May 15, 2004
by John Dickens
Scene Safety
In a life-threatening emergency, who is the most important person at the scene? You are.
If you do not take care of yourself, you can't help the victim. Every year many responders are killed or injured while trying to help out on an emergency scene. Then we have two medevacs to deal with instead of just one!
Have you ever been in a wreck or a fight when everything seemed to go in slow motion? The name for this phenomenon is "tachypshycia." It was first explored when scientists studied the stress reactions of police officers in gunfights.
This is a normal reaction to a potentially life threatening situation, where the human body shuts down all the "extra stuff" and focuses on the immediate task of survival. Your adrenal gland dumps large amounts of adrenaline into your bloodstream; your blood pressure, pulse and respirations go up dramatically. Your peripheral (side) vision decreases as much as 80 percent. Your ability to do fine motor tasks drops while your strength and stamina for coarse motor tasks increases to superhuman levels.
The stories you hear about mothers picking up cars to save their babies are due to the "fight or flight" mechanism that is the adrenal gland.
Why all this info, you ask? Well, it is important to take into account how these facts affect us and our decisions and performance in an emergency scene.
EMP America, a Eugene, Oregon, based first aid training provider, has developed a handy acronym known as S.E.T.U.P. to help responders keep their personal safety foremost in their minds.
S is for STOP. Take a deep breath and look around. Situational awareness is the most important concept in an emergency scene. Ask yourself, "Why is someone hurt? Am going to get hurt by whatever hurt them?" Look before you leap! Summon help immediately—call 911, get the VPSO, health aide, etc. Make sure that help is on its way.
E is for ENVIRONMENT. Where is the victim? Are they in the water? Can you swim?
Even if you can swim like a Navy SEAL, wouldn't it be better to go get a boat? If the weather is bad, are you dressed for it? If you get hypothermic, are you going to be much help?
T is for TRAFFIC! When focused on an injured person it is easy to forget that a truck or snow machine driver may not see you in time. Be very careful when helping someone on a road or trail. Make sure you do not get run over.
U is for UNKNOWN hazards. Is there a poison gas present? Is this a violent crime scene? Was there a weapon involved? Is the weapon secured? Has law enforcement secured the scene? Is there criminal evidence present that may be damaged by you? Is there an animal involved? Always be on the lookout for unexplained or "weird things."
P is for PROTECT your self and the patient. Do not risk exposure to any body fluids to yourself or the patient. You can die from the slightest exposure to infected persons' body fluids. You must use barriers at all times when responding to an emergency! These include gloves, mouthpieces, etc.
To be able to help on an emergency, you really need to get formal training. YKHC's EMS Department has a wide variety of courses available for you. Please call EMS @ 543-6080 and sign up for the next one. The life you save may be your own!