World Health Day is celebrated annually on April 7 and is aimed at raising awareness and awareness about health and healthcare around the world. The day serves as an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of health, promote healthy lifestyle habits, and improve access to health services for all. The World Health Organization (WHO) and various other organizations actively organize events, campaigns, and initiatives on this day to boost global health and health awareness.
Today we will write something about first aid in the mountains. Whether you are going on vacation with your family, a trip, an adrenaline experience or skiing, a first aid kit should not be missing in your backpack. At first glance, it might seem that it is quite difficult to fill a first aid kit for the mountains, but it does not have to be that way. Let’s figure it out.
The basic equipment includes plasters, bandage material, and a tightening bandage. We can’t forget about disinfectant and scissors, which will definitely come in handy. In case of burns, insect bites, allergic reactions, sprains, soothing gels and ointments – such as cooling ones – will come in handy. It is also worth packing antihistamines – allergy medications.
You don’t need to overdo it with medications and pills – for first aid and common problems, only the basic ones will suffice – for fever and pain, for stomach problems, or for motion sickness.
Always check the shelf life for medications. Protect them from moisture, sun and frost. Also, adapt the contents of your first aid kit to who you are going on a trip with – children, pregnant women or people with a serious illness. To be sure, add a few little things – tweezers, cotton wool and cotton swabs, a small measuring cup, paper clips, thermal foil is also suitable.
If you move, for example, on the SNP road – you will come across several wooden first aid kits right in nature. They are in places where everywhere is far away and often there is no signal. There you will find the most necessary equipment – such as plasters, dressing material, scissors, disinfection and others. In an unavoidable situation, their content will definitely help you. However, you don’t have to rely on it and it’s always good to have some first aid with you.
When hiking in the mountains, do not forget about insurance for the mountains and also to observe safety measures – such as wearing helmets and respecting the ban on entry.
When you get into a situation where you will be providing first aid, follow the 5T rule:
silence – to proceed calmly, without confusion and noise, to calm the injured person
heat – wrap the injured person, cover it to avoid heat loss
fluids – provide fluids to the injured person, but not if intrathoracic and intra-abdominal injuries are suspected and unconscious
soothing – a relief position that the injured person takes himself, treatment of the injury – immobilization in the case of fractures
transport – is usually more difficult in mountain conditions, it is carried out as quickly as possible so as not to prolong the pain of the injured person and not to deepen his shock.
Helping an injured person in the mountains is not easy, and avoiding the stress of having to provide first aid is also difficult. It is ideal to refresh your knowledge from the first aid course, or to complete it directly before the planned trip.
Choose appropriate clothes and equipment for the trip, do not overestimate your strength and plan your departure for the early hours so that you can return to dusk. Also, follow the weather forecast and remember that the weather changes much faster in the mountains. If you are in the territory of the national park, follow its visiting rules. Don’t forget to charge your mobile phone and if you are going to go hiking alone, let someone close to you know what route you are going to take, or where you plan to sleep.
Call 112 or 18,300?
You have two options. Call the single European emergency line with the phone number 112 or the emergency line of the Mountain Rescue Service with the number 18 300. Both of these lines are equivalent. It is necessary to describe the situation, the condition of the injured person, whether first aid was administered and the most accurate location of the place where you are.
The emergency line operator decides on the method of rescue based on the type of injury, the location of the injured person and the flight conditions.
If the flight conditions are favorable, a helicopter of the emergency medical service with a doctor will fly to help. If the injured person is in hard-to-reach terrain or the helicopter does not have favorable flight conditions, technical intervention will be provided by professionals from the Mountain Rescue Service. They are either part of the helicopter crew or they reach the injured on foot and carry him to an accessible place.
The Mountain Rescue Service has prepared an application for hikers, with which you can easily and quickly call for help. With the emergency button. Along with the emergency message, it will also send your exact GPS location. When registering for the application, you also fill in information about your health condition, which can play an important role in rescue. ( https://app.hzs.sk/ )
Text: Bc. V. Šimková
Cover photo: archive of S-NPVF
