For scenario 1:
Problem: Blisters
Immediate Action: Tell an adult right away. Put antibiotic ointment on the blister and cover the spot with a bandaid. Cover the blister. Change into dry socks.
Prevention: Doubling up your socks means any friction happens between the layers of socks rather than your foot and your boot. Keep your feet dry. At any break, take your boots off to allow your socks to air out or to change them to keep your feet dry.
For scenario 2:
Problem: Possible Concussion
Immediate Action: Stop skating immediately. Have your friend sit down. Get adult help. Stay with your friend until help arrives. Report signs and symptoms. Consult a medical doctor/nurse practitioner as soon as possible.
Prevention: Follow all the safety rules and procedures for any activity.
For scenario 3:
Problem: Potential broken bone and bleeding
Immediate Action: Use your safety whistle to call for help or shout for help. Tell your brother not to move. Cover your brother’s chin with a cloth and provide gentle pressure to stop or slow down the bleeding. Wait for help to arrive.
Prevention: Pay attention to the trail to avoid hazards. Always be aware of your surroundings.
For scenario 4:
Problem: Hypothermia
Immediate Action: Get help immediately from an adult. If a person is outside, get them inside and replace any wet clothes with dry clothes. If the person is experiencing any form of hypothermia (mild to severe) they need to be kept horizontal and not stand or walk. Cover the person with blankets and check their breathing to make sure it is regular and not too slow. Give them something warm to drink.
Prevention: Be aware of how your body feels at all times when outdoors. If you are cold, tell an adult right away. Make sure you dress in layers so you can add more if you are cold. Keep your head, hands and feet warm and dry.
For scenario 5:
Problem: Frostbite
Immediate Action: The white patch on their cheek is a sign of frostbite. They need to be taken somewhere warm right away and warmed up. Get them into a warm vehicle or a house you know close-by, take off their layers so they can feel the warmth, take off any wet clothing, and serve them warm, non-sugary drinks. You can give them a hot water bottle with warm water in it to start and gradually help them warm up again. You can even snuggle under a blanket to share your body heat with them! If they continue to shiver and seem confused, seek medical attention.
Prevention: Make sure you dress in layers for outdoor activities so you can add a layer if you are cold and remove a layer if you are warm. This will help you stay warm or prevent your clothing from getting wet from sweat. Make sure to wear hats and mitts and socks and boots that will keep your feet warm. Take breaks from activity inside to warm up.
For scenario 6:
Problem: Heat Exhaustion/Heatstroke
Immediate Action: Get help immediately from an adult. Help them get to a cool place. Loosen their clothing. Try to cool them down with a fan, cool damp cloths, and give them something to drink.
Prevention: Protect yourself from sun, even on cloudy days and in the winter. Sunscreen and a hat will protect you from sunburn. Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before you go out and re-apply it every two hours. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. Be aware of how your body feels at all times when outdoors.
For scenario 7:
Problem: A storm is approaching
Immediate Action: Thunder and lightning are real risks, especially if you are standing near tall trees. Seek shelter as soon as you hear thunder or notice lightning. If you can’t get inside then find an area such as a ditch, a depression or under a thick growth of bushes and stay low. If near the school, return upon first hearing thunder. Wait for 30 minutes after you hear thunder or notice lightning before you go outside.
Prevention: When playing outside or engaging in outdoor education activities check the weather forecast before you go. Pay attention to changes in the weather. Get to safety before it is too late and you get caught in the storm.
For scenario 8:
Problem: A tick has embedded itself into the skin of your friend. Ticks like warm places. It probably hid itself under the waistline of your friend's pants.
Immediate Action: Get help from an adult who knows the correct way to remove a tick. They can use tweezers or a tick remover to pull the tick out from the skin, using a slow pulling motion with even pressure in one smooth motion, so that the mouth is removed and the body isn’t crushed. Do not twist the tick when pulling it out. Wash the area with soap and water, or apply rubbing alcohol. Put the tick in a container to take it to the local Health Unit office to have it identified and tested. Monitor the skin area for redness, swelling, and/or a bulls-eye pattern to appear. Seek medical attention within 24 hours.
Prevention: Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and close-toed shoes. Tuck your shirt into your pants. You can also tuck your pant legs into your socks. Use an insect repellent on your clothes and any exposed skin. Stay on pathways or in the middle of trails. Check your clothing and body at least once a day for ticks, especially your groin, navel, armpits, scalp, behind the knees, and behind the ears. Take a shower as soon as you can after being outdoors. Put outdoor clothing in the dryer for 60 minutes on high heat before washing them.
For scenario 9:
Problem: Skin irritation/reaction (allergic reaction or encounter with poison ivy)
Immediate Action: Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. To treat poison ivy, you might use cold compresses when your skin is particularly itchy, or a lotion used to treat itchiness. There is not much you can do once you have it, except try to avoid scratching it and keeping the area cool which helps with the itching. If the blisters break, cover lightly with a loose bandage so you don't rub them. The liquid coming from the blisters cannot spread poison ivy to other parts of your body, but you don't want them to become infected. You can spread it to other parts of your body if you continue touching the clothes with the plants' oils on them.
Prevention: If you are going to be walking through an area with poison ivy, wear long pants and avoid touching it. Make sure everyone is aware of where it is and how to identify it. If you are taking a dog with you, try to have them walk around any patches of poison ivy as the oil can stay on them for days afterwards and spread to you when you touch them. If you think you have been exposed to poison ivy, change your clothes when you get home, being careful not to touch any spot that may still have the plant's oil on it. Launder your clothes in hot water with a strong laundry detergent that removes oils. Wash your exposed skin with a heavy soap like dish detergent, and make sure you scrub your skin vigorously. It is the friction of the scrubbing that removes the oil.
For scenario 10:
Problem: The person is unconscious
Immediate Action: Get help immediately. While waiting for help follow the ABCs of First Aid:
- Check the Airway: if the person is responding, tilt the head back and lift the chin to open the airway.
- Check Breathing: Check for normal breathing. Someone who can speak or cry is breathing.
- Check Circulation: Look from head to toe for deadly bleeding and signs of shock.
If you think they might have a head or neck injury don’t move them unless their life is in danger where they are; leave the person in the position they were found; support their head and neck; tell the injured person not to move. If the person is unconscious, is breathing, and has no obvious injuries, roll the person onto their side and wait for help. Support their head and continue to check their breathing. If the person is bleeding, put pressure on the wound with whatever clothing is available and clean to slow the flow of blood. If the blood soaks through the cloth, apply another cloth over it and keep applying pressure until help arrives.
Prevention: it is important to have a friend (buddy) go with you on hiking, walking, biking or other travel activities to help each other stay safe and help in case of an accident.