FIRST AID SKILLS FOR FIRST CLASS

TENDERFOOT

11a. Demonstrate the Heimlich manuever and tell when it is used (pages 416-417).

Stand behind the victim. Wrap your arms around the victim's waist. Grasp one fist with your other hand and place the thumb side of your fist in the midline slightly above the navel. Press into the abdomen with quick inward and upward thrusts. Deliver each manual thrust with enough force to remove the obstruction.

Continue until the obstruction is gone or medical help arrives. The victim should be examined by a physician as soon as possible.

11b. Show first aid for the following:

Simple cuts and scratches (page 419).
Blisters on the hand and foot (page 422).
Minor burns or scalds (first degree) (page 420).
Bites or stings of insects and ticks (pages 423-424).
Poisonous snakebite (pages 426-427).
Nosebleed (page 420).

SIMPLE CUTS - Clean a wound by washing it with soap and water. At home, use plenty of water right from the faucet, On a hike or in camp, use water from your canteen or a clear stream. Let the skin around the wound dry, then apply an adhesive bandage. If you don't have an bandage and the wound is small, simply wash it. Any bleeding will stop as soon as the blood clots.

BLISTERS - A "hot spot" signals the beginning of a blister. A hiker should stop immediately and protect the tender area by placing a piece of tape or moleskin over the area. The best method is to cut a hole in a piece of foam or moleskin the size of the area and tape it in place around the area.

MINOR BURNS - Relieve the pain by applying ice packs or damp, cold cloths, or by dipping burned areas in cool water. Let the affected area air dry, then cover it with a loose bandage.

INSECT BITES - Relieve the pain of insect bites or stings with ice or a cold towel. If the stinger of a bee or wasp is still in the skin, flick it away with your fingernail or the edge of a knife.

SNAKEBITES - Have the victim lie down and rest the bitten part lower than the rest of the body. Keep him calm and quiet. Put a constricting band 2 to 4 inches above the bite to slow the spread of the venom. Make it just tight enough so it's not too easy to push your fingers between the band and his skin. If the area swells, loosen the band. TREAT THE VICTIM FOR SHOCK. Get medical help immediately. If you know what kind of snake it was, tell the doctor.

NOSEBLEED - Have the victim sit leaning slightly forward so that the blood does not run down the throat. Ask the person to use the thumb and forefinger to pinch the nose firmly but gently. While the person is pinching, apply a cold compress to the nose and surrounding area.
After the nosebleed stops, do not irritate, pick, or blow the nose for several hours. If bleeding continues for more than 15 minutes, seek medical attention.

SECOND CLASS

6a.	Show what to do for "hurry" cases of stopped breathing, serious bleeding, and internal poisoning (pages 405-417).

STOPPED BREATHING

Position the victim. Place the victim on his back. Tilt his head far back, chin pointing up. Lift with one hand under the chin. Whith the other hand, press down on the forehead and pinch the nostrils shut with your thumb and forefinger. Then take a deep breath and begin rescue breathing.

Open your mouth wide and seal it over the victim's mouth. Blow into his mouth to fill his lungs. Look to see if his chest rises. (If the victim is a child, seal your mouth over both the victim's mouth and nose, then blow gently.)

Remove your mouth and take another deep breath. Watch to see that the victim's chest falls as he exhales.

Repeat the process until a doctor or medical technician tells you to stop, or it becomes impossible for you to keep going.

SERIOUS BLEEDING

Cover the wound with a pad - a bandanna, shirt, or any other cloth - and press hard! Stop that blood! Tie the pad firmly in place with a cravat bandage, gauze bandage, or whatever is close at hand. If the pad becomes bloodsoaked, don't remove it. Put another pad and bandage on top of the first and continue the pressure. Get medical help.

INTERNAL POISONING

Quickly take any poison containers to the phone, then call a poison control center or emergency medical service and follow their instructions. Treat the victim for shock and check breathing frequently. Do not give anything by mouth unless advised to do so by medical professionsals.

6b.	Prepare a personal first aid kit to take with you on a hike (pages 28-29).

The Scout Handbook recommends the following be included in your kit:

Moleskin for blisters
A few adhesive bandages
A small roll of adhesive tape
Several sterile gauze pads
Enough change for a few emergency phone calls (25›)

For La-No-Che, you should add:

STING-EZE (to apply to insect bites)
Aspirin/Excederine and sinus medicine
Sun screen
Insect repellent

6c. Demonstrate first aid for the following:

Object in the eye (page 427).
Bite of a suspected rabid animal (page 425).
Puncture wounds from a splinter, nail, and fish hook (page 428).
Serious burns (second degree) (pages 420-421).
Heat exhaustion (page 429).
Shock (page 418).

OBJECT IN EYE Have the person blink his eyes, and tears may flush out the object. If that doesn't pull the upper lid down over the lower one. The lower lashes may brush out the speck. Or, 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 speck with a corner of a sterile gauze pad or clean handkerchief. If that fails, cover the eye with a gauze pad and get the patient under medical care.

ANIMAL BITE If it breaks the skin, the bite of a dog, cat, rat, or any warm-blooded wild animal is not an ordinary wound. The animal may suffer from rabies. The only way to learn if the animal is infected is to have it caught and kept under observation.
Scrub the bite with plenty of soap and water to remove the saliva. Cover the wound with a sterile bandage and get the victim to a doctor. Call the police or rangers to capture the animal.

PUNCTURE WOUND Take out any foreign matter, then squeeze around the wound. Wash with soap and water. Apply a sterile bandage and get to a doctor. A tetanus antitoxin shot may be needed to prevent lockjaw.
If someone has been snagged by a fishhook, cut the line and let a doctor or medic remove the hook from the flesh. In the backcountry, you may have to do the job yourself. First, push the barb out through the skin and snip it off with pliers, wire cutters, or even nail clippers. Then back the barbles hook out of the wound.

SERIOUS BURNS Second degree burn. If blisters form, do not break the blisters - this will conpound the injury by causing an open wound. If the blisters are not open, place the injury in cool water until the pain lessens, then apply a moist dressing, and bandage loosely. DO NOT APPLY CREAMS, OINTMENTS, OR SPRAYS.
Third degree burn. In the most severe burns, the skin will be burned away. Some flesh will be charred. If many nerve endings are damaged, there may be little pain. NO NOT try to remove any clothing; it may be sticking to the flesh. DO NOT apply creams, ointments, or sprays. Wrap a clean sheet around the victim and, if the weather is cool, cover him with blankets. Rush him to a hospital. His life is at stake.

HEAT EXHAUSTION Move the patient to a cool, shady spot. Place him on his back and raise his feet. Loosen his clothing. Fan him and apply cool, wet cloths. Give him sips of water.

SHOCK Have the injured person lie down. Raise his feet 10 to 12 inches. In cool weather, cover him and keep him warm. Place blankets or sleeping bags underneath him as well as on top. If the patient is conscious, let him sip water.

FIRST CLASS

8a.	Demonstrate tying the bowline (rescue) knot and how it's used in a rescue (pages 134-136).
8b.	Demonstrate bandages for injuries on the head, the upper arm, and collar bone, and for a sprained ankle (pages 423, 434-436).
8c.	Show how to transport by yourself, and with one on other person, a person: from a smoke-filled room with a brocken leg, for at least 25 yards (pages 437-439). Walking assist. A patient who has suffered a minor accident and feels weak may be assisted to walk. Bring one arm around his waist. One-person carry. This is best done piggyback. Kneel in front of the patient with your back to his belly. Bring your arms under the patient's knees. Grasp his hands over your chest. Avoid injury to your own back by keeping it straight and lifting with your legs. Four-hand seat carry. Two can transport a conscious patient with this carry. Each bearer grasps his own right wrist with his left hand. The two bearers then lock hands and wrists with each other. The patient sits on their hands and place his arms around their shoulders. Two-person carry. Use this carry when a patient. Each slides one arm under the patient's back, the other under the thighs. The bearers grasp each other's wrists and shoulders and rise from the ground with the patient supported between them. Emergency strecher. Start with two poles somewhat longer than the patient is tall. Use strong saplings, tool handles, oars, or tent poles. Button up two or three Scout shirts or coats and push poles through the sleeves or use blankets, a tent fly, or a sleeping bag with the bottom seams open. Or lash together three pack frames.
8d.	Tell the five most common signs of a heart attack. Explain the steps (procedures) in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (pages 407-413). Warning signals of heart attack: Uncomfortable preassure, squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center of the chest behind the breastbone. The feeling may spread to the shoulders. arm neck, jaw, and back. It may last 2 minutes or longer, and may come and go. It need not be severe. Sharp, stabbing twinges of pain usually are not signals of heart attack. Unusual sweating - for instance, perspiring even though a room is cool. Nausia - stomach distress with an urge to vomit. Shortness of breath A feeling of weakness. Steps in CPR: Establish unresponsiveness and CALL OUT FOR HELP. Position the victim. Open the airway. Establish breathlessness (look, listen, feel). Two ventilations. Establish pulselesness (check for pulse). Call the local EMS system. Begin first cycle - 15 compressions and two ventilations, After four cycles, check for return of pulse and breathing.

SIMPLE CUTS -	Clean a wound by washing it with soap and water. At home, use plenty of water right from the faucet, On a hike or in camp, use water from your canteen or a clear stream. Let the skin around the wound dry, then apply an adhesive bandage. If you don't have an bandage and the wound is small, simply wash it. Any bleeding will stop as soon as the blood clots.
BLISTERS -	A "hot spot" signals the beginning of a blister. A hiker should stop immediately and protect the tender area by placing a piece of tape or moleskin over the area. The best method is to cut a hole in a piece of foam or moleskin the size of the area and tape it in place around the area.
MINOR BURNS -	Relieve the pain by applying ice packs or damp, cold cloths, or by dipping burned areas in cool water. Let the affected area air dry, then cover it with a loose bandage.
INSECT BITES -	Relieve the pain of insect bites or stings with ice or a cold towel. If the stinger of a bee or wasp is still in the skin, flick it away with your fingernail or the edge of a knife.
SNAKEBITES -	Have the victim lie down and rest the bitten part lower than the rest of the body. Keep him calm and quiet. Put a constricting band 2 to 4 inches above the bite to slow the spread of the venom. Make it just tight enough so it's not too easy to push your fingers between the band and his skin. If the area swells, loosen the band. TREAT THE VICTIM FOR SHOCK. Get medical help immediately. If you know what kind of snake it was, tell the doctor.
NOSEBLEED -	Have the victim sit leaning slightly forward so that the blood does not run down the throat. Ask the person to use the thumb and forefinger to pinch the nose firmly but gently. While the person is pinching, apply a cold compress to the nose and surrounding area. After the nosebleed stops, do not irritate, pick, or blow the nose for several hours. If bleeding continues for more than 15 minutes, seek medical attention.

OBJECT IN EYE	Have the person blink his eyes, and tears may flush out the object. If that doesn't pull the upper lid down over the lower one. The lower lashes may brush out the speck. Or, 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 speck with a corner of a sterile gauze pad or clean handkerchief. If that fails, cover the eye with a gauze pad and get the patient under medical care.
ANIMAL BITE	If it breaks the skin, the bite of a dog, cat, rat, or any warm-blooded wild animal is not an ordinary wound. The animal may suffer from rabies. The only way to learn if the animal is infected is to have it caught and kept under observation. Scrub the bite with plenty of soap and water to remove the saliva. Cover the wound with a sterile bandage and get the victim to a doctor. Call the police or rangers to capture the animal.
PUNCTURE WOUND	Take out any foreign matter, then squeeze around the wound. Wash with soap and water. Apply a sterile bandage and get to a doctor. A tetanus antitoxin shot may be needed to prevent lockjaw. If someone has been snagged by a fishhook, cut the line and let a doctor or medic remove the hook from the flesh. In the backcountry, you may have to do the job yourself. First, push the barb out through the skin and snip it off with pliers, wire cutters, or even nail clippers. Then back the barbles hook out of the wound.
SERIOUS BURNS	Second degree burn. If blisters form, do not break the blisters - this will conpound the injury by causing an open wound. If the blisters are not open, place the injury in cool water until the pain lessens, then apply a moist dressing, and bandage loosely. DO NOT APPLY CREAMS, OINTMENTS, OR SPRAYS. Third degree burn. In the most severe burns, the skin will be burned away. Some flesh will be charred. If many nerve endings are damaged, there may be little pain. NO NOT try to remove any clothing; it may be sticking to the flesh. DO NOT apply creams, ointments, or sprays. Wrap a clean sheet around the victim and, if the weather is cool, cover him with blankets. Rush him to a hospital. His life is at stake.
HEAT EXHAUSTION	Move the patient to a cool, shady spot. Place him on his back and raise his feet. Loosen his clothing. Fan him and apply cool, wet cloths. Give him sips of water.