quiz #1 Flashcards
emergency management and cold emergencies
what groups of people compromise the emergency management system?
- police
- medical personnel
- firefighters
- bystanders
what are the four basic steps as to your role in an emergency?
- recognize an emergency exists
- decide to act
- activate the EMS
- give care until help takes over
what are some clues an emergency exists?
(1) recognize an emergency exists
- unsual noises
- unusual sights
- unusual odors
- unusual apperances and behaviors
what are some barriers people need to overcome if they want to assist in an emergency?
(2) decide to act
- panic or fear of doing something wrong
- being unsure of the person’s condition or what to do
- assuming someone else will take action
- the type of illness or injury
- fear of catching a disease
- fear of being sued
- being unsure when to call 9-1-1
how do reasonable and prudent people act in the case of an emergency?
- only move the person if their life is in danger
- ask conscious person to treat them
- call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number
- continue to give care until more highly trained personnel arrive.
what are the good samaritan laws? when would you not be protected?
- laws created to encourage people to assist other in distress
1. deliberately reckless and negligent
2. abandoning the patient after saying you were gonna help them
how do you activate the EMS?
(3) activate the EMS
- size up the scene to make sure a true emergency exists
- dial 9-1-1 (some areas don’t have a 9-1-1 system, so use a local emergency number instead)
- the call
1. location
2. the phone number and your name
3. description of what happened
4. the number of people needing help and condition - do not hang up until told so
when do you stop giving appropiate care?
(4) check the person and give da first aid
- a qualified member takes over
- you are too exhausted to continue
- the scene becomes unsafe
- the individual is treated and safe to go
why must you ask for permission to give care?
people have the right to deny care, and if you go against their wishes, you can get sued.
expressed vs implied conset
expressed consent - when a conscious person understands you and gives you permission to give care
implied consent - people who are unconsious, unable to respond, the laws assumes in these cases that the person would ask for care if awake.
act of omission and act of commssion
act of omission - failing to do something
act of commission - doing something wrong
what are the emergency action steps?
- check
- call
- care
what are the ages of adults and children according to ECC?
adults = 12 and older
children = 1-12
check
- make sure it is safe, the first life you save is your own
- look for clues and people
- tap an infant’s shouder or flick the bottom of their foot for a response
call
call if…
- unconsious
- breathing problems
- chest pain
- persistent abdominal pain/pressure
situations…
- fire or explosion
- downed electrical wires
- swiftly or rapidly rising water
- prescense of poisionous gas
- serious motor vehicle accident
call first!
- if someone is unconsious
- a cardiac emergency
- a child or infant collapses
- any drowning
care
guidelines!
- do not further harm
- monitor the person’s breathing and unconsciousness
- help the person rest in the most comfortable position
- keep from getting chilled and overheated
- reassure
signs vs symptoms
signs - problems the first aider is able to see
symptoms - problems the victims verbalizes to you
how is heat lost from the body?
- radiation
- respiration
- evaporation
- convection
- conduction
who is the most susceptible?
- physically unfit
- dehydration
- fat vs lean
- older adults
- alcoholics
- smokers
- previous cold injury
how does wet clothing affect the body’s ability to stay warm?
when clothing becomes wet, the body’s loss of heat is accelerated up to 25 times!
chillblain
- a nonfreezing cold injury, causes little or no permanent damage
- can develop in 3-6 hours in skin exposed to cold and moisture
trench foot
also known as immersion foot
- a serious, nonfreezing cold injury that develops when the skin on the feet is exposed to moisture and cold for prolonged periods (12 hours or longer)
frostnip
- caused when water on the skin surface freezes.
- should be taken seriously because it can develop into frostbite
what is frostbite and how should it be treated?
The damage to tissue as a result of prolonged exposure to extreme cold.
- yellow to gray skin color
- frost on the skin
- inital tingling or numbness that may become painful
- get the person out of the cold and to a warm place
- gently warm the affected area by placing it against a warm body part or by applying a warm chemical heat pack covered by a cloth. For the nose, breathe with cupped hands over the nose.
- DO NOT rub the area.
what is hypothermia and how should it be treated?
hypothermia is a life-threatening condition in which the body’s core temperature falls below 95 degrees fahrenheit.
- altered mental status
- shivering
- cold abdomen
- low core body temperature
- get the person out of the cold. treat hypothermia before treating frostbite
- handle the person gently
- replace wet clothing with dry clothing only when the person is inside or has other protection from the cold.
- add insulation beneath and around the person.
- cover the person’s head.
- cover the person with a vapor barrier with a hole cut out for the face to prevent heat loss.
how does dehydration occur during the cold weather?
- large quantities of fluid loss through exhaled breath
