Prepared for an emergency?

Tackleberry270

Well-Known Member
Scenario.

You are stalking ground that is several miles from civilization. So you have had a successful evening stalk. It has started to rain. You slip whilst gralloching and stab yourself in the thigh. You pull the knife out and realize you bleeding badly.

Darkness is falling.

The temperature is dropping.

You are wet and your phone has lost its signal.


Hopefuly you will never be in this situation but if we are honest it only takes a small mistake and any of us could be.


Answer honestly...

What do you carry on your person for a quick excursion for deer that you could use to treat yourself in this case?

How would you then plan to keep yourself alive long enough to raise the alarm and get help?


.... it just happens we are running a First Aid Course. Please see the link!,

Available: First aid course - l2 efaw+f

Course now includes lunch!
 
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A pack of Celox granules.

In together, out together whenever possible or predetermined exit show up time.
 
A pack of Celox granules.

In together, out together whenever possible or predetermined exit show up time.
Me also, Celox ain't cheap but could save your life.
My wife also has a list of all my permissions, GPS coordinates, contact no's of landowners (i bet a few people would love that info!) and a rough time when i will be home.
I am also first aid trained.
Cheers
Richard
 
1. Area I'm in is known and there's a 'report if not back by' system in place.
2. In specific circumstance, I have celox/ Quik Clot and pressure dressing. I may or may not withdraw blade depending on a number of factors - a good course will tell you what they are and best place to learn! Ditto shock treatment, raising limb etc etc. With deep penetrating wound the 'moral fibre' to stay conscious whilst trying to self pack a deep wound is 'interesting' to contemplate. Hence 3 would likely be first action given heavy bleeding secenario - then try on site repair.
3. In the slightest doubt as to ability to safely extract myself and with no signal as example given - I would activate my PLB
4. If staying in situ, would deploy Blizzard Bag in circumstances described after putting self in best position possible and trying to ensure location visibly marked - SOLAS tape on much of my kit, marker panel etc.
5. Complete Gralooch before doing anything of the above or else John gets grumpy and docks my wage....:D
 
Always have a "lone working" plan in place.

Someone (the wife) knows where I am going (with grid reference) and what time I will report back. I always sent a text when I start and finish (or at know last reliable signal points.

We are about to get issued with spot trackers at work and I intend to ask if I can uses these while out.
 
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Interesting question. I've had first hand experience in a situation were a guys leg was severed far away from help overseas many years back.
Firstly I'd be very grateful I missed my groin area and I was stabbed in the leg! Assuming the femoral artery is the area I managed to strike and it was serious, (I agree that normal instinct would pull the knife out rather than leave in place).
I struggle with the phone having no signal as I'm not up in the highlands but 5-10m from the town mostly! ;) However, I wear a leather belt which doubles to make a perfect tourniquet, I appreciate they are frowned upon by civilian first aid courses but they save life without doubt. The important thing is to release them every 10 minutes, to avoid further tissue/nerve/clotting damage.
I also still carry a military strobe light (firefly) on a lanyard with an Infra Red filter lens cover when out. I carry this always as one of my permissions has a foxer next door who I believe has put them over the hedgeline in the past! The strobe is visible via his NV and invisible to normal vision, human and animal. Quick flick of the IR cap and a helicopter can see it beaming from 5km away easily and with their NV also, and any ground help would see it if in line of sight.
My shooting sticks would make a crutch to assist my way back to farmer Giles!

I'd be having tea/sticky buns and bed baths with a fit blond nurse from Narvik wearing full stockings rig, whilst you lot bled to death on the hill.......Lol :D
 
Often wondered about this when i'm swinging my chainsaw around my head so i now carry my Yaesu VX8R mini ham radio that can probably get someone nearby if i have any fingers left that is?
 
Just hunker down in your bivvy bag and get some sleep - you will feel better in the morning
 
I carry a first aid kit and spot tracker. The tracker gets signal very nearly everywhere and has an alarm button. I also use a lone worker system but you need mobile coverage to use the alarm system, so it has its limitations.
 
Plb if hunting in thick bush, and a hand deployable marker tape, you just throw it and out comes 20feet of luminous tape, small first aid kit including emergency blanket ( we carry rucksacks to pack meat out) , if in the UK phone .
 
Scenario.

You are stalking ground that is several miles from civilization. So you have had a successful evening stalk. It has started to rain. You slip whilst gralloching and stab yourself in the thigh. You pull the knife out and realize you bleeding badly.

Darkness is falling.

The temperature is dropping.

You are wet and your phone has lost its signal.


Hopefuly you will never be in this situation but if we are honest it only takes a small mistake and any of us could be.


Answer honestly...

What do you carry on your person for a quick excursion for deer that you could use to treat yourself in this case?

How would you then plan to keep yourself alive long enough to raise the alarm and get help?


.... it just happens we are running a First Aid Course. Please see the link!,

Available: First aid course - l2 efaw+f

... course now includes lunch!
 
It is all good advice, to carry a first aid kit, but how much kit can you/do you want to carry?
I find a roll of electrical insulation tape is very small and light-weight and comes in very handy for all kinds of small patching up jobs, including applying an improvised dressing requiring pressure. I also think it is sufficiently strong to be used as an improvised tourniquette, imagine winding it tightly around your arm or leg 10 x., surely it would not stop, but at least reduce any arterial bleeding?

While all the First Aid advise for lone forestry workers seems to focus on large open wounds and heavy bleeding, the more likely scenario is less spectacular but still painful injuries such as ankle and knee sprains and strains, eye-injuries when walking into branches, back-injuries when slipping, and hypothermia when you are injured, on your own, and can't make your way back to your car/civilization and are getting wet and cold.
 
My first aid kit has in it, sticky plasters, large wound dressing band a space blanket. I don't notice it in my pocket. The tracker clips onto my belt, smaller than a mobile phone. My phone goes in a pocket. It's not much to carry and if it gets me home I have no problem carrying it
 
First alot of swearing then the horror my trousers are ruined time for a good paddy plenty of yelling and stamping of the good leg followed by a nice sleep trying to lie down in a weird/funny pose I doubt a coroner gets to laugh often, maybe a note in my own blood saying some ones name
 
Basic first aid kit plus something to act as a tourniquet would seem the obvious answer (along with appropriate comms), plus of course a compact blackboard. In the event that you stab yourself in the leg, you can then after administering emergency first aid, erect the black board and write 1000 times "I must not stab myself in the leg again, I must not stab myself in the leg again, I must not...."
 
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