When you take a standard first aid course, you are taught that you can recognize a life-threatening emergency and quickly manage it until professional medical help arrives.
What happens if the situation you are in is not consistent with what you learned from your standard first aid class. What if you are unable to take care of a serious injury for hours or days?
Cuts
You can treat some cuts at home, depending upon the injury. You should always seek medical attention for any bleeding wounds that are more severe or persistent.
To prevent infection, you should thoroughly clean the wound and disinfect it. Also, the cut must be covered with a clean and frequently changed dressing.
A small amount of antiseptic may be applied to the cut or graze. For this purpose, pine sap is a great choice.
You can stop bleeding by applying pressure to the wound with a cloth or gauze. Place another cloth over the bleeding area and continue to apply pressure until it stops.
Scrapes
Everybody will experience cuts, scrapes, puncture wounds at some point in their lives. They are common in wilderness life. Knowing how to treat them correctly can help prevent infection.
Small cuts and scrapes can be stopped quickly by taking a few actions. To stop the blood flow, you can use a gauze pads or a clean cloth to press down against the wound.
A little bit of rubbing alcohol can be used to clean a scrape or cut. This will remove dirt, grit, and other particles that might be trapped in your wound.
Also, rubbing alcohol will clean the skin and kill bacteria which could cause infection. Cover the wound with a gauze pad or sterile bandage. The dressing or bandage should be changed on a daily basis to avoid infection.
Burns
You will need to seek first aid if you have been injured by a hot object, flame, liquid, or other heat source. First aid involves removing the source of the pain, applying heat to the affected area, and then covering it with a bandage.
Do not use ice to cool off the burn. It can further cause tissue and skin damage. It can also cause shock (a rapid drop in your body temperature).
Take off any jewelry, belts or tight clothing that may be causing the injury. To reduce burning, you can give pain medication if necessary.
Call 111 for an ambulance if the burn is very severe or affects the eyes. It is possible to treat minor second-degree burns at home with the steps outlined above.
Broken Bones
Bones are living tissue and can become bruised in many ways. They can also become broken if struck with enough force.
Most fractures can usually be treated with a cast. This helps the bone heal naturally and reduces bleeding and pain.
Sometimes, surgery is necessary to fix broken bones. The type and severity of the injury as well as your age and medical history will determine the best treatment.
If you suspect that your heart is about to burst, it's crucial that you seek professional medical attention immediately. If you are not able to get to A&E or an ambulance, call 999.
FAQ
How to Navigate With or Without a Compass?
While a compass won't show you where you are, it will help you locate your way home if you lose track of your direction.
There are three methods you can use to navigate.
-
By landmarks
-
Magnetic North (using a compasse)
-
By stars
These are objects you recognize immediately when you come across them. They are trees, buildings or rivers. Landmarks can be useful because they are a visual indicator of where you're at.
Magnetic North is simply the direction in which the Earth's magnetic field points. When you look up at the sky, you'll notice that the sun appears to be moving across the sky. However, the earth’s magnetic field actually causes it to move around the Earth. While it may appear that the sun moves across the sky, in fact, the sun actually moves around its horizon. At noon, it is directly overhead. The sun is directly below your eyes at midnight. The earth's magnetic field is constantly changing, so the exact direction of the magnetic North pole changes every day. This can mean that you could be off track for a few days.
Another method of navigating is using stars. Stars appear to rise and set over the horizon. These are fixed points that can be used to pinpoint your location relative other locations.
What can you do to survive in an emergency situation?
There is no time to think about the next thing to say. So you need to make sure you are prepared for anything. Make sure you know how to react when confronted with an unexpected problem.
If you're not sure how to proceed, it is essential to be flexible.
If you are in a survival situation, you will likely encounter problems such:
-
Being stuck in a remote location
-
Getting lost
-
Having limited food supplies
-
Running low on water
-
Facing hostile people
-
Facing wild animals
-
Finding shelter
-
Fighting off predators
-
Setting fire to
-
Using tools
-
Building shelters
-
Hunting
-
* Fishing
What are the essential survival skills?
Basic survival skills include the ability to hunt, fish and make fire. These skills are critical no matter where one lives, but they are especially important when travelling alone or in remote regions.
Other survival skills include navigation, self-defense and wilderness medicine. These are life-saving skills that must be learned before you venture into the unknown.
These skills are not the only ones you should have. There are many valuable skills that can be useful when you're away from home. If you are planning to spend your vacation hiking in the mountains, you should learn mountaineering skills. If you plan to camp in the desert, you should learn how to survive in extreme temperatures. There are many ways you can prepare for any situation. So don't be afraid of trying new skills.
Why is knot-tying so important for survival?
Everywhere you look, people use knots to connect items like fishing lines, ropes, ladders, and so on. They are also used for other purposes, such as tying bags shut or securing items to trees. When you are required to tie yourself to a tree, rope, or secure your shelter, the ability to make knots can be a lifesaver.
Statistics
- We know you're not always going to be 100% prepared for the situations that befall you, but you can still try and do your best to mitigate the worst circumstances by preparing for a number of contingencies. (hiconsumption.com)
- so you can be 100 percent hands-free, and there's less chance you'll put your torch down and lose it. (nymag.com)
- Without one, your head and neck can radiate up to 40 percent of your body heat. (dec.ny.gov)
- The Dyrt PRO gives 40% campground discounts across the country (thedyrt.com)
External Links
How To
How to Build a Lean To Shelter
You will find lean-tos all over the United States. Lean-tos are usually made of wood or metal poles and covered with tarps or canvas or plastic sheeting. The roof is typically added after the walls, floor, or ceiling have been built.
A leaning-to is temporary shelter built on the side a building to provide shelter when it is too cold or rainy to build a permanent shelter. You can also refer to it as a lean-to shed, lean-to cottage, or lean-to home.
There are many types, including:
-
Simple wooden frame covered with tarpaulin. This type of lean-to is commonly seen in rural areas.
-
A lean-to tent consisting of a framework of poles supporting a tarpaulin.
-
A lean-to cabin, also known as a "cabin-on-frame," consists of a platform supported by posts and beams.
-
A leaning to shed is also known by the names "shelter -on-a–pole" and "paddock house". It consists primarily of a framework made up of poles, supports and a cover.
-
A leaning garage, also known by the names "garage ofstilts" and "overhang", is made up of a steel framework supported on concrete stilts.
-
A leaning-to studio (also known as "studio–on-a–frame” or "studio–on-a–post”) is a structure that includes two horizontal members (posts), one perpendicular and one vertical member (beam).
-
A lean-to greenhouse, also called a "greenhouse-on-a-post," consists of three parallel horizontal members (posts), one perpendicular member (beam), and a canopy.