Shock
Shock is a natural reaction that occurs in most seriously (and even not
soseriously) injured people. It can affect you on two levels. The first, the
good reaction, is the one that provides you with potentially superhuman
strength and helps you get out of potentially dangerous situations. This is
the characteristic of shock that lets a person with a broken femur crawl for
miles to safety or lift a car to free a trapped child. It’s also called an adren
aline rush. The dangerous part of shock is what comes afterwards—the
debilitating part that renders you unable to help yourself.
To treat shock, lay the victim on the ground, insulated from the
ground, if possible. If the victim is conscious, elevate the legs about 12
inches (30 cm). If the victim is unconscious, roll him or her onto one side
to prevent choking on vomit and other fluids.
Maintain the victim’s body heat, either by protecting against the ele
ments or adding external sources of heat. Give the conscious victim small
doses of sugary solution to drink if he or she is able to drink, and if pos
sible, make sure the person rests for at least 24 hours.
Burns
Burns can be dangerous in the wilderness, and are a very real risk, given
the importance of fire to your survival. The worst burn I ever saw was on
a camping trip when a girl lifted a frying pan with bacon and dumped the
grease down her arm.
These types of burns (from oils and grease) are especially serious
because they will continue to “cook” under the skin even after you’ve
removed the burning material from the body part. Regardless of the cause
of the burn, the first thing to do is immerse the area in cold but not freez
ing water. If you need to cover the wounds (for transporting a victim),
apply dressings and rags that have been soaked in cold, clean water. If not,
keep drizzling water over the wounds until rescue arrives.
With wilderness burns, there is risk of infection. After cooling, treat
all burns as you would an open wound. With a covered wound, change or
sterilize dressings daily by boiling. But it is best to keep the burn uncov
ered and to drizzle cool water on it constantly.
Finally, never apply butter or similar salves to burns. The only creams
you should use are antibiotic or burn creams.
Survival First Aid (^) | 307