First Aid | Shivwits Emergency Management

FIRST-AID EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Below are some general guidelines for CPR & First Aid

1. If the victim is responsive, introduce yourself and offer help.

2. If the victim agrees, proceed with first aid administration.

3. If the victim refuses, call 911 and wait for the arrival with the victim.

4. If person is unresponsive, assume that your help is needed and proceed with First Aid/CPR gear, which might be needed or is required by your employer to effectively protect yourself from any kinds of threats related to the First Aid administration.

Gloves to protect from other bodily fluids.

Eye protection, to protect from blood or other bodily fluids.

Mask Protection, when giving mouth to mouth protects from germs and bacteria.

In case you came in contact with bodily fluids, blood or skin, follow the following instructions as soon as you can:

Take the gloves off, if wearing any, wash the area with soap (work up soap lather for 15 seconds) and water, if contacted with eyes, nose, or ears, rinse with water.
Wash hands thoroughly with soap, if not available use water-less hand sanitizer, and wash your hands with water later.
Dry hands with paper towel and use paper towel to close the faucet.
Supervisor/person responsible for emergency response and consult your medical provider as soon as possible.

A- AIRWAY

Clear airway, place the victim on his/her back on a firm surface.

Kneel next to victim's neck and shoulder.

To open the airway, place your palm on the forehead to carefully tilt the head back and lift the chin forward with your other hand.

Check for signs of life for no longer than 10 seconds.

Place your ear over the mouth of the victim, and while counting from 10-0.

Listen if the victim is breathing.

If there is no signs of life proceed to B.

B-BREATHING

Breathing refers to rescue breathing, where one person is breathing into other or also commonly referred to as mouth to mouth technique.

1. Using the thumb and forefinger of your hand that's on the victims forehead, pinch the person's nose shut.

2. Keep the heel of your hand in place so the person head remains tilted.

3. keep your other hand under the person's chin, lifting it up.

4. As you keep an airtight seal with your mouth, give first breath and watch the victim's chest rise. if rises, give second breath. if not, start from the beginning.

Goal is for the victim to receive two full mouth to mouth breaths, 1 second each.

Important: Make sure to monitor the chest is actually moving, that means you are applying the technique correctly. Also, make sure not to press on the soft part of the neck or under the chin, as this could prevent proper air circulation.

C-CIRCULATION

"C" is for circulation. In order to determine if the victim's heart is beating, place two fingertips on his/her carotid artery, located in the depression between the windpipe and the neck muscles and apply slight pressure for several seconds. If there is no pulse then the victim's heart is not beating, you will have to perform chest compression's.

External chest compression's provide artificial circulation. When you apply rhythmic pressure on the lower half of the victim's breastbone, you force the heart to pump blood. To do external chest compression's properly, follow the steps below:

1. Kneel beside the victim's chest, and with the middle & index fingers of your hand, find the notch where the bottom rims of the two halves of the rib cages meet in the middle chest.

2. Put the heel of one hand on the sternum or the breastbone next to the fingers that found the notch.

3. Put your other hand on top of the hand that's in position. Be sure to keep your fingers up off the chest wall. It may be easier to do this if you interlock your fingers.

4. Bring your shoulders directly over the victim's sternum and press down, keeping your arms straight. Depress the sternum at least 2 inches on an adult. Then completely relax the pressure on the sternum.

Do not remove your hands from the victim's sternum, but do let the chest rise to its normal position between compression's.

5. Relaxation and compression should take equal amounts of time. If you must give both rescue breathing and external chest compression's, the proper rate is 30 chest compression's to 2 breaths. you must compress at a rate of 100 times per minute.

Keep interruptions to less than 10 seconds. Continue administration until help arrives.

BURNS

Burns are categorized as first-, second-, or third-degree.

First-degree burn

The least serious burns are those in which only the outer layer of the skin is burned. The skin is usuall red, with swelling and painful.The skin is dry without blisters.

Second-degree burn

Second-degree burns are more serious and involve the skin layers beneath the top layer. These burns produce blisters, severe pain, and redness.

Third-degree burn

The most serious burn. These burns are painless (due to nerve damage) and involve all layers of the skin. The burned area may be charred brown, leathery or appear dry and white.

For major burns call emergency medical assistance. Until an emergency unit arrives, follow these steps:

Make sure the victim is no longer in contact with the burning material or exposed to smoke or heat.
Don't immerse large severe burns in cold water to prevent shock.
Check for signs of circulation and if there is no breathing or other sign of circulation, proceed with CPR.
If possible, raise the burned body part above heart level.
Use a cool, moist bandage to cover the burned area.

Important thing to remember:

Don't apply butter or ointment to the burn to ensure proper healing of the burned skin.
Don't break blisters to prevent infection.
Don't use ice to prevent destruction to the skin.
Don't immerse large severe burns in cold water to prevent shock.
The first step is to determine the degree of the burn and the damage to the skin.

FRACTURES

Fracture is a broken bone. There are two types of fractures.

Closed fracture are those in which the skin is intact.

Open, also called compound fractured, involve wounds with mild or severe bleeding.

Sprain is an injury which occurs as a result of stretching or tearing of ligaments.

Strain is an injury which occurs as a result of stretching or tearing of muscles.

The symptoms are mild to severe pain, stiffness, swelling and/or bruising. Generally, it is hard to differentiate fractures vs. sprained/strained, however, for the purpose of first aid administration the method of treatment is the same.

Therefore, when talking about sprain/strain, differ the diagnosis, and assume it can be a break, and vise versa.

First Aid:

If someone is there, send to call for help. If the person is unresponsive, isn't breathing or isn't moving, proceed with CPR.

CPR: If bleeding, stop the bleeding by applying pressure to the wound with a sterile bandage or a clean cloth.

Apply a bag of ice to the injured area for up to 20 minutes, with a towel (paper or cloth) between the skin and ice. If raising the injured part does not cause more pain to the victim, attempt to raise it. If the person feels faint or is breathing in short, rapid breaths, lay the person down with the head slightly lower than the trunk and, if possible, elevate the legs.

ACCIDENTAL POISONING

Before poisoning happens:

Place poison control number near the phone (1800-222-1222).
Do not leave children alone or unattended.
Be aware of all potential hazards in your home.
Never call medicines "candy."
Teach children to ask before putting anything in mouth.
keep activated charcoal on hand.

After poisoning:

Stay calm
Call the poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222
Follow the Poison Control Center's instructions

Inhaled poisoning:

Immediately get the victim to fresh air.
Avoid breathing fumes.
Open doors and windows wide.
If victim is not breathing, have someone call 911 then start CPR.

Poison on the skin:

Remove contaminated clothing.
Flush the skin with water for ten minutes.
Call poison Control center at 1-800-222-1222.
Follow the Poison Control Center's instruction.
poison in the eye
Wash eyes with lukewarm (not hot) water poured from a large glass two or three inches from the eye.
Repeat process for 15 minutes.
Call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.
Follow the poison Control Center's instructions.

Swallowed Poison:

Do not give the victims anything to eat or drink.
Call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.
Follow the Poison Control center's instructions.

HOUSEHOLD CHEMICAL EMERGENCIES

Before a Household Chemical Emergency

Buy only as much of a chemical as you think you will use. Do not stock pile.
Keep products containing hazardous materials in their original containers and never remove the labels unless the container is corroding.
never store hazardous products in food containers or near your food.
never mix household hazardous chemicals or waste with other products.

Take the following precautions to prevent and respond to accidents:

Follow the manufactures's instructions for the proper use of the household chemical.
Never smoke while using household chemicals.
never use hairs spray, cleaning solutions, paint products or pesticide near an open flame.
Clean up any chemical spill immediately; use rags to clean up the spill. Wear gloves and eye protection. Allow the fumes in the rags to evaporate outdoors then dispose of the rags by wrapping the in a newspaper and placing the, in a sealed plastic bag in your trash can.
Dispose of hazardous materials correctly. take household hazardous waste to a local collection program.

During a household chemical emergency, be prepared to seek medical assistance:

Call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 & follow directions.

If there is a danger of fire or explosion:

Get out of the residence immediately. Do not waste time collection items or calling the fire department when you are in danger. Call the fire department from outside your home (from a cellular phone or a neighbors phone). Once you are safely away from danger.

Stay upwind and away from the residence to avoid breathing toxic fumes.

If someone has been exposed to a household chemical:

Find the container, containers has the name or type of chemical that you were exposed to.
Call emergency medial services.
Follow the emergency operator or dispatcher's first aid instructions carefully.
(The fist aid advice found on the container may be out of date or inappropriate.)
Do not give anything by mouth unless advised to do so by a medical or poison control.

SHIVWITS

Emergency Management

Shivwits Emergency Management

SHIVWITS

Emergency Management

FIRST-AID EMERGENCY RESPONSE