First Aid and Preparedness

Dealing with medical emergencies

I have been reflecting a lot about first aid and preparedness. I (obviously) live in a very remote area. Our major town is about 40 minutes away under good conditions, and ambulance response can be up to an hour and a half, which can feel like a lifetime when someone is in trouble.

At the ripe young age of 49, I am one of the youngest property owners and the youngest full time resident in my little remote area, which means most of my neighbors are ranging from 60-90. There have been several incidents in the last few weeks that have caused all of us some introspection. I’m being purposefully vague with my examples to protect their health privacy.

We had one older gentleman who needed to go to the hospital, but three of us-his wife, my friend (a former Army nurse), and I couldn’t maneuver him. We called for an ambulance and told them it wasn’t a dire emergency but we did needed them.

We had another neighbor whose wife found him unresponsive. Friends raced over to see what could be done while waiting for the ambulance. Unfortunately that man passed away in the hospital. There have been more incidences, but those are the two of the most recent.

preparedness

I had to come to the realization that I am not up to snuff with first aid. Sure, I took the Tactical Combat Care Course (TCCC) in the Army, but while I’m good with knowing how to patch up a gunshot wound, I’m woefully lacking in basic first aid. Hopefully I’ll never have to deal with gunshot wounds as a retiree! I’m ashamed to admit that I have never learned CPR. These incidences have given many of us some things to think about.

I was set to take the basic first aid course that includes CPR, but I got COVID and had to waive off. I am planning on attending the October class. I think as a small community we are all looking at what we can do.

I will be putting something together to discuss first aid supplies in another post or video. If you follow us over on our Facebook page, I’ve done a series of book reviews on first aid references. Head over there or share in the comments section below what references you find useful!