D0z3r

DrDom

As an ER doc I'm hoping to put something together and teach for free to some DZs in the area. I do a class called "Injury and Illness at Sporting events" for lay rescuers in the community, but its far from specific to skydiving (gear and such varies).

The most important things are:
Step Zero: DO NOT try and rescue someone if it is dangerous to do so. Nothing is worse than a single victim becoming a mass casualty incident.
1) CALL EMS EARLY. Seriously. If you aren't 100% sure you should call (EMS does not mind being called off)
2) Do not move the person unless they are in imminent danger of death from another cause (power lines, drowning, fire, wild animals, etc)
3) Prevent them from moving their head. Immobilize them in place if possible using your hands.
4) If they are not breathing, you can try a "jaw thrust" (google it). You lift the jaw without moving the neck. There is a high likelihood of neck injury with typical skydiving injuries. You could potentially paralyze someone if you move them.
5) If they vomit or have blood in their mouth and can not breathe you may need to "log roll" them while supporting their neck. It is a rare time you may need to move someone. Roll them as a unit with help, practice beforehand.
6) If the injury is more mild remember "bones only bend at joints", if one is "bent" elsewhere do not move it, you can make a fracture much much worse as well as the pain
7) Control temperature. They may be in shock and unable to thermoregulate. If its cold warm them. If its warm get them in the shade.
8) give them NOTHING by mouth. Nothing.
9) Keep them calm, keep yourself calm, and be patient. It WILL feel like a lifetime.
10) You should ONLY remove gear if you are trained to do so. Let the responders do it. Consider disconnecting their main parachute via standard cutaway if possible, it gets one more variable out of the way.

There is a lot to it, the single best thing you can do is sort out who had medical training at your DZ (theres a lot of us out there) and ask if they can help teach. Most people in healthcare love to teach!

This is a Great List, But i must add one thing. Sometimes it takes us a little bit to get to the patient, and in that timeframe a lot can change. One of the greatest assists a bystander ever did for me, while not on a dz incident, was to tell me everything the patient said/did before my arrival. sometimes a bystander will have a few minutes with a patient before they go unconscious, use this time to figure out some of the pertinent info I need to go to work! Name, age, allergies, medications, past medical history, where it hurts, and what happened. Can really be helpful for treatment plans when we have this available. other than that, stand back, but stand ready, we usually need help for on and off dz incidents when our backup is a ways out, and if you can follow directions, and maintain a cool and calm head, it does not matter what kind of skills or knowledge you have, you will be a HUGE asset to the medics. My 13 year old little brother was the best helper when someone streamered in on our dz, and there was 20-30 grown adults standing around attempting to help! one of whom i found out later was a nurse..[:|

Planning a trip down to Mexico after Christmas through the new year and planning on making a few fun jumps in Mexico. Looks like the plan is to drive to Cuaulta from Texas and then down to Acapulco, or maybe to the boogie in puerto Escondido. Was wondering if anybody had more info on the dropzones down there, or has made a similar trip before and had some advice or suggestions of things to do. Anything is appreciated! Thanks!