102-First Aid Basics

Learning Objectives

As a result of this experience, each participant should be able to:

• Complete advancement requirements S6acde
• Treat for object in the eye, bite of suspected rabid animal, puncture wounds, second
• degree burns, heat exhaustion, and shock.

Materials Required

• Blanket
• Bandages (for snakebite, cold cloths, etc.)
• Gauze pad

Discovery

Stage a first aid situation in the meeting during at an unexpected time. Use one of the injuries in the presentation and see how scouts react. Alternatively, tell scouts that one member of their patrol has one of these injuries and see how they react.

Teaching-Learning

As always, consult a current first aid manual to verify these techniques.

1. Shock.
   1. Shock occurs in every injury. Its symptoms are:
      1. Sudden lowering of strength.
      2. Skin is cold and clammy.
      3. Vomiting
   2. First Aid:
      1. Have the person lie down.
      2. Raise his feet 10 to 12 inches. If he is have trouble breathing, raise his head instead.
      3. Cover him and keep him warm. If conscious, let him sip water.
      4. Never leave him alone. Talk to him and assure him that everything will be all right.
2. Object in eye
   1. Have the person blink--the tears may flush out the object.
   2. If that doesn’t work, pull the upper lid down over the lower one. If the object is under the lower lid, place your thumb on the skin just below the lid and pull it down gently. Lift out the object with a corner of a sterile gauze pad.
   3. If that fails, cover the eye with a gauze pad and get the patient under medical care.
3. Bite of suspected rabid animal.
   1. You have three jobs to do:
      1. Give First Aid
      2. Get medical help.
      3. Call the police or rangers to capture the animal.
   2. First Aid
      1. Scrub the bite with plenty of soap and water.
      2. Cover the wound with sterile bandage and get the victim to a doctor.
4. Puncture wound
   1. Nail and Splinter
      1. Take out any foreign matter then squeeze gently around the wound.
      2. Wash gently with soap and water.
      3. Apply a sterile bandage.
   2. Fishhook
      1. Cut the line and allow a doctor to remove the fishhook.
      2. If in the backcountry:
         1. Push the barb out through the skin and snip if off with a pair of pliers.
         2. Back the barbless hook out of the wound.
5. Second degree burns.
   1. Symptoms: Blisters, Redness of skin.
   2. First Aid:
      1. Do not break the blisters.
      2. If the blisters are not broken, place the injury in cool water until the pain lessens.
      3. Apply a moist dressing and bandage loosely.
      4. Do not apply creams, ointments, or sprays.
6. Heat exhaustion.
   1. Symptoms:
      1. Pale skin. Cold and clammy from perspiration.
      2. Shallow breathing and nausea
      3. Dilated pupils
      4. Headache and dizziness.
   2. First Aid:
      1. Move the patient to a cool shady spot.
      2. Place him on his back and raise his feet.
      3. Fan him and apply cool wet cloths. Give him sips of water.
7. Poisonous Plants
   1. Do you know what poisonous plants look like? Refer to pages 191-192 in the Boy Scout Handbook for pictures of the plants. At the next available opportunity, show scouts in the wild what the plants look like and have them learn to identify them.
   2. First Aid:
      1. Rinse with water immediately. Do not scrub as this will only spread the oil of the plant.
      2. Use Calamine lotion to relieve itching.
      3. Remove any lingering sap by laundering clothing.
8. Tell patrol members that they will have a chance to practice this skill at this month’s outing.

Application: First Aid Steps Game

Cut out the First Aid steps cards in the appendix. For each first aid situation, the patrol must line up with the patrol leader in front and each member holding a step card. Members must be in the proper order to get credit (e.g. the patrol leader has the first step, the second scout has the next step, etc.). If time allows, have the patrol do all the situations presented. The patrol can compete against its own time. Note, there are not enough cards for each injury so the patrol could be split into two teams if there are enough scouts.