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Post by minibaby on Jun 3, 2010 11:22:10 GMT -1
Hi Trekkers.... We had a snake in the office at work yesterday.. and as I have nothing better to do thought I would tell you all about it! It got me thinking about not only avoiding cows, but anything else that moves!! Actually, on a serious note, if we were out and someone happened to get bit by something like this, would anyone know what to do? Or any other injury.....?? I am a qualified First Aider but only carry a tiny First Aid Kit. I think it would be a good idea for the group to know who is trained in First Aid........ nothing too heavy, but bearing in mind some of our walks can be a bit tricky, Ie kinder, if someone falls over and hurts themselves at least we know who has plasters, no comments about shutting me up with it!! ;D That's all - dinner break over!!
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Post by invertedsheep on Jun 3, 2010 12:05:41 GMT -1
Good question Mini. Many accidents happen or become more serious because people aren't properly prepared in case they do.
I always carry a small, very basic first aid kit. I've only needed to use it once and that was last summer when I broke my finger in Iceland and couldn't get to a doctor till the following day, but I was really glad I had it. I also carry a couple of whistles (areas such as Kinder have very little mobile phone coverage), though of course using a whistle will only work if the person hearing it understands what an emergency signal is. When I go somewhere like Kinder I'll carry an emergency bothy too. Luckily I've never had to use it. I wouldn't bother with this if I was walking lower down and nearer main roads. Best of all though, my new daypack is imprinted with instructions of what hand signals to give a resuce plane/helicopter as it is coming in to land. I'd love to get to try that out! But that probably sounds like I'm hoping someone has a very serious accident. I'm not, but if anyone does you'll know I'm prepared to guide the plane in ...
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Post by invertedsheep on Jun 3, 2010 12:13:02 GMT -1
Just found this on the internet
Snake Bites •Snake bites are uncommon in the UK. •There is only one indigenous poisonous snake, the Vipera berus or 'adder', but other species of snakes may be found in private collections or zoos. •Worldwide, only 15% of over 3,000 species of snake are considered dangerous to humans. •The majority of people who are bitten by snakes in the UK, and indeed in countries where venomous snakes are more common, will have been bitten by a nonvenomous snake. •However, unless the identity of the snake is known with certainty, it is advisable to administer first aid with the assumption that the snake may have been venomous.
Management of an adder bite . •Most will occur in the summer months in people walking through areas of long grass or heathland. •Fatalities are rare, the last recorded fatality in the UK being 30 years ago, although envenomation may cause significant morbidity. •Following an adder bite, pain will immediately be felt at the bite site and local swelling will occur.
•First aid:
◦Treatment prior to transfer to hospital should consist ONLY of reassurance to the patient and immobilisation of the limb. ◦A bandage SHOULD NOT be applied in this instance as over-tightening of the bandage has led to complications.
•Once in hospital, management should consist of:
◦Observation of all patients for local swelling (at least 2 hours). Patients who are asymptomatic with no evidence of swelling after 2 hours may be discharged; all others must be admitted for observation.
◦Wound care: ■Clean the bite site and splint the limb. ■Give anti-tetanus prophylaxis as required.
First aid for snake bites
•General principles: ◦Appropriate first aid has been shown to reduce mortality in patients who have been bitten by a venomous snake. Some traditionally recommended procedures may do more harm than good. For example incising the wound, sucking the wound, applying a tourniquet, ice or chemicals should be avoided. ◦Follow basic emergency life support principles. ◦Reassure the patient. ◦Keep the patient still and immobilised. ◦Arrange immediate transfer for definitive care.
•Nonvenomous snake bites: ◦The majority of snake bites in the UK will be nonvenomous such as those from pythons and constrictors. ◦These snake bites should be treated in the same way as any other animal bite. ◦Clean and dress the wound ◦Give anti-tetanus prophylaxis as required ◦If the precise identity of the snake is unknown, keep under observation for several hours If there are any systemic features (such as limb oedema, hypotension), assume that the bite is venomous and call the local poisons centre (the National Poisons Centre in the UK) for further advice. ◦Local blistering and transient dizziness and nausea are not suggestive of systemic involvement.
•Venomous snake bites: ◦Venomous snake bites are very rare in the UK and are most commonly the result of an adder bite. ◦Venomous snakes, even when they bite, do not always inject venom or not enough venom to cause envenomation. ◦If the venom causes local damage and not neurotoxicity, like the adder bite, then pressure immobilisation is not recommended. However an affected limb should be immobilised.
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Post by minibaby on Jun 3, 2010 12:27:40 GMT -1
OMG Anne I daren't move from my desk now - everyone was trying to re-assure me by saying they wont bite! Think I need Danger money "adding" to my salary.... (- sorry - it was a baby adder in the office.... ) not sure where the rest of the family are - that's what's worrying me! Excellent with the First Aid response.. maybe we could fly a kite on the top of Kinder and you can hand signal that in??
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Post by invertedsheep on Jun 5, 2010 21:05:44 GMT -1
Been thinking more seriously about this. I wondered if there were any first aid courses out there aimed at people who would like to be trained for accidents in the middle of nowhere. I found this link www.highpeakfirstaid.co.uk/content/view/10/14/Has anyone done any courses like this? Mini, I know you said you had a first aid qual - is that general first aid or something specific to the outdoors? I'd also been looking at walking group leader quals and you need a relevant first aid qual to be able to get the walking group leader qual. I'm hoping to get involved with the DofE award next year and so this could be something useful for me. Any advice and prior knowledge on this kind of thing would be appreciated. And if anyone would be interested in joining me on a first aid course shout up!
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Post by doug789 on Jun 6, 2010 20:03:17 GMT -1
Everyone attends these walks as an individual. The only responsibility the site has is to post information about the walks so people can make their own decisions to attend. Health and safety is therefore the responsibility of the individual. To do it any other way anyone leading a group would need indemnity insurance. They would then need to charge a fee to members. I don't think this is a path we want to go down. The chances of being bitten by an adder are about the same as winning the lottery 3 weeks running.
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