First Aid & Survival Chapter 11

AIM To undersand the treatment of common ailments in flight and how to increase chances of survival following an accident

Objectives 1.Discuss ERSA’s Emergency section 2.Describe how to manage common ailments 3.State the basic first aid steps that could be required in the event of an accident 4.Describe how to increase your chance of survival following an accident 5.State the basics of water ditching

ERSA 1. ERSA - EMERG ERSA has a survival information within the EMERG section EMERG – 17 – 23 o First Aid o Acute Care o Desert Survival o Sea Survival o Jungle Survival o Cold Weather Survival Always carry your ERSA, ELT and a mobile phone! Always Dial 000 for emergency assistance

Airsickness 3. In-Flight ailments Airsickness is a result of conflicting messages from the body’s proprioceptive, vestibular and visual systems. Avoid flying in areas of known turbulence (e.g. lee side of ranges, squall lines) If you, as the pilot becomes sick, keep flying and increase flow of fresh air. Turn off heaters. Consider landing at an alternate. First Aid: Loosen clothing Ensure plenty of fresh air Lie down/recline seat Apply cool wet cloth on forehead Reassure Have sick bag ready

Fainting 3. In-Flight ailments Establish the cause ASAP – you may be next! Hypoxia? CO poisoning? Heat exhaustion? First Aid: (same as airsickness, except: Lie down with legs above heart Apply Oxygen if hypoxia is suspected (don your own first!) Ensure plenty of fresh, cool air If hyperventilating, have the casualty breathe into a paper bag Upon waking, offer the casualty water but don’t encourage any rapid movements

Nose Bleeds 3. In-Flight ailments Can be caused by: Low relative humidity of inhaled air (particularly at cold, higher altitudes Use of nasal sprays (particularly prolonged or improper use) Barotrauma caused by excessive rates of descent (or ascent in scuba diving) Genetic deformities (pre-disposition) Drug use Vitamin C and Vitamin K deficiency Anaemia First Aid: Don’t blow the nose Breathe through mouth and Sit Up with head slightly forward Apply thumb and finger pressure to flaps of the nostrils for 10mins minimum Calm casualty and keep calm and cool with fresh air

First Aid after an accident 3. Accident First Aid Following an accident, the PIC is still responsible for his/her crew and passengers Some advice: Head and neck injuries DO NOT MOVE the casualty unless absolutely necessary. If necessary, move to the coma position Bleeding Wrap the wounded area very tightly and apply pressure at the wound. Raise the limb above the heart so that blood flow is reduced. If needed, constrict blood flow by applying a tight bandage upstream Fractures Control bleeding and cover wounds with a sterile or clean dressing Immobilise and support the fracture with a sling or bandage and support the limb in an elevated position Check to ensure blood flow is not impaired to the fractured limb. Look for signs of shock – treat as required.

First Aid after an accident 3. Accident First Aid Know your first aid, it’s valuable to have in any case. Some pneumonics to help…

Lodge a flight plan or notify a responsible person before you depart Maintain body temperature by wrapping or sharing of body heat Keep to shade – direct sunlight increases dehydration Know how to use your ELT, life preserving jackets Carry first aid and survival equipment on longer flights, including food and water Monitor 121.5MHz if a spare comm is available Signal mirror – use a piece of mirror, metal or glass to reflect sunlight toward the SAR aircraft General Advice 4. Survival

Communicating Distress 4. Survival Using anything that could be visible from the air: Sea dye marker Drawing in the sand Flags Fire/smoke Acoustic signals Flares, flashlights or spotlights You can use the international symbols (right), or flash the international distress signal (SOS) SOS is … --- …

CAAP 253 – 1 (1): Ditching 5. Ditching You are more likely to die after ditching by drowning, usually hastened by hypothermia and exhaustion. By wearing a life jacket in the aeroplane your survival prospects are greatly improved. In water of 15 degrees Celsius or less, your life expectancy is only about 1 hour Recommendations: Impact water as slow as possible into wind Keep wings level If the swell is more severe, including breaking waves, ditch along the swell Ditching into the face of a wave is very likely to cause extreme damage The statistical chances of surviving a ditching are high. It is estimated from UK and US data that 88% of controlled ditchings result in few injuries to pilots or passengers

CAAP 253 – 1 (1): Ditching 5. Ditching

CAAP 253 – 1 (1): Ditching 5. Ditching

Questions?