Basic First Aid Training for Demos

Apart from this guide, there are other good guides on the web. So check out the links section.

Does and Don'ts

Remember you are on a demo, and follow all the normal precautions you would on demos.
Don't place yourself in danger, An Injured Medic is no use to anyone.
Always have a buddy with you. If you are giving First Aid then you can't be aware of what going on.
Always introduce yourself and get consent, you don't want to be sued.

Informed Consent is when a conscious patient agrees to treatment.
Implied Consent is a legal assumption that an unconscious patient would want help during an emergency.
See the consent discussion for more info.

Be aware of the effect of calling an ambulance to a particular location.
Be aware that the police often trawl local hospitals after large demos to arrest anyone injured, so be prepared to travel if you think the injury isn't too serious.
Get Trained Up - see training links

Basic Principles of First Aid

Safety - yours, then the patients. Making yourself into an extra casualty doesn't help anyone.

DR - Danger, Response
ABC - Airways, Breathing, Circulation
BBB - Blood, Burns, Bones

In that order of priority.

CS Gas (aka Tear Gas)

Ask the patient to remove any contact lenses. CS Gas gets behind lenses and can damage the cornea and/or lens.
Remove the patient from the source.
Remove contaminated material (clothes etc.) This should be done before going into a house/room.
Wear disposable latex or other surgical gloves [non sterile] to avoid contamination of your own skin.
Flush CS out of eyes. Remember you are flushing and not diluting
Tell patient to keep eyes open and get them to stand in a windy place so CS evaporates.
There are some chemicals you can use to help, but you should have training. We will not say more here.

Do Not

Dilute with water, you just spread the contamination.
Use hot water, you open the skin pores. (Tepid water is fine though).
Rub your eyes after treatment.
Use the same gloves on anyone not contaminated, or on any wound as you will spread contamination. (Gloves should also be changed after contact with any bodily substance).

Bleeding External

Aims:

To stop the bleeding,
To prevent shock,
To minimise the risk of infection.

What to do:

Expose the wound.
Provided there is no suspected break in the bone or foreign object in the wound: Apply direct pressure over wound, with a sterile dressing or pad if possible, but if not use your (gloved) hand, or the patient's hand.
Never try to remove a foreign body (eg. glass) from a wound. Apply indirect pressure (on either side of the wound) to stop bleeding.
Elevate part of body that is injured.
Lay patient down to minimise risk of shock or injury due to collapse.
Leaving the original dressing in place bandage it securely over wound. If blood seeps through place another dressing on top.
After applying the bandage, ensure there is still circulation in the extremities.
Seek medical attention.
Monitor casualty for signs of shock.

Bleeding Internal

This can occur after a violent injury. If patient is in signs of shock without obvious blood loss, suspect internal bleeding. Closely related to shock.

Signs

Pallor
Cold clammy skin
A rapid weak pulse,
Pain
Thirst
Confusion, restlessness and irritability possibly leading to collapse or unconciousness
Bruising over site of injury
Bleeding from orifices
Unexplained swelling in one of the bodies internal cavaties.

Treatment

Arrange urgent removal to hospital
Minimise shock by laying down patient and slightly raising legs.
Loosen any constrictive clothing.

Shock

Remember Shock can kill.

Signs

Weak rapid pulse,
Shallow breathing 20-30 / minute increasing to >30 / minute
Cold clammy skin
Thirst
Anxiety
Nausea
Lethargy, confusion
Ashen face
Unconsciousness

Treatment

Deal with cause if possible (Bleeding, burns, etc)
Lie flat and elevate legs slightly
Loosen any constrictive clothing.
Arrange for immediate evacuation
If cold or exposed then keep warm using blankets. Do not reheat with hot water bottles or other external heat sources.

These can result from head injuries, Concussion is a bruising of the brain, and compression is internal bleeding in the brain. Anyone with a blow to the head should be monitored for these. Never leave anyone with a head injury alone as they need to be constantly monitored.

Signs

Worsening headache
Vomiting
Drowsiness / confusion
Double vision
A dilated, unresponsive pupil on one or both sides.
Convulsions
Signs of a base of skull fracture (raccoon eyes, bruising behind ears, straw coloured leakage from the eyes or ears)
Deep scalp lacerations.

Treatment

Immediate evacuation to hospital.

Burns

Aims

To reduce heat and minimise swelling
To minimise the risk of infection.

Remember that the chances of infection due to burns is massively higher than through a bleeding injury.

Be alert for shock as there is severe fluid loss with burns.

Burns are either Superficial (redness, swelling, and tenderness), Partial Thickness (painfull red, raw skin, and blisters) or Full Thickness (pale and waxy and sometimes charred skin with a loss of sensation due to nerve damage). Evacuation for medical attention is needed in either partial or full thickness burns

Treatment

Cool immediately with cold water.
Remove any clothing over the burn unless it is stuck to the skin.
Remove any constrictions as swelling will occur (rings etc.)
Extend affected area to prevent deformity due to scarring
Elevate affected area to reduce swelling
Cover loosely with sterile, non fluffy dressing or plastic bag.
Do not use burn creams or add anything to wound.

Fractures

Treat any suspected fracture as a fracture until X-rayed.

Signs

Mechanism of injury and/or a history of chronic problems
Diffuse or specific (point) pain.
Swelling and/or bruising.
Deformity.
Tenderness or point tenderness.
Sounds: Snaps, pops, crepitus.
Loss of circulation, sensation, and motion (CSM).
Wounds with or without protruding bone.
Changes in range of motion (ROM).

Treatment

Immobilization with splint
Rest: Get pressure off the injury site.
Ice: Cool the area for 20-30 minutes.
Compression: Elastic wrap.
Elevation: Above the patient's heart.
Allow the injury site to passively rewarm.
Evacuation for medical attention.

Consent

You must always get consent from a patient before starting treatment. Any unasked for touching may be considered assault/battery. Under UK law, any adult (16 or over) can refuse consent (bar some exceptions under the mental health act that are not relevant to first aid situations). A child can also refuse consent if they are capable of doing so (there are no firm age guidelines for this).

If the person is unconscious, then you have "implied consent" to treat them. Note that you do not have implied consent if their level of consciousness is lowered, but they are still conscious. If they later fall into unconciousness, you do then have implied consent.

Further information on consent can be found at

There is also general legal advice from the Resuscitation Council (UK).