Basic First Aid Skills

We recommend all people undergoing any expedition have at least a basic knowledge of first aid, as help is not just round the corner it can take several hours for a rescue team to reach your location.

There will many basic first aid courses around where you live throughout the year. So if you require one or yours has just run out I strongly recommend you do one. As it says above it can take hours before you could expect any help from the mountain rescue team depending on your location and the weather.

As well as knowing first aid you will also need to keep calm throughout the ordeal as the rescue teams will need a lot of information about the nature of the injury, the injured person and your location with prominent features or marking so as they can find you easily.

So we at Cliffton and Cave will give you guidance of what to take for emergencies and what actions to do. But at the end of the day it is up to you to ensure you have the correct training and equipment to hand. We recommend that you venture out in the hills with a min party of 4 people. This is for if you get an injury to one of you members. One person stays with the casualty and two go for help just encase one of them get injured.

Before we begin take the time to go to ÔTaking the correct kitÕ page and looking trough the reconditions for the Group First Aid Kit and Personal First Aid Kits.

So what do you do in the event of an emergency up in the hills?

Well the first main rule is to STAY CALM.

1. Check for Danger- Why are they injured you need to ask your self.
2. Check for any response to the casualty- Approach from the feet, do not shake the casualty.
3. Check the Air Way- If none present carry out CPR.
4. Check for Bleeding- DonÕt just stop on the first sign of blood as there might be a much larger could you could miss.
5. Check for Brakes, Dislocations and Sprains.

Once you have found what the injuryÕs are and there extent. Try to treat them to the best of your ability and get them into some sort of shelter from the elements and keep them warm. It could be one of the hottest days out side but the casualty will still get cold as they go into shock from the injury. Do not give them any fluids of food except for fluids for heat injuries which I will talk about later on.

If they are still in danger from the area they got injured, is it safe to move them? If so do.

If you do not need to move them just try to make them as comfortable the best you can. If you have given them any sort of pain relief you need to tell that to the medics on arrival.

You then need to make the dissention: Do we go for help? Or do we try to treat it our selfÕs and get her/him down own our own? If you decide to go for help you will need to have the following information and took these other points into consideration. Below is a table with a check list for information what the mountain rescue team will require. We ask you to save this image to your computer and print and laminate it so as you will always have all of the information in the event of an emergence.

If anyone from you party comes disorientated, stops sweating, becomes dizzy, sudden bursts of energy and then really tied or starts to vomit they could be coming down with a heat injury. If you do not treat it soon on it can pretensionly become fatal. Below is a list of things you will need to do.

1. Remove them to some sort of shade.
2. Remove all excess clothing to cool the body down.
3. Let them take small sips of water.
4. Lightly spray their flesh with cool water.

DO NOT

1. Strip down the body and cover in could water as this will cause them to go into shock.
2. Let them take large amounts of water in one go as this will induce vomiting and make the situation worse.

If after 10mins they are still suffering the symptoms you will need to start thinking about getting help as they will need to be given fluids.

Cold Related Injuries.

If any one of your party becomes very tired, stops shivering, lose of felling in their extremities, blueness in the lips and fingers they are coming down with a cold injury. You will need to act on this as soon as possible. See the actions you need to take below:

1. Stop and get them into a warm shelter.
2. Place them into their sleeping back and cover for extra warmth.
3. Get them to drink warm sugary fluids, tea/coffee/hot chocolate.

DO NOT

1. Get into the sleeping bag with them to try and warm them up with your body temp, as this will only cool down your core temp as well.
2. Do not put direct heat towards the body as this will put them into shock.
3. Once in the shelter do not move the casualty until they have warmed up.

If after 10mins they are still suffering the symptoms you will need to start thinking about getting help.

Calling in the rescue Helicopter.

If you are calling in a helicopter there are a few things you need to consider.

1. Where is the HLS (Helicopter Landing Site) likely to be? You will need to look for fairly flat ground with no overhead obstructions or loose rock formations.
2. Remove any loose clothing, i.e. hats and scarfÕs and any other loose debris around the HLS which could get caught up in the engines and prop.
3. Stand with your back to the wind with your arms up like a T.
4. If you have a strobe you can also use this during the day and night.
5. If at night, tie a piece of cord to a cylome and spin in the air to your front still with your back to the wind.

DO NOT

1. Approach the helicopter in any way. Let the medics come to you.
2. If they are winching down, do not approach him let him come to you.
3. Do not shine a torch directly at the helicopter as this will blind the pilots.

I hope this small bits of information regarding the basics in first aid and mountain rescue where a good insight. But we still do recommend in going on a authorised first aid training scheme. This are just guide lines and under no circumstance any of this information to be taken as training, but as a reference or refresher to the mind.

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