3 MINUTES WITHOUT AIR

TICK, TICK, TICK…EVERY SECOND COUNTS!

Outdoor adventures often take us to remote areas.  The more remote, the more relaxing.

We take our boat miles down the flats to find the ideal fishing spot.  We are often 20-30 minutes from the boat ramp or civilization.

We also love to hike miles into the forests, seeking the rare nature experiences that cannot be found along paved, city park trails.

We imagine that if you are an outdoor adventurer like us, you too end up in remote and isolated areas far from public roads or medical help.  Although this is great for our adventure seeking, it can be added risk if something bad happens.

A simple bee sting can cause an allergic reaction to a friend that you may or may not even be aware has an allergy.  It can cause swelling of the throat and potentially they could stop breathing and even lose contentiousness.  Do you know what to do?

Imagine a friend innocently eating and suddenly getting food lodged in their throat.  They are doubled over choking, holding their throat and looking at you in pure desperation to help them.  Do you know what to do?

You never know what may happen.  When you are in a remote area and professional medical help is 20, 30 or more minutes away are you prepared to jump into action and save a friend, your spouse or even your child?

Time is critical when someone stops breathing.

Immediate action is needed to save their life.  Do you know CPR?  Do you know how to do the Heimlich maneuver?  Do you know how to sweep someone’s mouth/throat for an obstruction?  Do you know how to administer an epi-pen to someone who knows they have an allergy and carries one with them?  Do you know how many compressions you administer in a minute?  When can you stop giving compressions?  Do you know when to call 911?

We can answer these questions for you, but it is more important that you can answer these questions.  We encourage you, your spouse and even your teenagers to learn basic first aid, learn CPR and, if you are able to take it a step further, attend a wilderness medical course.

Three minutes is how long someone may go without breathing before serious brain damage.  You need to contact 911 immediately to get help headed to you.  You need to be prepared to give them compressions to keep blood and oxygen flowing and provide breaths for them.

When time is critical, it is not time to google how to do it. 

Now is the time to search for a course near you, get registered for it and be prepared before your next adventure so you know what to do if there is a medical need.

Take someone with you to the class.  The life that get’s saved may be yours.

This is a post within a series, if you missed Survival you can go back and read it now.  Next in the series will be 3 Hours Without Shelter.