1- The current thinking in current medical/responder triage for mass casualty incidents (MCI) is to use 5 colors. You do not have to have an MCI to use this coding/tagging system. You can express to the 911 operator that you have X of Y color; that will help the responders. IE: I have 1 Red and 1 Yellow and 6 Green.
Black- Dead
Brown- Expected to die
Red- Needs immediate care (usually less than an hour)
Yellow- Needs care soon (more than an hour)
Green- OK for now
1B- I bring this up to get everyone to start thinking about how to respond to a wilderness incident. And what type of response is needed. And what resources are needed and how fast.
1C- After you have triaged and tagged everyone. Go back & re-assess & document again. Over & over to see if someone improves or someone gets worse. I watch the Yellow tagged ones the closest. Greens will sometimes crash unexpectedly.
I: How do snakes call each other?
J: Poison to poison.
2- I do not know any one that has never gotten sick or injured. It happens to EVERYONE. When in the wilderness you are not close to a drug store, a pharmacy, a doctor, an emergency room, a law enforcement officer, or to a highway where an ambulance can reach you easily.
*** Stay safe, clean, and disease-free. Be prepared to take care of yourself and each other. Prevention is better than a cure! ***
2B- The simple things to do are:
* Wash your hands before eating and after urinating and defecating
* Wash your hands before and after rendering First Aid. (between patients if possible – protect yourself – and protect your patients)
* Wash your hands before preparing meals and during preparation if gotten dirty or contaminated
* Wash your hands after handling raw or undercooked meat
* Wash all wounds with soap & water no matter the size before dressing the wound
* Get a medical check-up before venturing into the wilderness
* Get vaccinated / immunizations
* Stay within your scope of knowledge and experience level
* Stay aware at all times of weather, other persons, sharp tools, wild animals, fire
* Make sure that your water is potable
* Know where you are located at all times
* Defecate at least daily
* Brush your teeth 2x per day
* Bathe
* Eat healthy (multi-vitamins can help)
* Basic good hygiene for your entire body – esp: your feet
2C- First Aid (everyone on the trip):
* Take a First Aid class
* Take a Wilderness First Aid class
* Take a CPR Class
* Do some type of continuing education on First Aid and Wilderness FA: Read a wilderness FA Book, Then read another…
* Make and/or augment a good first aid kit
* Pack some OTC and Rx meds
* Make sure that you know how to use EVERYTHING in the First Aid Kit
* Make sure that everyone else knows how to use everything in the First Aid Kit
* Learn and know how to improvise for stuff that is not in the First Aid Kit
* Everyone has a medical history form filled out with history, surgeries, allergies, and contact information included on the form
* Take notes on any medical treatment performed and medicines given
* Document thoroughly and meticulously everything going into and coming out of a patient
* Learn basic anatomy (organs and major bones)
* Learn basic vital signs and how to measure – What is “normal”
* Learn and record levels and descriptions of pain (0 thru 10)(throbbing vs constant vs numbness vs spasms vs sharp pains)
3- Meeting Plans & Notes:
Give a Scouting History,
Baden-Powell, who he was & why he started Scouts,
Scouting to the USA & history of BSA
Looking up,
Gaither
Paul S. Auerbach’s book Medicine For The Outdoors, 6th Ed.