[at-l] In an emergency....

[shane at theplacewithnoname.com (Shane)]

> What do you do?

I think the answer to that depends on many factors.

> You have to go.  What should you do for the victim?

All the standards.  Stop the bleeding, if any.  Immobilize any parts that
need immobilizing.  Make them comfortable.  Make sure they have water, food,
shelter, and a fire (and lots of wood) if possible and necessary.  You
should also never leave an unconscious person if possible.  If you have to,
you should leave them on their side or front and not on their back.  If you
leave an unconscious person, you may return to find an eaten carcass...

Give them some kind of signal device.  Spread all your crap out on the
ground so that it's visible from the air.

Make SURE you know exactly where you are, and EXACTLY how to get back.  GPS
is good, and allows you to give the coordinates to rescuers saving valuable
time.

If you don't want to leave, or if you can't leave because the person is
unconscious and the vultures are about, then you can try alternative methods
like a message in a bottle tossed into the river.  Might work...might not...

> What should you do to cut down on the time it takes you get help
> and to get back?

Lighten your load.  No pack.  Bring your poles.  Bring water.  Don't stop
walking.  Move at night as well, if you can.  Don't get lost.  Don't get
stupid.

> Where should you look for help when you get to a place you can
> look for help?

Anywhere and everywhere.

> Etc.

Ah...  The pesky Etc.  Worst case is that you might have to put someone out
of their misery...

Of course, the best way to handle the situation is to have a LOT of
training, which is neither hard nor expensive to come by, and to carry a
first aid kit reasonable to your circumstances.  At this point in my life,
I'm reasonably comfortable that I could treat someone with severe trauma in
the backcountry and keep them alive indefinitely.  Of course, I can't treat
things like brain swelling because I wouldn't know about it.  I figure that
if they die, they'd die no matter what.

Shane