h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If not, please go to search and enter First Aid.

Then click on First aid information and guidence.

All the informaion you need is there.

Check the casualty's airway is clear, put them in the recovery position...

Note the time, and location.

Dial 999, ask for a paramdic fast response unit PLUS an ambulance.

Keep talking to the person, staying calm, tell them help is on the way - don't expect a response, but do check for breathing.

Ask around if there is "a Dr in the house."

If a St. John Ambulance person turns up - keep them away from the casulty - a polo mint ain't gonna fix this one!

If I *found* somebody, not knowing how they become unconcious, and they appear to be breathing - don't move them.

The less an untrained person does the better IMO - hence the crack at St. Johns Ambulance - They worry me alot.

Still can't get the <./>Search</.> to bring anything up - Still buy now a paramedic or even a police car with rcovery equipment and fist aid traind officers should be here.

So how wrong was what was taught to me in primary school (aged 8) then?

St John Ambulance are fully qualified to deal with any Emergency and non Emergency situation,

First aid has change olot in the past 3 years, we have got new equipment, new supplies, even new fully qualified First Aiders.

So please, onless you know how St john Ambulance work (which you dont) Dont go calling them good for nothings!

St john Ambulance can make a difference beween life and death for a casualty and maybe even you one day!

Good bye!

The person using the nick name paramedic to create this thread, is not a paramedic!

The have just posted a message on my PS, and are infact a St. Johns bod.

How did I guess that!

I say here again from what I put in my answer to the PS post, if you want to be a paramedic, then go for it, make a real difference.

The emergency services in this country work bloody hard, and are a credit to the uniforms they wear.

Organsations that spend years on internal politics of uniforms 'new equipment' do the professionals a diservice. - Yes thankyou I am aware of St. Johns.

checking the pulse is always a good idea too

and their wallet























what they might be diabetic...or loaded

Well least now the nickname has been changed from paramedic to adviceparamedic. A term St. Johns personel have used to describe themself.

... and on a lighter note, watch for s seeking gold 'medical alert SOS' tags

no one seems of of metioned the 1st part of Dr ABC

DANGER, has anyone mentioned you need to check that there is no further danger to the person who has found them and to the person themself

As a qualified H & S First-Aider of 18 years standing, may I make a couple of suggestions.
1) If someone is found unconscious, the first thing you do is 'call for help!'
2) Assess the area for danger, especially to yourself. One casualty is enough to deal with.
3) Speak in a loud steady voice to the casualty, all the while being conscious of your surroundings, and if help hasn't arrived continue calling.
4) Shake the person to try for a response.
5) Quickly check for signs of life. As was previously mentioned A= Airway, B= Breathing and C= Conscious, which of course this person isn't.
6) A quick frisk of the body, particularly underneath should ascertain any major injury, particularly feeling for liquids such as blood. (they may have fallen on a sharp object that you can't see).
7) Hopefully by this time someone has called for the Emergency Services, and the helper should now act as crowd control.
8) Tilt the Casualty's head back to ensure a clear passage-way, and if still breathing place in the recovery position. It is now that the pulse rate can be taken, and all details noted to pass to the Emergency Services when they arrive.

With regard to St. John's Ambulance, they are a very good organisation who are adept at First Aid. It should be noted that it is 'First Aid.' A First-Aider is not a Paramedic, and the priority is to stablise the Casualty, and prevent deterioration. It is NOT to treat the casualty.
Having attended a serious Motor-Cycle accident, I was very grateful to The St. John's Ambulance who happened to be in the area, as there were three casualties, and only one of me. I attended to the most injured, which was the cyclist, while they attended to the pillion passenger and the pedestrian. Without their help, the status of the casualties would have definitely become worse, if not resulting in a fatality.

I would also recommend all people to learn at least the rudiments of CPR, or Cardio-Pulmonary Respiration. Any CPR activity is good. After all, someone in need of assistance will not get worse with your assistance. You may be the difference between life and death.

There is one proviso. If the person is not breathing and has no pulse, call the Emergency Services IMMEDIATELY. Do not start CPR, unless it is a child, as it is extremely unlikely you alone (without the use of a defibrillator) will revive the casualty. This is as directed by the Red Cross, and is in line with current best practices as of May 2003. Like most First Aiders, I have to do a refresher course every 3 years so as to stay up-to-date, and yes treatments does vary year by year.

I hope this is helpful, and look forward to comments.

iwas told and stil lam being told ABC is airway breating Circulation

not consciousness


trhe consiousness comeus under the Dr part were r = reponse

Danger
Response

Airway
Breathing
Circulation


that is also the order in which i am repeatedly told to do it.


a mazing howoften they try to teach thwat in schools

run like crazy and forget it happened.

1) Grab a computer and log onto the internet.

2) Find a site like HooToo were people have nicknames and take the advice of the first person who offers, they May be a doctor, or then again they could be a kid with a toy doctor kit made of shiney plastic - who knows?

3) Hope the victim doesn't die to quickly.

This could get rather dangerous you know.

F S

the kid would have better advice, because most real doctors charge through the nose, and the kid wouldn't yet understand the concept of "waiting rooms"

Re: St. Johns. The origional concept of them a very good idea, and yes my post about them may seem harsh but...

A couple of people have hit upon the danger aspect.

Yes the danger of further indjury or adding to the casualty list is something to be avoided.

And "crowd control" is something to consider - the gouls plus the danger from people trying to act beyond there capability.

This is where my remark stems from. St. Johns, fine for first aid, but I have met the sistuation before where they think they are actual paramedics.

It was back in 1995 I first heard the term "Advice Paramedic" I did not like it then, and I don't now, it give a false idea. A paramedic is a paramedic. A St Johns person is not.

Given the choice, I would prefer somebody that has a current work H&S First Aid qualification any day.

Last night on this site a person created an account as "Paramedic." They have set themselfs up to offer medical advice?

Has St. Johns authorised this?

Will the BBC take the 'hit' for any advise leading to injury or even death?

I see danger in this.

I remember in one Red Cross Advanced first aid class the instructor's opening remarks concerned a former student who came across a traffic accident on their way home from class. Quickly coming to the aid of the victims they followed everything they had learned so far. After a bit a gentleman in a suitcoat who had been pushed aside by the student tapped them on the shoulder and said 'You are doing quite well, however when you get to the part about calling a doctor, that's me.'

Even a paramedic is supposed to get more instruction before teaching others!

This group has been told in other threads that 'dial 999' is only good for the UK and it's '911' in the US and they still refuse to acknowledge this!

What exactly is St. Johns?

F S

http://www.sja.org.uk/ for more information about St John's. I was a first aider with SJA while at university, but didn't continue with them for various reasons after the main coordinator graduated.

Some SJA volunteers *are* paramedics. Some of them are doctors. It's not that they're acting beyond their skill, but that they're acting beyond people's perceptions of what they're doing. From memory, different SJA people have different badges on their sleeves to indicate various proficiencies, but that's probably not obvious to the general public.

But most of them just have the basic training (24hr First Aid at Work) and offer basic first aid. Some of them are very good at what they do and are very capable. Some are newly-qualified and don't have the same practical knowledge or experience as others - but this is to be expected. You can't get experience just through training.

But I do agree with Jabs' point about medical advice on H2G2, and it's a point that I've made myself in the past. I've suggested to one of the first aiders in peer review that they should check with Jimster to get his opinion before doing anything further.

you mention 999 and 911

what about the one that works in the uk and accross europe?

112????

Presumably the BBC disclaimer at the bottom of the page is supposed to cover misadventure from acting on wrong information provided by researchers. Perhaps in topics such as this, it needs to be emphasised.

I'd recommend everyone to do some sort of first aid training. Of course you need to do refresher courses too - best practice does change from time to time. Even watching programmes like 999 can be useful.
I learnt resuscitation some years ago & had cause to put it into action when a neighbour had a heart attack. It really is hard work to sustain for a length of time. Sadly the paramadics could not revive him & he was pronounced dead at the hospital, but I was glad I'd at least been able to try.

Strangely enough this happened to my daughter a few days ago. She was shopping with some friends when one of them fell unconscious, of course no one knew what to do. Luckily the "patient" recovered very quickly. Apparently this has happened before and the combined might of the medical establishment cannot find the cause.

It's a shame that she never told anyone that this could be expected but there is no excuse for the fact that no one in the vicinity (in Oxford St, London) had a clue what to do.