Didn't want to clog up the Safety Meeting thread so:
How may people have recent CPR and/or advanced first aid training?
Me = yes to both (yearly)
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Didn't want to clog up the Safety Meeting thread so:
How may people have recent CPR and/or advanced first aid training?
Me = yes to both (yearly)
Not recent enough. Mine are both about 14 months old, and I haven't had a proper mountain rescue/first responder class in 4 or 5 years.
Have to keep both up-to-date for work, so yes.
Yes & Yes. ..
I take the red cross CPR course every year. I haven't had formal first aid training in a while, but I read up on it frequently to stay fresh and am comfortable performing it.
keoni,
glad to see ya start this thread; have been thinking over the last month or so to start one myself and get up on the pulpit a bit.
having an av 1 or 2 is not enough folks. what if you're out in the bc doing whatever and something happens (i.e. fall climbing, buried in slide, stumble hiking, etc.) that requires trained wilderness medical attention immediately (don't rely on the fuggin cell folks)? so what if you find your buddy and uncover him; it doesn't do you a damn bit of good if you don't know how to clear an airway, do rescue breathing, admin cpr, etc. finding your buddy and uncovering him is only 1/2 the equation - sometimes not even that much - you still need to get him breathing again, treat his injuries, keep him warm and possibly extricate him.
please, take the time folks to get and keep up to date at the very least cpr and wilderness first aid - both these courses will only take a weekend every 2 years to get and re-cert for and cost minimal $ - you might even be able to get your work to pay for it. or be real men/ladies, step up to the plate and get a wfr. good web sources for these courses are wilderness med institute and wildeness med associates. then if you're feeling really ambitious get some high angle rescue training.
[step down off of pulpit]
training/current certs i got:
cpr (adult and child)
wfr
high angle rescue
av 3
held in past:
oec (let lapse this year)
Paramedic 8 years: Fixed and Rotor wing, ground ambulance.
Nurse (Fokker) 5 years: ER and ICU
AV:2
We have to renew every year at work as well. ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) is what we do, which encompasses CPR and usage of the AED's. They figure if you don't know first Aid by then, you're shit-for-brains and shouldn't be there anyways.
As cheesy as it is, I like to remind my family and non-healthcare friends how to do CPR, because you never know when you'll need it.
Hey Fokker, I didn't know you were a male nurse! (Kidding). We were at this quirky store in Seattle called Archie McPhee's, and they had the "Male Nurse Action Figure." It was pretty classic, but there wasn't a female version. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Trackhead
The more training the better, Level II, CPR, HAR, FA, the more letters you can attach to your name the better, with that I agree, you want to arm yourself with as much power as possible. But I think it's important to reiterate that if you or one of your partners are caught in a slide, surviving it has more to do with luck than skill.
Never had to use CPR, but I'm glad I know how if need be. I have in the past, pulled a couple kids (not mine) out of the water and I thank the fact that I had Lifeguard/Lifesaver training. Water is dangerous, frozen or not.
Yes and yes current....like has been mentioned, it doesn't take much time to get certified and stay current, not much time at all. I teach classes for the Red Cross, and it is seriously such a small amount of time to get such valuable skills. People come into the classes coerced by their jobs, bummed at "wasting" a saturday or a couple evenings, and they leave with the idea that maybe they could end up saving someone's life. How much it would suck to be in a situation where you could make the difference, but not have the skills to do so.
I've got CPR for the professional rescuer and a lifeguard cert.
I'm hoping to get some PSIA level I cets in nordic and alpine this winter and some avy certs. Anyone know of any avy classes in CO this winter?
Got my wake up call a few weeks ago while Mountain biking in the SF Bay Area. Heard my buddy crash behind me, when I got back up to him, his helmet was crushed and he was laying unconscious with blood bubbling from his lips. Immediately I reached for the cell phone but had no coverage, I started to freak out. I had watched another buddy of mine (An ER Doctor) keep a guys airway open till a life flight arrived for this guy after crashing on his head during the Markleville Death Ride a couple years ago, so I tried to do that, a couple minutes later he came too. Luckily the blood had been running into his mouth from a head wound, not internally, it was hard to tell initially. After about 20 minutes he was able to stand with the aid of his bike to lean on and we walked about a 1/2 mile to a road, where I left him to ride back to the car. It was clear he had a major head injury because he kept asking me the same questions every couple of minutes. At the hospital he told me he really liked our waitress she was really cute! (A nurse taking Blood) and he told the Doctor he had been in a ski accident. He's doing better now but still has memory issues and has had his drivers license taken away for a few month's.
Any way I never want to feel that helpless ever again and have started researching class's in my area, anyone who spends time in the wilderness should do the same!!!
WEMT
CPR annually (for work)
Taking Level 2 avy in 2 weeks
not to judge you cause you alluded earlier in your post that you have basically no training, but in the future please NEVER leave someone that you know or even think has had a major head injury until you have "transferred" their care to professionals.Quote:
Originally Posted by ja_surf
[see the concussion thread for reasons/stories why]
Yep, prolly done full meal deal CPR/ACLS on, hmmm, 100+ people over the course of my career, in people's homes, on the side of a road in a PNW rainstorm, in a restaurant bathroom, on a raquetball court, yadda yadda. Good idea to keep up the certs, just like retaking the avy courses every so often. There is always knowledge/practical stuff to be taken away with every class.
I'm certified as an Executive Fire Officer. Does that count? :tongue:
Wilderness EMT-IV (/w NRP & ChemCas)
AHA CPR HCR
Avi I (unnoficial Avi II (c-card later this winter + possibly III) and various other SAR training including high angle)
Dive Rescue Internationl - Public Safety Diver (getting Ice Rescue Specialist soon)
PADI-Rescue Diver (for what little that is worth)
Technician level amateur radio license (vital for BC comms)
I think every backcountry skier should take a WFR course and have a HAM license and a 2m/70cm HT!
Posting from the ambulance barn even.
Wilderness First Responder
CPR & First Aid (Urban, Red Cross)
Looking into the Advanced WFR class with NOLS.
Thanks for the info, I'll check out the thread, luckly there was a couple up there on bikes that watched him while I got the Car, not sure what I would have done if they had not shown up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xover
My certifications have all expired. I certainly need to renew my CPR card. In the past, I had the following:
OEC
EMT
WFA
Avie 1&2
High angle rescue (this one is long gone. I don't think Icould tie good knots to save my life, Thats kinda scary)
I still pull out my books 3-4 times a year to refresh myself, but nothing beats practicing on dummys/other people.
Xover: as a completely lay person or even lay resucer, what choice did he have that point since he had no way to summoning definitive care or evac further on his own without leaving?
Sometimes this is one in the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by cololi
my courses/certs:
OEC CPR Avy II
I haven't taken avy classes yet (I don't go OB unguided) but I'm CPR cert and a red cross cert lifeguard... though I think both lapsed last year. Should get one those...
I have wilderness first aid and CPR…required for my summer work. Wilderness expires this year, and I’m debating if I should upgrade to Wilderness first responder. Can’t imagine going out without them.
EMT-I, I get to use it quite a bit now.
I'm a certified CPR/BLS instructor, so if any of the Utards want to get together and re-certify or start new, maybe I could help.
Sum,Quote:
Originally Posted by Summit
Based on your credentials above, I would expect that you could offer up more suggestions than me - but since you specifically asked me - as a "lay" person not knowing anything about head injuries (now that I've heard the rest of the story) it sounds like he did almost the best thing (i.e. leaving him with others - that didn't sound like they knew much more about head injuries than he did - to go for professional help himself).
Other possible, and probably slightly better responses could be if its a "popular" trail wait just a few minutes for someone else to come by and send them for help or if you are within cell range and have it on you, call.
Just my $0.02. Any other ideas??
I think ja_surf did the right thing given the situation.
He made sure his unconscious friend kept an open airway and waited until he was conscious befor attempting to move him. Always assume a cervical injury is present with an unconscious person until proven other wise. I'm not sure if he knew how to check for this or if he did or did not check for cervical injury.
The got his firend to safety and had other watch him until he got help. Not sure what else he could have done.
EMT-D
CPR
Very important that if you in the bc that you know CPR. Its an easy class, just do it.
EMT-B(when the test results come back)
CPR
My CPR took a whopping hour and a half (I don't know how people extend it to 5 hours...). I'm taking an EMT-B class now and will take the registry exam in the spring. DEFINITELY want to get at least Avi-I by next winter and add the W to my title.
Summit is 1337...
Hows the job, man? Work that 48 hour stretch yet?
Any one ever take training from WMI?? if so would you recommend them
http://www.nols.edu/wmi/courses/wemt.shtml
I got my Level 1 Avy certification last weekend! (which means I know a little more, but I still don't know much)
I let my accidentally let my ALCS lapse (oops!), but I'll be getting that back in January. They need to update ALCS protocol anyways--they still don't have vasopressin for asystole. Slowpokes. :nonono2:
EDIT: I'm not sure how much ACLS helps in a backcountry situation anyways. The BCLS portion is useful, but I don't really carry meds, intubation equipment, AEDs, etc. with me anywhere. Precoridial thump, anyone?
It sounds like we are all in agreement that jasurf did the right thing.
OT: I also think communications are as important as medical skills. I think (and so does Lou Dawson if that means more than my opinion) everyone who is reguarly in the BC should pass the HAM Technician test and get a 5W 2m/70cm HT ($200). They are oustanding for group communications which are vital to avoid dangerous situations in the first place. I've even been able to talk to towers 20mi away LOS and in an emergency these can contact radio repeaters (you can talk to the entire state from many mountains) and in some areas they can talk to the local dispatch center (in an emergency only) to allow you to summon backcountry rescue. At the very least everyone in a group should have a quality 1W GMRS/FRS radio ($30-$60) and know how to use it.
I like the new job. My first call was weird. I work another 48hr and a 24 next week.Quote:
Originally Posted by Max Gosey
Kickin ass in your class still I hope?
Now it's time to ski!
It's NOLS so it's probably pretty good.Quote:
Originally Posted by ja_surf
These people are oustanding too: http://www.desertmountainmedicine.com/
I took my WEMT through them.