TRAUMA
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:45 amUnpleasant topic, but IMO we'd do well to discuss some of the scenarios we might run across on our rides.
As we talked about yesterday I carry a small first-aid kit, but it's little more than antiseptic wipes and a few Band-Aids.. enough stuff to make minor boo-boos "all better", but nothing to staunch heavy bleeding or splint a limb. The webbing belts are detachable from my textile riding gear, but neither is especially suited for use as an improvised tourniquet... better than 'nothing', but only somewhat so.
I also don't have medical gloves, so (since we're a small group) in a sense we all need to trust each other well enough to wade into a situation without hesitating. I've had my HepA and HepB shots, but there are still plenty of blood-borne illnesses to consider when the SHTF in an accident.
We mostly have great bike-to-bike comm capability now, but what will we do to summon aid when there's no cellphone signal? ...how will we care for an injured rider when EMTs could be an hour-plus away?
I'm not a "Chicken Little" kinda guy whatsoever, but we all know that one or more of us could get tangled up in an instant. Can we talk about that eventuality, who will do what, and how we can best pool our resources in a tense moment?
.
As we talked about yesterday I carry a small first-aid kit, but it's little more than antiseptic wipes and a few Band-Aids.. enough stuff to make minor boo-boos "all better", but nothing to staunch heavy bleeding or splint a limb. The webbing belts are detachable from my textile riding gear, but neither is especially suited for use as an improvised tourniquet... better than 'nothing', but only somewhat so.
I also don't have medical gloves, so (since we're a small group) in a sense we all need to trust each other well enough to wade into a situation without hesitating. I've had my HepA and HepB shots, but there are still plenty of blood-borne illnesses to consider when the SHTF in an accident.
We mostly have great bike-to-bike comm capability now, but what will we do to summon aid when there's no cellphone signal? ...how will we care for an injured rider when EMTs could be an hour-plus away?
I'm not a "Chicken Little" kinda guy whatsoever, but we all know that one or more of us could get tangled up in an instant. Can we talk about that eventuality, who will do what, and how we can best pool our resources in a tense moment?
.
