How Learning First Aid Can Help In The Case Of Emergency
An unfortunately fact of life is accidents happen. An unfortunately fact of ATV riding is sometimes accidents happen and many times you are in areas where help isn't readily accessible. Having a first aid kit on your ATV and knowing the basics of first aid can help you save someone's life in case of an accident requiring medical attention but help isn't readily available.
Learning first aid is very important in case you're ever placed in the position of being the emergency aid care giver for someone who has been injured. Most communities have classes, and the Red Cross offers one of the best first aid classes and usually it is free.
One of the biggest things to learn, is to quickly ascertain exactly how serious a situation is. Sometimes little cuts incurred on an ATV ride can bleed like crazy and look far worse than they actually are and if someone has been involved in an accident, they have the potential to have internal injuries you can not see and should not be moved.
Another important point to learn is if you're going to be in a long term care situation until help can arrive which is a reality when riding on wilderness trails, is that cleanliness of wounds is the main thing to concentrate on. You will learn in first aid classes that in the event you don't have access to sterile wound dressings; fresh unopened newspapers can be used as a temporary dressing.
You will also learn to put together your own first aid kit. If you haven't put together a first aid kit by yourself, here is a good starting list to get you off and ready:
- Get a small, sturdy box, preferably waterproof.
- You will need a few pairs of vinyl or latex gloves.
- CPR mask
- Bandages - get several different sizes and go for the self adhering type
- Dressings - get them a little larger than you might need,you can always cut them down
- Telfa pads, these are very helpful for wound dressings as they don't stick
- Surgipad dressing, a high absorbency dressing
- Roll of cloth tape - 1" is a good size
- Hibicleanse and iodine for cleaning wounds
- Tweezers and pins
- Tempa-dot is a good unbreakable, disposable thermometer
- Shears for cutting away clothing and cutting splints to size
- Pack a mirror as a signal device, also a whistle
This is enough to get you started. Do take a first aid class, even if you have taken one in the past. Aid skills should be updated periodically to insure you are always ready for an emergency. Being prepared is also part of having a good time riding your ATVs.
