How good are you at handling emergencies?

golok

golok

Joined
Oct 20, 2000
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I know a lot of people think they can handle emergency cases and presume that they will totally be in control when such situations arise.

Not true. A lot of people "freeze" when they see broken arms and bodies covered in blood.

Some people are natural-born paramedics even though they have not undergone any formal training. I guess it's all in the nurturing process.

Some people are used to taking care of others when they were growing up or are used to taking care of others. These are the ones who usually excel during emergencies.

Do you agree?
 
In a couple of emergencies I've been in I didnt freeze but tried to do to much at once. It wasnt a 'panic' more a 'confusion' even though I knew pretty well what had to be done. Ive got to say I handled the situations alot better than everyone else present though.
On two occasions were I was the casualty, whilst I remained conscious, I remained very calm and collected, which, I was told by a paramedic, definately saved my life during one of those times. On reflection I was quite surprised. The two situations were quite different so I cant say I learnt for experience.
I think alot of people are actually programmed by the media to expect panic during an emergency. I'm sure this is true but I've seen the most unlikely people keep their heads while everyone else around them folded.
Yet again a good thread Golok.
D.
 
The worst emergency I've been through was when a good friend was struck by a rock in the face, putting a deep gash across one eyebrow. His face was pretty much covered with blood and we were with a bunch of young people, who were stunned. My only concern was for his eye; he was rolling around on the ground with his hands covering his face so I couldn't immediately tell. I calmed him down and told him to let the cut bleed, hopefully to carry away dirt that may have lodged in the wound. We put a bandage and icepack over it to reduce swelling before heading to the emergency room.

I was calm and thinking clearly in that situation, having seen my share of shudder-inducing injuries firsthand. But I don't know if I could handle gruesome maiming or dismemberment of myself or my loved ones. That would really freak me out . . . :(
 
Depends.....

At work I've seen/worked on people Hit by cars,trains,bullets,people who have hung themselfs,been burned up,cut up thrown up blown up and chopped up.Done cpr on those from newborns to those in the 90's. No problem taking fast action,go back to firehouse and finish lunch don't give it a second thought.

But when its one of my kids with a minor injury.....

Fires and such its often a race to be "first in" and if they set the line down and don't put a knee on it to mask up,well we'll take it from them and put it out thank you.

Off duty I have noticed two types,those who run towards to help right off,and those who stand as if froze.So yes I agree.
 
my techniques to get a handle on the situation, it hads been my experience that if you need to acomplish much in a coordinated manner in the face of mass casualties, you need to look over the troops, some will be self starters, some will need to have a job assigned to them to get them past the "deer in the headlights" look.

if you have a bunch of "civilians" then you have to revert back to rule one =1. people will not rise to the occasion-- they will sink to the level of their training.

if they have no training then you need to give them some--assign them a task that is easily doable- once i had a fellow, had no training- i had him pump fluid into the patient with a pressure bag until i told him to stop. he was the best rapid infusion device i had available, and freed up the others to do their job. got him past the "fright stage, then he was working away just fine.

next get your people organized by the numbers and location on the patient assessing and uncovering the varoius injuries and dealing with them while reporting their findings to you so you can be formulating your intermediate plan. i tried to teach younger docs that you need to be thinking about where you want to be 30 min to 60 min from now and get that information out-- if you want to be in cat scan, operating room, intensive care, you need to start the machinery moving in that direction.

alex
 
Remember that you will react differently if it's someone you know/care about than if it's a stranger.

Case in point, was camping with some friends last year. Coupla girls there ran into a barbed wire fence, and got gashed up(one was mainly surface stuff, steristrips sufficed, other ended up in hospital, think it took 12 stitches for gash on her neck). I was fine, but one of other ladies there wasn't. Now she's a nurse, sees stuff like this all the time. Problem was, girl was her neice. That made all the difference.
 
I'm a bit of a 'freezer' unfortunately. Which is why I value good training so highly. I remember my brother collapsing one night (drug induced psychosis but thats a whole other story) and I stood there and stared, unable to do anything for a minute or two before someone came over and checked for breathing, put him in the recovery postion etc.

Since then I've had excellent first aid training and have found myself responding without thinking when someone has had an accident or the like. My own response when I deeply cut my own leg would have done Robert DiNiro (in 'Ronin') pround. I slipped with my SRK, looked down and saw fat tissue, twitching muscle fibre and spurting blood. I calmy put pressure on the wound. Hopped inside, grabbed my mobile phone, called my Dad, stayed still while he came with the car, called the hospital from the car - then as soon as the doctor took my hand off the would and put his on, promptly fainted.

I've talked to people who have survived helicopter ditchings who always comment on the HUET (Helicopter Underwater Escape Training) that they recieved. At the time they treated the training as a bit of a lark then promptly forgot it. During the emergency the training came back crystal clear and in each case they have credited it for their survival.

Edited to add.

I think if you have undergone good situation specific training then this can over ride any freezing or panicking as you can fall back on your skills - any LEO's or soldiers care to comment on this?
 
So far I have stayed calm. I have been through a buddy in the Army having heat-stroke, 6 broken arms between three of my sons, some stitches incidents, and my wife severly breaking her ankle last year (very ugly sight :eek: ). I always seem to remember my Scouting and Army training. Training certainly helps, as you know what to do, instead of "guessing" what to do.

Don't think I could handle anything really gruesome, however. I can barely stand to watch re-plays of Joe Thiesman's leg break...makes my shin ache!
I really admire and appreciate emergency personnel who deal with this stuff daily.
 
Like Lone Hunter, emergencies are what I handle for a living. Here are a few observations.

Just because people rush to help, doesn't necessarily mean they do. I've often had to get people out of the way who were doing absolutely nothing. Those that do actually perform, default to whatever training they have had; some of it useless, some of it greatly appreciated. More training doesn't necessarily make you better. Some doctors have been more useless than those with basic first aid.

I've also had to draft civilians to help, and once given direction, they've always stepped up to the plate and done well.

What I tell new guys is this: Take a few seconds and think about what you are going to do before you start. Anybody can hold on that much longer, and you'll do a better job. I think this will work for anybody in most emergencies.
 
I was a member of the local volunteer rescue squad for several years. Saw some nasty things. Did my job.

Some people went thru months of extensive EMT training and on their first call froze up. Being an EMT wasn't for them. They left. No hard feelings. They tried but it wasn't their cup of tea. I respect them for trying.
 
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