AMCI Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC) 2002

Prevention, First Aid and Emergency Care

The prevention of injuries in mountaineering involves assuring a reasonable match between the performance of the climber and the demands of the environment. Advance preparations prevent injury or assure a rapid and effective response when an injury does occur.

LIGHTNING

Lightning most often strikes tall, isolated objects—a peak, a rocky spire, a single tree in a meadow—or a person standing in an open area. I f a thunderstorm threatens, get off the summits and ridges. If a dense forest is nearby, plunge in and relax—you’re safe, Stay away from isolated trees and clumps of trees; they can act as lightning rods. If you are caught in the open with nowhere to hide, set metal objects such as tent poles and tripods aside and move severl hundred yards away. Kneel down on your pack and put your hands on your knees. The idea is to reduce your height to the extent possible to avoid acting as lightning rod, yet to minimize your contact with the ground so that the ground current set up by a lightning strike has the smallest possible avenue to enter your body.

A person hit ny lightning frequently stops breathing. I anndition, the victim’s heart may stop beating, Be prepared to start AR or CPR.

Mosquitoes & Other Insects

Mosquitoes are attracted by the carbon dioxide that people give off. Insect repellents generally work by masking that odor

Under the best of circumstances, repellents provide only partial protection. A much better solution is to wear pants and a loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirt made of a tightly woven material through which mosquitoes cannot bite

Mosquitoes operate within a limited range of temperatures. In the high mountains, they usually go to bed at sunset. In the warm lowlands, they may be scarce during the day and active all night. Knowing the local mosquitoes’ habits can help you avoid them. All mosquitoes like wet, marshy areas and dislike wind. If you have the choice, make your lunch stops on the ridge crests and passes, and place your camp on a dry, breezy knoll well away from lush meadows.

ALL ABOUT MEDICINES

Medicines are powerful chemicals. Along with their benefits, they also have potential harm. So the more you know about medicines and how to use them safely, the more you can benefit from them. Some common directions for use and their common meanings are listed:

• Six hourly or eight hourly – means taking the medicine at the stated intervals
• Three times daily – means taking the medicine in the morning, noon and at night
• Take after food – means taking the medicine during or immediately after a meal
• Take before food – means taking the medicine between two hours after the last meal and one hour before the next meal

After treatment, medicines that have been left unused should be discarded when

• they have reached the date of expiry
• they have undergone physical or chemical changes
• they are unlabeled or unidentifiable

Do not allow the use of the medicine by others unless instructed by a doctor.

"An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure."

BASIC LIFE SUPPORT FLOW CHART (scan and paste)