emergencies

Still a good idea to know first aid principles for when you are out of contact with emergency services. Red Cross sponsors some good classes and RVers should attend one of these when possible, the life you save, or the aid and comfort that you can give are worth every minute. There are many places where 911 calls can't be made due to remoteness of location. A well stocked first aid kit is something to pack along too. You may be the first person to encounter an accident scene or personal injury to a fellow camper.

Popsie wrote:
As a former EMT, if you have a medical emergency, dial 911 !!!

As a former guy who answered that phone number. I SECOND Popsie's recommendation.

Fact: They did a study on, as I recall, heart attack victims. The study was looking at "The first phone call"

Those where 9-1-1 was the first call... had a much greater tendency to live than those where they called the doctor or some other 10 digit number.

Dial 9-1-1 Let the most important part of the hospital come to you. Much faster, Much better.

Now, Walk-in and urgent (non emergency) care centers... Good idea to know where they hide. Very good idea.. but for genuine emergency, 9-1-1.

True story: Kid called 9-1-1 Told me he was not feeling well (he got that right) and was trying to get himself to hospital.. he described his symptoms ending with "It can't be my heart I'm only 27".. I 3-wayed with EMS, talked him into a parking lot so he car would be safe, EMS sent the cardiac care unit and got him hooked up to monitors (AND if needed defibulators) in time. Oh, it was his heart.

Now he lived.. WHY because he called me (9-1-1) had he kept trying to get to the ER he may well have died and taken someone else with him.

Of course not all my war stories have such a nice ending.

But when one of my co-workers stood up and shouted "THE BABY'S TURNING BLUE" I took over for the EMT Instructor who was on Radio.. last sound on the tape is the baby crying. and a lovelier sound I have never heard.. Cause one thing I know about a baby crying.. He is not turning blue any more. he is turning a much more natural color.

Sue (The instructor) taught the parents a crash course in infant CPR over the phone.. That is not something your car can do for you.

We always know where er urgent care is located then make the decision about 911. My decisions are easy the dw has been a nurse for 25 years I just go with the flow.

Call 911?
What if there is no cell service, and no land line within 10 or 20 miles?
In spite of what your carrier would like you to believe, there are vast areas of the country where your cell phone is completely useless (unless it can connect via satellite). You just might have to take care of the "emergency" yourself, at least until you can get where you have service.
Be prepared!

We always know what is going on around us and where to get help from when needed.. Just part of always being aware of your surroundings... Todays cell phones are excellent for this type of information when needed...

i can say that knowing what is nearby is important.

while in Baton Rouge with my parents, had to call 911 for assistance. First concern was convincing the operator that the EMT's could find us in the park.. she didn't know the park had camping. One of the things we were asked was which hospital we wanted to them to transport my dad to. I was unsure, but thankfully the park folks came and gave us some advice.

A year or so later, my dad had the same situation arise; however we were in the middle of nowhere. We knew EMT's were at least 20 miles away by 2 lane road, so we decided to drive out. We were able to get to a hospital 50 miles away in much less time that if we had to wait on EMT's to arrive in St Park, get through the locked gate and then make the 50 mile trip to a hospital. I drove and my mom could check on my dad occasionally. Yep, the hospital ER staff remembers my dad as the man who was delivered by MH.

Now I try to check where ER's or towns with hospitals are when I travel, especially since I tend to stay in state parks in rural areas. I don't panic but it is nice to know which direction to go when someone is sick or injured.

As a note from the son and brother of EMTs, many rural areas do not have EMT crews on standby, when the alarm goes out, then they call them in and dispatch them.

If you are out in BFE (a remote location), be ready to either:
A - Meet EMTs at a predetermined intersection of major roads OR
B - Run the party to a medical facility on your own.
Calling 911 is still the best way to start, but most medical emergencies have a limited time window for a favorable outcome, and you need to same as much of that window as you can.

You Smartphone and/or GPS may be a great asset in such case.

If you have a Smartphone, load and update iTiage. It is a free app to facilitate all manner of medical situations.

Matt

Use 911 for real emergencies.

For non life threatening situations: Smartphone > Google Maps > Search: Urgent Care. Takes seconds and you'll see what you need on a Map.

in the event one of us was ill or injured enough to want a dr. but not call 911.

Popsie, the OP is suggesting this when it's a non-911 situation. This is for the sprained ankle/bad sore throat type of thing. No sense in tying up EMT personnel when it's not an emergency.

Even though the campground personnel can tell you, if it's at an odd-ball time of day or if you are away from the cg, this type of information can be very useful (I speak from experience). Most of the campgrounds we've stayed at list this info on their handouts but a little pre-research is a great idea.

As a former EMT, if you have a medical emergency, dial 911 !!!