First Aid training?

CanWoodsman

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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May 21, 2006
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How many here believe that those of us in the boating community should have up to date first aid training?<br />I am trained as an Advanced Medical First Responder & also instruct First Aid & CPR.<br />Basic First Aid should be something all boaters know IMO. This will teach how to respond to emergencies and dealing with such things as severe bleeding, heat & cold related emergencies, shock, burns, allergic reactions and artifical respiration to name a few.<br />Hope you never need to use the training but be prepared if you need it.<br /><br />Best Wishes
 

heycods

Captain
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Nov 11, 2005
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3,941
Re: First Aid training?

I dont think it ought to be mandatory, we have enough mandates these days, but I agree it is important, I hardly ever go fishing without a nurse along. :D
 

timmathis

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Apr 24, 2005
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1,295
Re: First Aid training?

It would be great if all boaters knew at least CPR. The more the better. I myself am a certified EMT. With 7 years with rescue. Tim
 

rolmops

Vice Admiral
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Feb 24, 2002
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5,398
Re: First Aid training?

It is a good idea to have some boater related first aid courses like how to deal with a fishing hook in your arm.It is much more important for guides.
 

CanWoodsman

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
75
Re: First Aid training?

Good to see this post is getting some reaction.<br />rolmops not to belittle your post but a fish hook in the arm is seldom life threatening. Generally lots of time to deal with the mishap. My concern is how would some people handle a person suffering from heat stroke or an allegric reaction to a wasp sting ect. These situations require prompt & proper first aid or the casuality may not survive.<br />As most of our passengers on private boats are friends & family this could be very important to most of us. For those who operate commercial vessels lack of this knowledge could be very damaging.<br /><br />Best Wishes
 

JRJ

Commander
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Sep 11, 2001
Messages
2,992
Re: First Aid training?

Please don't make it a requirement to boat. I had so many first-aid and cpr classes at work that, why heck, I wouldn't mind trying my hand at gyncology. Keep up the good work.
 

CanWoodsman

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
May 21, 2006
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75
Re: First Aid training?

Never said mandatory.<br />Just a constructive sugestion.<br />Current being a major point. Things change & most people tend to forget over the years.
 

QC

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Mar 22, 2005
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22,783
Re: First Aid training?

Pretty darn important, but I agree not mandatory.<br /><br />BTW, I have given CPR on the water. Standing waste deep with two others holding the victim of a PWC wreck. Didn't work :( <br /><br />I also used the fish hook trick on a duck last trip. That worked . . .
 

JRJ

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Sep 11, 2001
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2,992
Re: First Aid training?

Thank goodness I haven't had to give CPR for real. I have said I was sorry after hooking a female with a lure and I helped her unhook a duck and a turtle :rolleyes: Barbless hooks only on my boat.
 

Drowned Rat

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Jan 20, 2004
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3,070
Re: First Aid training?

It's not a bad idea to have the training, but in all honesty, it rarely makes a difference in most situations. CPR training is almost a waste of time although it may have some benefit for children. Traumatized patients whose heart has stopped have a zero % chance of surviving to leave the hospital with or without bystander CPR. It makes no difference. Heart attack patients who experience cardiac arrest need a defibrillator, not CPR. It buys you only about 2 to 4 minutes. Not enough time to get advanced life support there if you're on the water. Basic first aid has some value if for nothing else it gives the rescuer confidence that they can help. It's better than nothing I guess, sometimes. Sorry to be such a downer.
 

QC

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Mar 22, 2005
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Re: First Aid training?

I agree with DR on CPR. I've done it twice. Same result. There is the possibility of making them a better organ donor . . .<br /><br />The rest though, especially how to control bleeding, is good stuff for the water. Also, you need to be able to identify serious stuff that means, "we're outa here . . . NOW".
 

Kenneth Brown

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Feb 3, 2003
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3,481
Re: First Aid training?

Originally posted by Drowned Rat:<br /> Heart attack patients who experience cardiac arrest need a defibrillator, not CPR. It buys you only about 2 to 4 minutes.
I'll disagree. My dad and Uncle did CPR on my grandmother for 18 minutes till medics arrived. The medics continued CPR because they didn't have a defib on the truck. About 25 minutes after the heart attack she arrived at hospital. She fired back up on the second shock. Went home 2 days later with absolutely no permanant damage. She lived 5 more years. It works people. If you do it correctly and break 5 ribs and the patient still dies geuss what? They were already dead. You didn't kill them. It might save a life, and thats always better odds than standing there looking at them. Learn it for your family, freinds, co-workers, and even for the person just walking down the street.
 

QC

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Re: First Aid training?

Yes, you perform CPR if you are trained. We had a saying on the mountain I used to ski patrol for, "no one dies on the hill". The point being that you can't pronounce death, so you go to work . . . and you don't stop.<br /><br />There are exceptions and both of the guys I performed CPR on were almost over that edge. One was on the snow and one in the water. I got air into both of them, but it was coming out places it shouldn't have, so things were pretty obvious.<br /><br />I'm not current with my training now and it bugs me all of the time. Seemed like when I was current, I needed it a lot :eek: Maybe I should stay inactive . . .
 

Gone

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Aug 28, 2005
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Re: First Aid training?

Come on guys, stop and think about it! We all go into training thinking that were going to save some stranger somewhere. Even as a firefighter I never had to do that as EMT's were always dispatched with us. The cold reality is that we're more likely going to use it on someone we know or love. When that happens you want to give everything you have and know to help that person. Honestly, it'll probably not be life threatning, but you'll want be prepared anyway. Most likely it won't be anything more severe than splinting and immobilizing a broken limb or dressing a burn. You'll be treating shock, for sure. If it happens to your wife or child you'll be very thankful for the training you have!<br /><br />Mandatory no, because there are some people that can't handle the stress of an emergency anyway. They're more likely to make the wrong decisions and make the situation worse.
 

Drowned Rat

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Jan 20, 2004
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Re: First Aid training?

KB, your Grandmother was one tough cookie. I'm glad things turned out okay for her.<br /><br /><br />The bottom line is, with CPR, you're only perfusing the brain at about 15 to 25 % of normal and only if you're doing it exactly right which most people don't. And you're really not perfusing the heart at all. Once your heart stops and if CPR is started right that instant, for every minute that passes your chance of surviving drops by 10%. So if you're 10 minutes into it, the patient essentially has a 0% chance of survival. For every minute that passes without CPR, the survival rate drops by 25%! And those minutes go by awfully quick. There are aberrancies like your Grandma, but they are exceedingly rare. I've done CPR hundreds of times and I can count the number of "saves" on one hand. Maybe I just suck at it. :D
 

gonfishn

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May 16, 2002
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2,390
Re: First Aid training?

You never know if and when you may need that training be with boats or in your private life.<br /><br />With over 30 years as a paramedic i have come upon scenes where folks are just standing around. If they had tried the person may have lived. <br /><br />Protocol governs every action taken by medics. We cannot not pronounce and must use all emergency measures until we reach a hospital. Now days the medics are in constant communication while enroute<br />with the ER.<br /><br />For instance you need to take in consideration the age of your patient. On younger patients you compressions are less. On infants you do a finger press on adults compression would be more aggressive. <br /><br />I have been out of that business now for ten years and I am sure things have changed since then. <br /><br />Being sued hurts the good samaritan act. I have seen folks sued because a ride was to rough(true)<br />There is nothing to CPR. <br /><br />Here is one for you.<br /><br />If you come upon someone who is bleeding profusly and not breathing,what do you do??
 

QC

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Mar 22, 2005
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Re: First Aid training?

Check their airway . . . ABC ;)
 

JamesCoste

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Jun 15, 2003
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595
Re: First Aid training?

Originally posted by gonfishn:<br />If you come upon someone who is bleeding profusly and not breathing,what do you do??
If you are alone, I would guess that you would try to apply pressure to the wound to reduce the bleeding and then begin CPR.<br /><br />What's the answer?
 

QC

Supreme Mariner
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Mar 22, 2005
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22,783
Re: First Aid training?

ABC = Airway, Breathing, Circulation (includes bleeding). You don't go to C unless A and B are OK, so if not breathing you ignore the bleeding (C) until you get air in. <br /><br />All the bleeding you can imagine is not gonna matter if there is no air . . .
 

rosco_59

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 1, 2005
Messages
248
Re: First Aid training?

Boy, I feel like I am in training again. I have to retrained every year in CPR and first aid to work for the state justice system, Among other things. I am lucky that the only training I have had to use so far is my meds training and the passive restraint training
 
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