Advanced Event Prep: First Aid & Emergency Responder

[Dale Beasley]

Lessons Learned,

We need someone designated as either a Surgeon or Orderly, Medic or whatever the correct title. This person should carry period correct bags packed with equipment to take care of such occurances. (Gentlemen, we were lucky this time....I say again, LUCKY) This person should not only be responsible for Emergency Medicine, but Preventive Medicine as well. This person should be responsibility of evac routes and prior planning with the local health care providers. This person should also be responsible for knowledge of each soldiers heath needs. Prior to the event have a physical or a "sit-down" with folks with hypertention, IDDM, etc.

I could go on, but our events are growing and becoming more demanding, with vision we must have preventive medicine.

Its time for an AAR...

[Steve Acker]

Dale,

Good point and although I was carrying a med kit, as was Pat Craddock, and we had a catalogue of medically trained people in the battalion, we should do more,just in case.

Steve Acker

[Dale Beasley]

I know that to a point, things were covered well, well enough to take care of the injuries we had. But as we continiue to grow, as we have, someone needs to be solely responsible for medical treatment and forcasting.

Steve, I bet you and Pat had other things to do however. You and I have talked about this, so I will raise my hand if needed.

[JLHurst]

Don't go too far into the medical prep for the event. Leave it best up to each individual to keep up with his own meds. Any more of that you will need medical direction ( Doctors that advise ) and alot more headache than it's worth. If someone is on meds strict enough to hamper a weekend in the woods, they are usually more professional at it than any pharmacist or nurse I see. Simply because they live that life.

Emergency medicine however can be asked for a volli. this way you are still protected under the Good Summaritian Act. Leave it at that.

You don't even want to get started on HEPA laws and such.

As far as the snake bit goes, glad your ok and we could help out. I make up to 15 medical and/or MVA or fires a day at work. Hardly ever hear thanks. So Thank You!

[Dale Beasley]

Sorry J.L.

Could not dissagree more.

Luck was on our side this weekend.

Keeping up with your own meds...lets say that the person has passed out...can't keep up with your own meds when your passed out.

HIPPA not HEPA is the Health Information Patient Protection Act, there would be no need for protection of patient records, I really can't see where this applys.

NO one, would be prescribing medication, so a MD is not needed...only ACLS and ATLS persons need apply.

A pharmacist and nurse that you see, oh well.

Dude.... were talking preventive medicine and nothing much more than safety.

[JLHurst]

Rather than have a post drawn out on a highjack I'll continue this in PM Dale. Maybe show you the respect not shown to me.

[btfire]

Medical prep for an event should be simple. Each person is responsible for their own health and ultimately their own safety. Emergency medicine at an event can be simply instruct medically trained participants to inform their NCO's. EMTs, nurses, doctors have certain rules that prohibit invasive procedures outside of their own jurisdiction or employers property but they are perfectly capable of providing first aid. Some event sites are very large and getting medically trained participants to the site for a walk through before the event is simply impossible. Local event organizers could get a fire department/ems official to walk the site and sort of map things out in a preplan that company officers would carry with them. They could map their location and identify the quickest escape route in the event of an emergency. The list of medically trainined participants by company officers and NCO's would allow the nearest medically trained participant to respond to the emergency and then with the assistance of the site preplan a plan could be created. I am not in large-site event planning so I have no idea about this. Do the force commanders carry some form of communication device (cell phone, radio)?

[Becky Morgan]

I know some of you have run into this problem: what is the plan when really, REALLY severe weather threatens? I don't mean a little wind and rain. I mean the kind of downburst winds that tore up Antietam tonight, lightning, or God forbid a tornado. Didn't someone mention being at an event where tents flooded? While that's a period experience if there ever was one, it might be good to take advantage of some of the foreknowledge our ancestors didn't have.

Obviously, you don't want an NWS radio howling, but if the event organizers have cell phones packed somewhere, the text message could be relayed by runner (or, as in the "Taps" example, by an out of place bugle call that always signals bad weather and the need to take cover.)

[Dale Beasley]

This part of the hobby, really gets old. My post in regards to this thread and the occurances were not directed to anyone except to the Unit and the improvement of our hobby.

We should not base our success on LUCK, and as a Commander and as a Medical Officer in the ARMY, I am unable not to voice concerns in this manner. They are submitted with nothing but the concern of the safety of our friends in the field.

I have been approached to look into these areas and with this I am doing so without the intent of attacking but only addressing areas that we should be concern, and will not waste my time attempting to involve myself in email wars, becasue it aint worth it.

We as a group of Authentics have progressed, and as history has shown us we will continiue to grow. But with growth we must continiue to ask ourselves "what can we do better". For if we do not continue to do so then Gentlemen we are FARBs.

My intent was to address "what can we do better" and with being better what can we do to improve. SAFETY can never be placed on the back burner. Where I feel everything was done to our ability at this event, I question myself 'What can we do better"....we shold all be asking ourselves this.

J.L. if you choose to take this personal, then that is your decision, it was never directed at you, becasue it aint about you, it is about taking care of our reenacting soldiers...and doing so to the best to our ability. Your suggestion in PM, never crossed my mind, but maybe should have been taken in your previous post. I would never tell you nor ever suggest to you how to put out a fire in the field, I would wait for direction. We all have certain abilities in this hobby that make it better, pull together as a team and lets get to work.

[coastaltrash]

People that do not plan events in this side of the hobby really have absolutely no idea how much planning actually goes into medical needs for an event. Every company commander at Vicksburg had a list of medications for not just their company, but everyone along with any medical information. The NPS also, as always, had a medical plan in place. Considering from time of bite to the pulling out of the victim was maybe 5 minutes, I don't think the organizers did that bad. Try and see what happens at a large scale event.

Luck had nothing to do with what went on at Pickett's Mill this past weekend, the actions of people with solid experience and thought along with the work of the organizers and state park department, as well as Jeremy Hurst, a full time Captain with the east Baton Rouge Fire Dept and Fire and Rescue Instructor at LSU, who packed a modern medical bag as well as a snake bite kit (who would have thought we would need that) for the weekend.

[Bushrod Carter]

I'm putting this thread into time out for a little bit. The topic is good, but the ability to keep it a discussion of the topic, and not a personality contest, is lacking.

We may open this up again later. Maybe.

I agree that this topic is worth discussing, but it needs to be done without emotion and by those in command with event organizers.