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Prepare for those summer boo-boos

By TIMES STAFF
Published June 5, 2007

Summer and school vacations mean outdoors-related accidents increase. Knowing in advance how to handle minor emergencies can make them less serious. That means recognizing the myths about treating injuries and knowing how to react to them correctly.

Here's help from Rod Brouhard, a paramedic and author of About.com's Guide to First Aid:

First aid myths

Suck on a snake bite. Works only in cowboy movies. Actually, it's likely to get infection and venom into both victim and rescuer.

Tilt your head back with a nosebleed. This only makes you swallow blood. Instead, blow out any clots, then pinch the soft part of your nose with your thumb and forefinger, breathing through your mouth. Pinch for 10 minutes, see if bleeding has stopped. If not, pinch for 10 more minutes.

Scrape off a bee's stinger. Digging out your MasterCard just to scrape away a stinger means the stinger has more time to pump venom into you. Yank it out, the quicker the better.

Butter a burn. Butter and oils trap heat, making your burn worse. To soothe tender skin, use a product with aloe.

Handling emergencies

Whether camping, surfing or taking a road trip, it's a good idea to be prepared for life's little emergencies. Learn CPR. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is the most important of all first aid classes. CPR is performed when victims don't have a pulse and are not breathing. Check with your local Red Cross office or buy one of the American Heart Association's CPR Anytime kits ($29.95); order toll-free at 1-877-242-4277 or go to www.cpranytime.org.

Call for help. Calling 911 can seem overwhelming. There is a sense of urgency, so take it slowly, listen carefully and the dispatcher will walk you through the process. When calling 911 on a cell phone, dispatchers cannot always tell where you are calling from; be ready to describe your location.

Keep medical information handy. A list of prescriptions, allergies and any medical problems is invaluable to emergency responders.

Have a first aid kit. Ready-made first aid kits are available at pharmacies, or you can easily make your own to carry when out of the house.

Know the law. Just because people are injured doesn't mean they want your help. Protect yourself from lawsuits by knowing when someone can refuse your help and how you're protected by Good Samaritan laws. The Florida statute is at www.cprinstructor.com/FL-GS.htm.

Reprinted with permission from www.about.com.

[Last modified June 4, 2007, 23:15:56]