This question gets asked by students taking our first aid courses all the time, and we do see the conundrum that many face in an Emergency as Liability, distance, Time or even a persons life may be at stake. For these very reasons we have come up with the simplest way to look at it.

Try not to…..., but if you do decide to take a person to the hospital we have included some steps to keep you and the victim safe. Lets call this “Stay & Play VS Load & Go”

Stay & Play “Wait for an Ambulance“

• Never drive an ill or injured person to the hospital if their condition is “Life Threatening” or spine related. The movement of being in a vehicle may adversely affect their injuries. You may not have to move the patient, your 911 Dispatcher will advise you on options you may have to secure the best medical aid given.

Load & Go “Take them to a hospital“

• For “Non-Life Threatening” injuries or illness.

1. Step #1 – “911 on Speaker Phone” – Have 911 on speaker phone so everyone knows what the dispatcher needs you to do. This will also let the hospital know you are coming.
2. Step #2 – “Take a Partner” – Have a calm person drive while you continue care. Having a partner to help in an emergency setting can make all the difference.
3. Step #3 – “You Can NOT Speed” – as your vehicle is not a designated emergency vehicle its lack of visibility and sirens will put you and others into danger if you attempt to break the rules of the road. Just remember, if you get there safely, the victim will too, Better safe than sorry.

Learn First Aid Today & Save a Life Tomorrow with Saving Grace Medical Academy Ltd.

Just Remember:

Protect Yourself!!! Call 911!!! Don’t Waste Time!!!

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There are many substances that we have in our environment that can be natural or even man made, many of these can be toxic or cause harsh chemical reactions to our bodies. Poisons are substances that have a harmful effect within the body if it is inhaled, swallowed, absorbed, or injected. Poisons are immediately life-threatening if they affect breathing or circulation. “When you treat someone who has been poisoned, you should take precautions to make sure that you do not come into contact with the poison yourself.”

4 Routs of Exposure:

1. Injected – Enters the body through bites, stings or needles
2. Inhaled – Enters the body through the lungs “breathed in”
3. Ingested – Swallowed or contacts the lips & mouth
4. Absorbed – Enters through the skin from exposure

What it looks like:

1. Injected – Puncture wound, problems breathing, pain, prescription medication or illegal drugs nearby, redness and swelling at the entry point.
2. Inhaled – Breathing difficulties, irritated eye, nose or throat, vomiting, dizziness, seizures, bluish color around the mouth, unconsciousness, and unusual smell in the air, a cloud or plume in the air.
3. Ingested – An open container of poison nearby, burns around the mouth, increased production of saliva and/or saliva that is an abnormal color, Abnormal cramps and vomiting, seizures, dizziness and or drowsiness, unconsciousness, a burning sensation in the mouth, throat or stomach, diarrhea.
4. Absorbed – Rash, burning, itching, swelling blisters, hives “raised itchy area of skin“, burns, unconsciousness.

Prevention:

• Keep all medications, vitamins, household cleaners, hygiene products, decorative plants and other toxic substances well out of reach of children. “Duel Tab Child Locks are recommended”
• Use child-resistant safety caps on medications and other potentially toxic products.
• Treat all household, cosmetic or drugstore products as if they could be dangerous.
• Teach children to check with an adult before eating an unknown substance.
• Never call medicine “Candy or juice” to persuade a child to take it.
• Keep products in their “original” Containers with their original labels.
• Use poison symbols to identify dangerous substances and teach children what the symbols mean.
• All medicine bottles and boxes should be carefully labelled. Read the label three times when you are taking or giving medications.1) When you take the medication from the cupboard or refrigerator, 2) when you take the medication out of the package, 3) just before you assist the patient taking the medication.
• “Always follow your local legislation on Medication Administration” before you give any medication.
• Prescription medicine should be taken only by the person whom it was prescribed too, “never self medicate”
• Carefully dispose of outdated medication by giving them to your pharmacist “Never flush down the toilet or throw in the garbage“
• Wear proper protective clothing any time you may come into contact with a poisonous substance.
• Many cleaning products have toxic fumes, read the labels and use in a well ventilated area. “Always follow the manufacturers recommendations to avoid damage or injury.”
• Mixing certain household cleaning products, such as “Bleach and ammonia or household cleaners, can create toxic fumes that may be fatal if inhaled or exposed.”

WHMIS or GHS “Workplace Hazardous Material Information System or Global Harmonization System“

• Always refer to your MSDS “Material Safety Data Sheet” before you use a new chemical, cosmetic or pharmaceutical.
• The MSDS will provide you with all “Who’s, Whats, Where’s, When’s, Why’s & How’s” of the chemical you are working with to avoid exposure or potentially harmful effects.
• Check all warning labels before use and replace warning labels that are damaged or unreadable.

“For more information on taking the WHMIS or GHS course please consult your local First Aid and Safety school for course listings, WHMIS or GHS is now available for Online certification and you may not need to “attend” and in class portion.”

How to help with Poisoning:

1. Check the area, once the area is safe, Check the person and ensure the persons ABC’s are present “Airway / Breathing / Circulation” REMEMBER – Wear gloves if available to avoid bodily fluids or exposure to the chemical. A particle mask or SCBA “Self Contained Breathing Apparatus” may be needed to avoid inhaling chemicals in the air “Never run into a dangerous area where you suspect poisonous gas, wait for the rescue teams who are trained to do so”.
2. Call 911 and get an AED if you are alone, you suspect a Head / Neck or Spine injury, there is a motor vehicle collision, you suspect toxic gas, dangerous environment or the injured persons life could be at risk. “911 will link you to the Poison Control Center if you do not have the number.“
3. Care for the Poisoned casualty by:

Always follow recommendations by your Emergency Response professionals and 911 Dispatch personnel. “Never endanger yourself or the victim, you may “not” need to move or roll the injured person“

• If there are other life threatening injuries, treat those first as quickly as possible with as little movement to the injured person.
• a) Determine the type of exposure the person is experiencing “Injected, Inhaled, Absorbed or Ingested“
• b) “Inhaled” Get the Person into fresh air, but “DO NOT” enter into ta hazardous atmosphere yourself to do so. Refer to the MSDS if available about treatments, listen to your 911 dispatcher for further treatments.
• c) “Swallowed” Check the packaging of the poison if available and refer back to the MSDS if available about treatments, listen to your 911 dispatcher for further treatments.
• d) “Absorbed” Check the packaging of the poison if available and refer back to the MSDS if available about treatments, listen to your 911 dispatcher for further treatments. – Flush the skin with cool running water for 15 minutes to “Dilute, remove and reduce the chemical reaction.
• e) “Injected” Check the packaging of the poison if available and refer back to the MSDS if available about treatments, listen to your 911 dispatcher for further treatments. – keep the puncture site lower than the heart if possible, have the person rest comfortably, “NEVER” suck out the poison seek medical aid.

RECOVERY Position:

1. Kneel Beside the victim and place the victims furthest arm from you above their head.
2. Place the arm closest to you across the victims chest as a protector arm.
3. The Key is in their Knee, bend the nearest leg up at the knee.
4. Carefully slip your hand under the hollow of the victims neck to support the Head Neck & Spine, at the same time use your forearm by slipping it carefully under the shoulder for leverage.
5. Place your free hand on the Key Knee and gently roll the victim away from you by applying steady pressure against the knee and shoulder at the same time. The victims head should rest on their raised arm.
6. To secure the position pull the key knee further up and bring their protector arm out to use the elbow to stabilize the position.
7. Check the Airway to make sure their still breathing.

In any emergency just remember to Protect Yourself!!! Call 911!!! Don’t Waste Time!!!

Learn First Aid Today, Save a Life Tomorrow, let first aid training in Edmonton be your Saving Grace

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To continue our detailed explanation of how to handle environmental emergencies including exposure to both “Heat” and “Cold“, and explain how we can help, we must again refer back to a previous post about “Burns“, as we are talking about a “Thermal Dynamic Energy” your body can take damage from to much exposure to both heat and cold, it always depends on the amount you are exposed to that will detail the severity of the injury. The slogan from our post about Burns is, if “Hot is Fast, then Cold must be Slow“. Once again this will help us distinguish the difference in the injuries and potential treatments we can use to help the patient.

Just remember that Thermal energy in either direction Hot or Cold will result in levels of severity and symptoms that are very similar but on opposite ends of the spectrum “Fire / Ice“, Lets focus on Cold exposure within the core of your body for this article and explain how a low core temperature can effect treatments .

To help with the explanation of Hypothermia we must also bring in your “Normal Body Temperature 37C / 98.6F“. “Hypo” literally means “Low” and “thermia” temperature, put them together and you get low temperature within your body. Your body has three stages of Hypothermia “Mild / Moderate & Severe” and each stage has its own symptoms until you reach about “30C or 86F” which would normally lead too unconsciousness.

Hypothermia What it looks like:

1. Mild -“37C to 35C” -Shivering and complaining of the cold, numbness, body temperature slightly below normal.
2. Moderate – 35C to 33C – Shivering and sometimes complaining of the cold, Numbness, Lack of coordination and / or speech “Slur“, Confused or unusual behavior, impaired judgement.
3. Severe – 33C to 27C – Person has stopped shivering, persona has stopped complaining of the cold, Numbness, lack of coordination and / or speech, confused or unusual behavior, impaired judgment, breathing has slowed down or stopped, possible unconsciousness and body feels stiff.

Causes:

• Exposure to cold temperatures for too long.

Prevention of Hypothermia:

“Low body temperature”

• If you are in, on, or around a cold environment, prepare properly, wear layer of clothing and warm yourself if you feel cold.
• Wear a tuque and layers of clothing made of tightly woven fibers, such as wool or synthetics like fleece. “AVOID COTTON!”
• Cover Up vulnerable areas such as your fingers, toes, cheeks, ears, and nose “But don’t cover them too tightly”
• Drink plenty of warm fluids to help your body stay warm, if warm drinks are not available, drink plenty of plain water or electrolyte drinks “Not energy drinks“.
• Avoid caffeine & alcohol because they can cause dehydration, which stops your body from controlling its temperature properly.
• Take frequent breaks from the cold to let your body warm up. This will help you cope better with short periods of extreme cold.
• Check the weather forecast before you plan an outdoor activity.
• Shivering is your body’s first response to cold, Blue lips and vigorous shivering are warning signs of hypothermia.
• Be extremely careful around water. Hypothermia can occur in any body of water, warm or cold. If you clothes get wet and you are in the cold, change into dry clothing immediately.

How to Treat Hypothermia: “Low body temperature“

1. Check the area, once the area is safe, Check the person and ensure the persons ABC’s are present “Airway / Breathing / Circulation” REMEMBER – Wear gloves if available to avoid bodily fluids.
2. Call 911 and get an AED if the cold related injury includes frost nip or frost bite, the person is in a great deal of pain, there is blackening on the wound, the person has stopped shivering or has wet clothing and EMS may be delayed.
3. Care for the Hypothermia by:

Always follow recommendations by your Emergency Response professionals and 911 Dispatch personnel. “Never endanger yourself and maintain a safe distance from the source of the injury”

• a) Treat the person gently and monitor breathing carefully.
• b) Get the person away from the cold environment and into some kind of shelter, if possible.
• c) Remove any wet clothing and dry the person.
• d) Warm the person by wrapping him or her in blankets or putting on dry clothing. Cover the head and neck. Warm the person slowly. Warming too quickly can cause heart problems and lead to shock.
• e) “Hot is Fast / Cold is Slow” If hot water bottles, heating pads, or other heat sources are available put them in each armpit, the groin and the back of the neck. If you use a heating pad, make sure the person is dry. Keep a blanket, towel, or clothing between the heat source and the skin to avoid burns.
• f) If the person is alert, give him or her warm liquids to drink “No alcohol or caffeine“
• g) Continue care until EMS arrive or you seek further medical attention.

Freezing of Skin to Metal Objects:

“This is a common injury in children during winter, the tongue, lips and other moist parts of skin can freeze to cold metal objects”

How to Help:

1. Ensure the ABC’s are present “Airway, Breathing, Circulation”
2. Pour warm water on the surface of the object and/or the skin that is stuck to the object. “DO NOT USE HOT WATER!”
3. Gradually and gently help release the person from the metal object
4. Treat any non life threatening injuries “Any torn skin is an open wound” and provide continual care.

NOTES TO REMEMBER:

• Don’t rub the frozen area or put snow on it. Warm the area only if you are sure it will not freeze again.
• Avoid “Direct” heat as this may damage the tissue further, use heat sources closer to the core above the injury. “Put the Hot Pack at the Point, Nearest the coldest Joint“
• Never aggressively warm with friction or patting, the injured person may go into shock with sudden movements.

As you can see, the treatment on Cold Exposure in this tutorial are the same regardless of the name “Frost Nip / Frost Bite” or even “Hypothermia“. Once you master the First Aid technique on how to aid a Thermal injury caused from a Cold source you can aid anyone who has been exposed to too much Cold energy. Just remember that it does not matter what the name of the cold exposure injury is, the treatments are often the same “Hot is Fast & Cold is Slow“. Put a heat source at the joint nearest the coldest point and gradually warm the cold exposure related injury.

In any emergency just remember to Protect Yourself!!! Call 911!!! Don’t Waste Time!!!

Swoop into First Aid and give a breath of Life, let first aid training in Edmonton be your Saving Grace.

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This portion of the First Aid program offers a detailed explanation of how to handle environmental emergencies including exposure to both “Heat” and “Cold”. To explain how we can help, we must first refer back to a previous post about “Burns“, as we are talking about a “Thermal Dynamic Energy” your body can take damage from to much exposure to both heat and cold, it depends on the amount you are exposed to that will detail the severity of the injury. To quote a slogan from our post about Burns, if “Hot is Fast, then Cold must be Slow“. Once again this will help us distinguish the difference in the injuries and potential treatments we can use to help the patient.

Just remember that Thermal energy in either direction Hot or Cold will result in levels of severity and symptoms that are very similar but on opposite ends of the spectrum “Fire / Ice“, Lets focus on Cold exposure for this article.

As your flesh cools down to levels where it can sustain damage, your tissue will naturally react as many other substances do when encountering a “Cold energy Source“. Your flesh will freeze and the “cold” energy your flesh is being exposed to will naturally react, as you are roughly 60%-65% water, your tissue will naturally expand and crystallize as it freezes. we have heard the saying “Hot is Fast & Cold is Slow.” as it takes “Time” for your tissue to freeze, it will also take “Time” for it to thaw. once you know this you can see that “to much heat” can actually cause damage rather than helping. The best way to describe this is to picture an “Ice Cube” that you just made in an ice cube tray, now in your mind take that ice cube from the tray and drop it in a hot cup of soup because the soup is too hot. What does the ice cube do? It cracks, snaps, pops and breaks apart, now…. picture someone’s frozen fingers, if you were to run their frozen fingers under hot water to warm it up what would happen? “Hot is Fast so Cold MUST be slow” once you can see the difference the treatments will be clear.

“Frost Nip“

• Damage to the first and second layers of your tissue comes with redness around the injury, blanching at site of injury, pain, possible swelling. Most commonly comes with itching, stinging and finally numbness of the flesh.

“Frost Bite“

• Damage to all layers of tissue and flesh. Frost Bite may present with a burning sensation, pain mild to severe “Darker, hard, solid Waxy skin that is colder than the area around it“, swelling, blisters, pain and tenderness may remain after thawing. Always consult medical professionals for Frost Bite or full thickness Cold injuries as infection rates are dramatically increased.

Causes:

• Exposure to cold temperatures.

Prevention:

“Thermal Burns From a Cold Source”

• If you are in, on, or around a cold environment, prepare properly, wear layer of clothing and warm yourself if you feel cold.
• Wear a tuque and layers of clothing made of tightly woven fibers, such as wool or synthetics like fleece. “AVOID COTTON!“
• Cover Up vulnerable areas such as your fingers, toes, cheeks, ears, and nose “But don’t cover them too tightly”
• Drink plenty of warm fluids to help your body stay warm, if warm drinks are not available, drink plenty of plain water or electrolyte drinks “Not energy drinks“.
• Avoid caffeine & alcohol because they can cause dehydration, which stops your body from controlling its temperature properly.
• Take frequent breaks from the cold to let your body warm up. This will help you cope better with short periods of extreme cold.

How to Treat a Burn: “Thermal – From a Cold Source”

1. Check the area, once the area is safe, Check the person and ensure the persons ABC’s are present “Airway / Breathing / Circulation” REMEMBER – Wear gloves if available to avoid bodily fluids.
2. Call 911 and get an AED if the cold injury covers more than 10% of the body, the person is in a great deal of pain, there is blackening on the wound, full thickness “Frost Bite” or the injury was caused by a chemical “Dry Ice / Nitrogen” or you suspect “Hypothermia“
3. Care for the Cold Injury by:

Always follow recommendations by your Emergency Response professionals and 911 Dispatch personnel. “Never endanger yourself and maintain a safe distance from the source of the injury”

• a) Warm the affected area with warm water, body heat or hot packs by “Placing a heat source at the Joint nearest the coldest Point” your joints are full of veins and arteries, by placing a heat source at the joints you can warm the blood before it enters the frozen tissue to “Gradually” thaw out the injured body part to reduce potential damage to the flesh. “Patience” NEVER place an active heat source against frozen tissue, this may cause extreme pain and damage to the tissue.
• b) Don’t break any blisters! Protect them with loose, dry dressings. Place gauze between the fingers or toes if they are affected.
• c) Always Seek Medical Attention for “Frost Bite“.

NOTES TO REMEMBER:

• Don’t rub the frozen area or put snow on it. Warm the area only if you are sure it will not freeze again.
• – Avoid “Direct” heat as this may damage the tissue further, use heat sources closer to the core above the injury. “Put the Hot Pack at the Point, Nearest the coldest Joint“

As you can see, the treatment on Cold Exposure in this tutorial are the same regardless of the name “Frost Nip / Frost Bite“. Once you master the First Aid technique on how to aid a Thermal injury caused from a Cold source you can aid anyone who has been exposed to too much Cold energy. Just remember that it does not matter what the name of the cold exposure injury is, the treatments are often the same “Hot is Fast & Cold is Slow“. Put a heat source at the joint nearest the coldest point and gradually warm the cold exposure related injury.

In any emergency just remember to Protect Yourself!!! Call 911!!! Don’t Waste Time!!!

Learn First Aid Today & Save a Life Tomorrow, Let First Aid Training in Edmonton be your Saving Grace!

#ChemicalBurns #FrostBite #FrostNip #Burns #Hypothermia #ColdRelatedInjury #ThirdDegreeBurn #FireSafetyTips #FirstAidCourse #FirstAidCourseEdmonton #H2SAlive #BasicLifeSupport #BLS #BLSforHCP #H2sAliveEdmonton #EnformH2S #BCLS #BCLSCourseEdmonton #ACLS #AdvancedCardiovascularLifeSupport #EMR #EmergencyMedicalResponder