Wilderness Survival Flashcards
DEMOSTRATE first aid for MILD HYPOTHERMIA
(Person can still shiver, walk and talk)
To warm that person back up to normal body temperature:
- Change any wet clothing for dry stuff.
- Add extra dry layers of clothing to provide more insulation.
- Use blankets or something similar to insulate the person from the cold ground.
- Offer him fluids, especially warm, sweet fluids like hot cider or sweetened tea, as well as high-energy foods, such as candy.
- If you can, get the person to a source of heat, such as a fire.
DEMOSTRATE first aid for SEVERE HYPOTHERMIA
(Starts when the person can’t shiver anymore)
- Handle the person with care. No rough stuff.
- Take off his damp clothing.
- Bundle him in warm, dry layers and make sure there’s insulation underneath him.
- Wrap him in something waterproof and windproof, such as a tent fly, and be careful that his head is protected from the cold, too.
- Go for help.
How can you prevent hypothermia?
The best medicine for hyperthermia is prevention. -Wear clothes designed to keep you warm in the cold.
- Wear lots of thin layers of clothes instead of one heavy garment, such as a coat.
- If you get warm and sweaty, take off a layer to let the sweat dry.
- If you start feeling cold again, add layers of clothing.
- Drink and eat a lot, so your body has plenty of “fuel” to generate heat.
- In a group, watch out for hypothermia’s symptoms in others. They may not realize they are becoming hypothermic.
How do you treat heat stroke?
A person with heat stroke should be cooled down as quickly as possible.
- Soak his skin with water & fan him to speed the cooling effect of evaporation.
- Massage his arms and legs to send the cooled blood near the skin back inside.
- If water is short, focus on cooling his head.
- Get medical help — immediately!.
What can you do to prevent heat stroke?
- Find a shaded area.
- If you have a bandanna or something similar and water then wet the bandanna and draped it the head.
- Drink water in small sips. (NOTE: Always drink before you’re thirsty. If your urine isn’t clear, you’re not drinking enough.)
What happens when a person gets too dehydrated?
- Skin becomes red and hot
- You heat up inside.
- Your brain, which is very sensitive to rising temperatures, begins to cook. A hot brain can make you crazy, feel lost and want to argue or pick a fight. Once severe heat stroke has struck, you have only minutes to act!
What are the there types of frostbite?
Frostbite is tissue damage caused by freezing. It comes in three types:
FROSTNIP:
SUPERFICIAL FROSTBITE:
DEEP FROSTBITE:
Describe Frostnip & how to treat it
-FROSTNIP:
This is not true frostbite, just supercold skin. It looks pale and feels cold. Sometimes frostnipped skin appears as a patch of white on your cheeks or nose. As soon as you see this, cover the cold spot with your warm hands. If your fingers or toes are affected, stick them inside your clothing, next to your warm skin, until they rewarm and appear normal again.
Describe Superficial Frostbite & how to treat it
SUPERFICIAL FROSTBITE:
-This is the term for cold-damaged tissue that hasn’t frozen solid. When you push carefully on the cold skin, it’s still pretty soft. It looks like frostnip, but when you rewarm it (the same way you rewarm frostnip), fluid-filled blisters develop. Don’t pop these blisters. Cover them with a clean dressing and be careful to keep the skin from freezing again. This person needs to see a doctor.
Describe Deep Frostbite & how to treat it
DEEP FROSTBITE:
-Occurs when tissue has frozen solid. The skin is no longer soft. It feels like ice. Unlike superficial frostbite, you don’t want to rewarm deep frostbite. It can be very painful, and a doctor should oversee it. Insulate the area to keep it from thawing or freezing even more, and get the person to a doctor as soon as possible
What is dehydration?
Dehydration occurs when the body loss of body fluids, mostly water, exceeds the amount that is taken in.
With dehydration, more water is moving out of our cells and bodies than what we take in through drinking.
We lose water every day in the form of water vapor in the breath we exhale, our excreted sweat, urine, and stool. Along with the water, small amounts of salts are also lost.
What are the signs of dehydration?
- Increased thirst
- Hunger
- Dry mouth and swollen tongue
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Palpitations (feeling that the heart is jumping or pounding)
- Confusion
- Sluggishness fainting
- Fainting
- Inability to sweat
- Decreased urine output
- Urine color may indicate dehydration. If urine is concentrated and deeply yellow or amber, you may be dehydrated.
How do you prevent dehydration?
- Drink plenty of water before, while, and after you are active.
- Take a container of water or sports drink with you when you exercise, and try to drink at least every 15 to 20 minutes.
- Use a sports drink if you will be exercising for longer than 1 hour.
- Drink at least 8 to 12 glasses of water each day.
- Stop working outdoors or exercising if you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or very tired and rehydrate.
- Wear one layer of lightweight, light-colored clothing when you are working or exercising outdoors.
- Change into dry clothing as soon as you can if your clothes get soaked with sweat.
What is the best way to pop a blister?
Ideally, you want to prevent blisters from happening in the first place. The next best thing is to try to leave good skin intact because it is the best “bio-dressing” you could possibly ever have.
Sometimes these options are not possible, and the blister may get so painful that it interferes with your ability to function (e.g., walking, gripping a canoe paddle, skiing, etc.). Repetitive trauma to the affected skin can also cause the blister to get larger. When this happens you may have to:
1. First, wash your hands and “glove-up” if possible.
2. Clean the area with an antiseptic or soap and water,
3. Sterilize a pin with flame or rubbing alcohol (remember that rubbing alcohol is flammable, so be careful!).
4. You want to leave as much of the skin intact as possible, so avoid piercing the blister from the top. Instead, insert the pin into the side of the blister.
5. With the blister “popped,” take some gauze and gently push down on the blister to help squeeze out the fluid.
6. Now, make sure the area is clean. Bandage up the area as best as possible and pile on the protective padding. Make every attempt to minimize further injury to the area. Keep it clean and try to rest it for as long as possible.
7. Tylenol or Motrin can help with pain. Note: You’ll need parental consent to take medication at a Scout event.
What are some common causes of blisters?
- Walking around with wet feet.
- Wearing boots that are too big and rub against your skin.
- Wearing brand new boots on the trail.
