route and the terrain and conditions you might expect on the way. This includes climatic conditions and packing the right clothing.
Participating in a first-aid course is something that everyone should do. You might never need it – but it is better to be safe than sorry. |
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