A reason for everyone to take a first aid course.

Here at the farm, the only person with whom I can communicate - reliably, is the "Boss". On the one hand, this is great. I don't get bothered much about things directly, especially if she isn't here.

On the other hand, however, I may find myself watching a situation unfold, where I have no clue as to what is going on. Today was such an occasion.

I emerged from my den (like "bear", not "room") to loud voices and screaming, definitely not a typical afternoon at this farm. I went outside and saw Chan's brother-in-law and brother, having a go at each other. I didn't see any physical fighting, only what appeared to be yelling and arguing. Her ma was between them, like a referee in a boxing ring, trying to settle them down.

Her brother-in-law was carrying his three-years old little girl, Chan's niece, who was crying like mad - often to the point of screaming at the top of her lungs. He was walking around with her in his arms, almost as though he didn't have a clue as to what to do. He was quite agitated, like an animal pacing back and forth in a cage, is how I can best describe his actions.

Needless to say, I had no idea what was going on, or what had just happened. I only knew something must have happened to the baby, and these guys were focused on each other, rather than on her. For me, this was not a good place to be, considering what was about to unfold. (I really wish I could communicate with them easier. Sign language, smoke signals, morse code - hell, any way possible would do!)

The little one had previously had a little halter top and shorts on. (She had been watching English speaking cartoons when I saw her just a short while previously.) Now, she was only wearing her little shorts and was being held, facing her papa. I was at a distance from them. But, I was about to notice something that would rip my heart from my chest. She had a major burn on the right side of her back. A damned big burn for such a little girl to have. Without measuring it, I would say the burn was maybe 10 cm (~4 inches) wide?

My heart just melted, just imaging what to do for her. Obviously, little comfort was being felt by her. So, I motioned for the brother to come with me. We have two, quite healthy Aloe Vera plants, sitting in pots under a shade tree. We ripped some leaves from the plants. He followed me back to the brother-in-law, who exposed her back to me, so we could start applying the natural burn ointment from the leaves. At least I had accomplished getting both of them to focus on her, for a change.

I knew Aloe was good for popping grease type burns in a kitchen. But, this, this, quite obviously, was a 3rd degree burn. I was still unsure as to how she got it, but assumed it had to be from a motorcycle muffler. (I would later learn this was the case. She had tried to board the motorcycle, as her uncle returned to the farm. He didn't notice her attempting to climb on. As she did, she slipped and fell, hitting the muffler.) Of course, I really wasn't overly concerned about how, or where she got it, nearly as much as I was to get her to a hospital in the city - 30 Kilometers (~18 miles) away.

Chan wasn't here at the time, but was nearby and on the way back. I rang her, asking her to hurry. She arrive shortly thereafter, I quickly got ready, we switched motorcycles, all climbed aboard and headed off to the city.

Long story short - yeah, I know, too late. The little one was treated at the clinic / emergency hospital in the city. We gathered prescriptions and medical supplies, and ended up back at the farm later in the day. (The accident was about 13:00. We finally returned to the farm about 17:30.)

I learned something that had never crossed my mind before - even with all the "First Aid" resources I have been compiling. That is, I know NOTHING about treating an injury if an urgency arises.

What's worse is, if we were in a SHTF situation, there may not have been a hospital or clinic to go to. So, we would have had no choice, but to deal with this ourselves.

I also learned that someone, me, her, her siblings, someone needs to take a first aid course here. (I don't even know if any such course is taught in this country, honestly.) Aside from putting Aloe Vera plant ointment on a burn, I know there was nothing else I could do, especially for a child. That is a pretty helpless feeling to have. I never want to have a feeling like that ever again.

 

Paul

For 2nd and 3rd degree burns, put nothing on but cool (and hopefully sterile) water. Cover with sterile, non-stick dressing and seek medical care. Everything else put on a burn site will require debridement.

That said:
While professional training is best, there are plenty of web based FA training material on line. Like this
Self Aid Buddy Care Training (SABC) - Wikipedia

The Red Cross offers on line courses as well.

I fervently hope the baby comes thru this injury whole...

 

Agreed. That's why I'm almost done with my EMT re-cert. Like an idiot I let it lapse after discharge from USCG many moons ago. Re-cert is a major PITA, but absolutely worthwhile. The local EMS folks were more than happy to assist BTW.

 

True that, for sure. But, honestly, I would rather be where I am happiest. Here on the farm, I am pretty happy. If I am to die here, then so be it.

I have a little "doctor" story I should post as a separate topic. He was an arrogant Richard Cranium, upon our arrival. So, we were directed to the head of nursing, a nice younger guy who spoke and understood English very well - unlike the dipstick doctor who was on duty.

Anyway, he said the same exact thing that I quoted you posting, above. I have to say, I was impressed by his work in the Emergency Room. Normally, local medical people here are - well, less than qualified for their positions - WAY less than qualified. Ya know, he even apologized for the doctor, prior to us leaving. Now THAT is unusual, for sure. I should have asked him where he went to school.

 

I hope the child is finding some relief from the burn,, that is pain that can last for a while sometimes.
Taking the emergency first aid class could be helpful. I can see where we here on the forum try to acquire all this information for our prepping hobby , downloads , books , etc. And just like you were faced with today , you didn't know exactly what you needed to do quickly in an emergency situation. So this brings real truth to Bishop's quote , " if you don't practice your preps , you won't know how to do it when you need it " . That may not be his exact words , but you know what I mean.

 

Sorry about your niece getting injured. Thank goodness your were there to tend to the child and get the boneheads to stop arguing and focus on the little girl. That poor little girl. She learned a hard lesson. I hope she is starting to feel better. Kids are resilient.When my son suffered a nasty burn, he liked to put his hand in front of the fan. Just the gentle air helped.

I just re-certified and took extra courses. Most of red cross is about keeping things stable until you can get to help. They say call 911 a lot. I would suggest a stop the bleed class. I posted a thread on it a few months ago. Stopping the bleed is most important.

 

For every event be it a burn or road rash I use colloidal silver . it is made using distilled water and it kills bacteria that causes infection .
I have had some pretty ugly burns an cuts and colloidal silver has never failed me.
I use it on my animals as well as my family when the were growing up , they make their own colloidal silver now for their own use.
It is not something that has to be washed out by medics, it is not a contaminant .
If I had to do surgery on my self, I would use colloidal silver to maintain a sterile environment before I would use alcohol or any other antibacterial ..
But that's just me.
Oh and yes you need to take some first aid courses, even if it video something is better then nothing .but practice is valuable ,just like shooting a gun , muscle memory is something you train your mind to fallow.
CPR and artificial resuscitation are vital especially out back in the bush.
Get books you will study and make your bible for a year or so, seriously .
There is nothing worse than the awful feeling that you could have done something and the information was all the time at the end of your fingertips.

 

WARNING: Graphic image of skin burn attached below.

First, I truly appreciate the concern for her. I was wrong on her age in the original post. She isn't quite three years old, yet. September is when she will turn 3.

Sometimes, her brother-in-law is a turd. Well, more often than not, he is a turd. I learned late last night (Chan and I finally had time to talk) that, just a few minutes prior to me going outside, he (BIL) had hit / slapped her brother several times. He apparently blamed her brother for the baby getting hurt. It was an accident, nothing more, nothing less.

Later, her BIL left for a two hours ride to their (BIL and sister's) corn field. The guy should have been here when we returned with his little girl. (Her sister had been at a wedding down the road, and returned shortly after we left for the hospital.) I guess corn rates a bit higher than a child's well being.

They may offer such courses in the US. But, I haven't had particularly good experiences with the Red Cross locations in SEA. I have found most to be lacking in many services. I won't go into their severely lacking blood bank reserves. Unfortunately, services like a calm, cool, collected 911 operator, are not available here.

On a positive note, this morning, prior to them going to a local clinic to replace the dressings, the little one was walking around the yard, not acting as though she were in pain. So, hopefully anyway, the pain has subsided - at least until they go through the dressing changing process. The Boss drove her and her mama to the local market, where a doctor is available. We probably could have gone there yesterday. But, I preferred the best care I could think of, for her at the time.

Here is a photo Chan took of her this morning, at the local clinic in our village:

 

That poor baby. That is a huge burn and will scar. Like I said, kids are resilient. Glad to read that she is recovering. The little one is very blessed to have you, Chan plus grandma to watch over her.

 

Thanks, MM. She's a strong little tyke, for sure.

 

People should take first aid course. This is very useful during some emergency situation. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

in regard to taking a first aid class or any other emergency type training >>> make sure you stay off the GOV databases ....

 

There are loads of books on first aid, but for many of us, reading is not enough.
Military manuals are a valuable asset, and I collected every piece I could find, even on suchering wounds, however super glue can hold things together till it can be seen by a professional.

 

super glue in a cut burns like a torch! Don't ask how I know......

 

local volunteer fire/ems can be a great sourse of free traing,,,, emt 1,2,3 swiftwater rescue, high/low angle rope rescuse, open water scuba,,,, it goes on. i seved vol amb corp and vol fire for 10 years. training with hands on experiance cant be beat. just ignore the a-type personas and acomplish your goal. training. see if there is a volunteer fire/ems by you.

 

Just remember, the more you have certifications for, the less the Good Samaritan laws will cover you.

 

Yes sir,, you are correct.
I had an Uncle ,, Marine Vietnam Vet,,, a few yrs after he got out ,, he joined the National Guard as an MP. He had to do yearly rifle and pistol qualifying,, I seen him in his uniform one day and asked him about his Marksman badge ,, I knew he was an excellent shooter ,, I've hunted with him . He said if he was an expert shooter ,, if he ever had to shoot someone while on , or off guard duty ,, and they died ,, then he could be charged with murder ,, if he was an expert ,, they could say he was a good enough shooter to just shoot to wound ,,, but as a marksman,, he wasn't quite good enough to just wound .
So ,, yes sir ,, it's good to have the knowledge,, but forego the certificates .

 

i quit after i figured out a emt 3 has "a duty to act" respond and they die, you could lose your house. dont respond same thing. emt 2 has full good samaritan coverage.,ivs, drugs all ok,,,,, im a volunteer. 600 hr of medical training i wont use because of liabikity. i was 1 of 312 emt 3 in the state of 640,000. its a problem.