Farmers First Aid

[Yale]

Don’t forget if doing CPR it’s quite usual to break ribs.

Guy I know worked in NHS as a manager and was called on to do CPR,two of them worked on a lady for quite a while and he said you could feel the ribs breaking but they kept her going until the paramedics got there.

Also as he reiterated,be prepared as doing CPR properly is physically exerting,always try to get help and swap over in shifts.

 

[Hooby Farmer]

We have several first aid kits on the farm, mostly in places where there is work going on. In my town there is a guy who has started an ambulance service that's has really taken off he was a voluntary first aider for years and seen a gap. He now has a unit that supplies the public for first aid items and will custom make you a kit for your specific application. I asked about a defib for our campsite and he recommended I should have one (obviously if he's selling them) but he gave me some stats that I thought were interesting if not worrying. The only one I can remember accurately is less than 20% of cardiac arrests can be treated with a defib and the survival rate of that is around 30%. (No doubt I'll be corrected)

 

[glow worm]

Have attended several first aid courses over the years, and we had a very good full time ambulance driver doing some of the lessons demonstrating various improvisation skills, as although we were taught how to use various professional splints etc, few of us carry such things but most of us could lay our hands on a copy of Farmers Guardian or Page 2! which can be used as neck braces, splints etc etc. I have been disappointed that most first aid courses advertised by the NFU locally have only been standard first aid. Don't get me wrong, vitally important, but when out in the sticks, very iffy mobile phone coverage, serious incident involving stock, machinery, illness .. whatever .. all the sorts of things that can happen on a farm ..probably a long distance from other help .. almost certainly in dirty conditions .. I would like some training on life saving improvisation skills as well as the basic CPR etc. Its always worried me that after a couple of rounds of CPR, if no help has been able to be summoned or looks like coming, the rule is that you should go and get help and I do realise that is the only practical thing to do. I don't know though if I could leave the casualty knowing that in all probability .. in a farm situation .. it could take a long time getting back to any buildings, let alone help.