First Aid Volunteer Instructions: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
Radio protocol |
||
| (2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
The Core Leads for Firefly First Aid in 2025 are Lia Rudolph, Julie Cannon, and Kalmen Barkin | The Core Leads for Firefly First Aid in 2025 are Lia Rudolph, Julie Cannon, and Kalmen Barkin | ||
Go-Bags will be in the First Aid Tent behind Ranger HQ | Go-Bags will be on the shelves in the First Aid Tent, across the path from Radios, which is behind Ranger HQ. These are bags with basic supplies to use on your shift. Take one at the start of your shift, check the supplies, and adjust the contents based on what you are comfortable using. Return it to the tent at the end of your shift, after taking out any trash. | ||
Each 8 hour shift has 2-3 First Aid volunteers on duty. The volunteers are a team and respond together for any significant call. As long as you can wake up by a call on the radio, it is fine to sleep on the overnight shifts. | Each 8 hour shift has 2-3 First Aid volunteers on duty. The volunteers are a team and respond together for any significant call. As long as you can wake up by a call on the radio, it is fine to sleep on the overnight shifts. | ||
| Line 22: | Line 18: | ||
Unlicensed volunteers are paired up with our more experienced volunteers. This way, if they have a question or are uncertain how to respond to a participant's complaint, they can refer to their partner for assistance. | Unlicensed volunteers are paired up with our more experienced volunteers. This way, if they have a question or are uncertain how to respond to a participant's complaint, they can refer to their partner for assistance. | ||
Supervisors | Supervisors are on duty from 10a to 10a | ||
The supervisor has 2 main jobs: | The supervisor has 2 main jobs: | ||
| Line 33: | Line 27: | ||
Volunteers can call the Soup (FFFA supervisor) via radio. Soups may appear on scene from out of thin air if they find a certain call alarming or curious. Poof! | Volunteers can call the Soup (FFFA supervisor) via radio. Soups may appear on scene from out of thin air if they find a certain call alarming or curious. Poof! | ||
Shifts | '''Shifts''' | ||
The shift hours are as follows: | The shift hours are as follows: | ||
| Line 43: | Line 37: | ||
Night 12a-8a | Night 12a-8a | ||
The night shift doesn't need to be awake during their shift. However, they do need to be arousable by radio. | |||
If you can't stay awake for your night shift, you should consider drinking coffee/tea/red bull, eating raw cacao beans, or running around in circles singing at the top of your lungs with the windows open. | |||
'''Radio Protocol''' | |||
We can be called to a specific location to respond. When that happens, please respond to the caller, state your handle/name, and say that you are on your way. | |||
We do NOT ask for details on injuries, or discuss them at all, on the radio. Anyone nearby, including neighbors and law enforcement, may be listening in. In addition, Firefly is a small community - participants can be easily identified with few details, and we don't want to violate anyone's privacy by discussing healthcare information. IF YOU NEED HELP with supplies, eyes, or helping a participant, only list the items you need, the role of the person you want help from, or the action you would like them to take. | |||
If you are asked about a situation you are responding to over the radio, you need only give a few details: where you are (with the participant, with EMS, or having left the scene), and what the situation status is (resolved/done, waiting for backup, waiting for EMS, walking to First Aid for assistance). | |||
If you need to escalate the situation to EMS, click one channel over to 16 and tell them your location and any supplies they need to bring (or just say "It's an Emergency" if you aren't sure and the situation might need lifesaving measures. | |||
If you need to escalate the situation to People in Charge, switch to Khaki and ask for immediate Ranger assistance. | |||
We work hard to preserve the dignity of Firefly participants - no one is above needing help, and no one deserves to feel shamed or undignified because of that. Do not gossip about calls, speculate about conditions, and above all keep radio chatter efficient and free from details that may embarrass the participants or the event. | |||
'''Responding to Calls''' | |||
Pick up your radio at the beginning of your shift from the Radio Station, behind Ranger HQ. Go to the First Aid Tent next door, where you will hopefully meet your partner/s for the shift and pick up a bag of supplies to carry. Ask for radio training at Rangers, if needed. Keep your radio on and at sufficient volume - this can change if you go to a dancefloor! Walk around and enjoy the event (sober, please) or hang out in the First Aid tent, your choice, just be ready to go to the location of an injury or the First Aid Tent, if you get a call. | |||
You can roam around with or without your partner for your shift. But you must be able to hear your radio (so avoid those loud rave party sound systems!) and no ear plugs if you take a nap. | You can roam around with or without your partner for your shift. But you must be able to hear your radio (so avoid standing next to those loud rave party sound systems!) and no ear plugs if you take a nap. | ||
FFFA | FFFA has a dedicated radio channel. Be aware of which channel EMS services and Rangers are on, if you need backup. | ||
Be sure to make it clear on the radio when you are responding to a call - this keeps both the callers and your partner in the loop. | Be sure to make it clear on the radio when you are responding to a call - this keeps both the callers and your partner in the loop. | ||
At the end of your shift, | At the end of your shift, sign out over radio. Write down any ongoing issues on the whiteboard at First Aid headquarters. Report back to the Radio Station to return your radio. | ||
Emergencies | Emergencies | ||
| Line 70: | Line 75: | ||
* Do not hesitate to Call for Help for all medical emergencies. | * Do not hesitate to Call for Help for all medical emergencies. | ||
*# The Soup is aware of all the resources available and in emergencies will take command while activating the ICS(incident command system). | *# The Soup is aware of all the resources available and in emergencies will take command while activating the ICS(incident command system). | ||
* Radio for additional help from rangers, EMT | * Radio for additional help from rangers, EMT etc as needed. | ||
Sending Participants to the Hospital | '''Sending Participants to the Hospital''' | ||
If you feel a Firefly needs to go to the hospital, radio for the Soup. | |||
You may feel a Firefly needs to go the hospital for any of the following : | You may feel a Firefly needs to go the hospital for any of the following : | ||
| Line 89: | Line 95: | ||
Etc... | Etc... | ||
The EMT on duty will make the determination on whether to send the participant to the hospital, and how to get them there most safely - by ambulance or | The EMT on duty will make the determination on whether to send the participant to the hospital, and how to get them there most safely - by ambulance or Lead vehicle. | ||
Participants who are reticent to take an ambulance should be advised that the Leads have access to a personal vehicle for the transport of participants to and from Urgent Care or the ER. It is not a taxi to CVS for bug spray, but it is an important resource for those Fireflies who can't incur the cost of ambulance rides. In the event of life-threatening status changes, an ambulance must be called. However, Fireflies should be told that they may be transported to get an x-ray or a few stitches in a dedicated First Aid "jump" vehicle if they require, and cannot secure their own rides. | |||
Any Participant who needs to exit for health reasons is permitted to return to the event, and their transport people are also permitted to return. First Aid volunteers should radio Gate and let them know the names and numbers of participants who are leaving to clear them for re-entry. | |||
Resources | '''Resources''' | ||
First Aid keeps a variety of tools for firefly participants to self administer if they felt they needed it. | First Aid keeps a variety of tools for firefly participants to self administer if they felt they needed it. | ||
| Line 102: | Line 112: | ||
|gloves for keeping yr mitts clean | |gloves for keeping yr mitts clean | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | |Ibuprofen - painkiller | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | |Diphenhydramine - allergy medicine | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | |Acetaminophen - painkiller | ||
|- | |- | ||
|eye wash kit for irritants in the eyes | |eye wash kit for irritants in the eyes | ||
| Line 132: | Line 142: | ||
|antibiotic | |antibiotic | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | |Antiseptic soap and wash bottles for cleaning | ||
|} | |} | ||
Legal Issues | Extra supplies are in the clear tote bin in the First Aid Tent. | ||
'''Legal Issues''' | |||
Few, if any, of our FFFA volunteers are licensed to practice in the state of Vermont. | Few, if any, of our FFFA volunteers are licensed to practice in the state of Vermont. | ||
We operate as Good Samaritans and as FFFA volunteers there is an expectation that | We operate as Good Samaritans and as FFFA volunteers there is an expectation that we will do our best in an emergency. | ||
Fireflies are the most grateful festival population you can find. However, this is the real world, accidents happen, exploitations happen, it is best to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. | Fireflies are the most grateful festival population you can find. However, this is the real world, accidents happen, exploitations happen, it is best to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. | ||
| Line 156: | Line 169: | ||
Due to the fact that we are volunteers, FFFA does not diagnose, prescribe, treat, or administer any medications. We do not do invasive procedures (like stitches, fracture reductions, etc...) We also should not do anything beyond our normal scope of practice. As Firefly's first aid team, volunteers are often asked to give advice. It is important that participants are told they are not being seen by a doctor, just a friendly FFFA volunteer. | Due to the fact that we are volunteers, FFFA does not diagnose, prescribe, treat, or administer any medications. We do not do invasive procedures (like stitches, fracture reductions, etc...) We also should not do anything beyond our normal scope of practice. As Firefly's first aid team, volunteers are often asked to give advice. It is important that participants are told they are not being seen by a doctor, just a friendly FFFA volunteer. | ||
Limit your advice to true first aid and refer participants to their personal | Limit your advice to true first aid and refer participants to their personal doctor if they have significant questions. | ||
3) Waiver | 3) Waiver | ||
| Line 203: | Line 216: | ||
We will give out first aid supplies to participants who need them. | We will give out first aid supplies to participants who need them. | ||
We will NOT provide specialty treatments, comfort items, or advice. | We will NOT provide specialty treatments, comfort items, or medical advice. | ||
We will be kind to participants who are upset or altered. | We will be kind to participants who are upset or altered. | ||
| Line 218: | Line 231: | ||
Section 2: Common and/or Concerning Complaints | |||
'''Section 2: Common and/or Concerning Complaints''' | |||
| Line 243: | Line 258: | ||
* Anxiety, confusion, sense of impending doom | * Anxiety, confusion, sense of impending doom | ||
If anaphylaxis is suspected, the participant needs to be seen by the EMTs immediately. They have epi-pens and will arrange transport off-site for the participant. | If anaphylaxis is suspected, the participant needs to be seen by the EMTs immediately. They have epi-pens and will arrange transport off-site for the participant. | ||
'''Foreign Body in Eye''' | |||
Take a look at the eye. If you see a small thing stuck on the surface of the eye, you may help the participant to gently flush the object out with our sealed, sterile Eye Wash bottles. Do not use a bottle with a broken seal. Do not pick the object out with a towel, gauze, tweezers, your fingernails, or your tongue. If the object will not move out of the eye, send them to EMS. If there is no visible object, tell the participant that scratches on the surface of the eye often feel like an object, and tell them to wait and see if it feels better in a few minutes. If it does not, send them to EMS. Throw the opened wash bottle away if the participant does not want to keep the remainder for themselves - they are One Time Use. | |||
'''Minor Skin Breaking (Cuts, pokes, scrapes, splinters)''' | |||
We have a wide variety of gauze, bandaids, tape, and occlusive dressings. If the participant has a splinter, they may use the tweezers on top of the black box in the tent - please clean them with hand sanitizer before and after. The participant should clean the wound with Hibiclens antiseptic soap (just a little goes a long way) and water. We have wash bottles which may be filled with clean drinking water at rangers - please fill only as much as you need, and dump the bottle when done. Mold grows fast on warm days. Allow the wound to dry or use a gauze square, then the participant may bandage and apply antibiotic ointment as they prefer. | |||
'''Ticks''' | '''Ticks''' | ||
| Line 249: | Line 272: | ||
Ticks are common at Firefly. | Ticks are common at Firefly. | ||
We stock tweezers and tick spoons to teach participants to be self reliant in tick removal. | We stock tweezers and tick spoons to teach participants to be self reliant in tick removal. Tip: A small piece of tape applied to the handle of the spoon, sticky side flap hanging over the bowl of the spoon, can help catch the tick as it comes free of the skin. | ||
There are a variety of folk remedies which are more-or-less useless. | There are a variety of folk remedies which are more-or-less useless. | ||
| Line 258: | Line 281: | ||
* Using tweezers inappropriately can cause the tick to regurgitate its stomach contents into you. (Mmmm! Tick vomit under your flesh - yummy!) | * Using tweezers inappropriately can cause the tick to regurgitate its stomach contents into you. (Mmmm! Tick vomit under your flesh - yummy!) | ||
The CDC gives us the proper recommendations for removing a tick with the result of decreasing likelihood of contracting Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses (including Borrelia Burgdorferi, and Powassan Virus) | The CDC gives us the proper recommendations for removing a tick with the result of decreasing likelihood of contracting Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses (including Borrelia Burgdorferi, and Powassan Virus) | ||
https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/ | https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/ | ||
| Line 267: | Line 290: | ||
* Wear long-sleeved/long-legged garments | * Wear long-sleeved/long-legged garments | ||
* Avoid fields of tall grass (which is where ticks like to wait for you to brush by) | * Avoid fields of tall grass (which is where ticks like to wait for you to brush by) | ||
* consider | * consider repellents and pre treating with permethrin. | ||
We do not give or | We do not give or have post-exposure antibiotic prophylaxis available on site. | ||
Early/Initial signs and symptoms of Lyme include: | Early/Initial signs and symptoms of Lyme include: | ||
| Line 315: | Line 338: | ||
There are a dozen reasons someone could be unresponsive and/or behaving abnormally. | There are a dozen reasons someone could be unresponsive and/or behaving abnormally. | ||
Our main priority is, as always, to assess whether the person is maintaining an adequate respiratory and adequate circulatory status. | Our main priority is, as always, to assess whether the person is maintaining an adequate respiratory and adequate circulatory status. Make sure they are breathing and have a heartbeat. If there's any doubt about either of those things, call EMT immediately. | ||
After we are reassured a participant is breathing/ventilating adequately and perfusing their organs with blood, we can consider the mechanism and the psychosocial safety. | After we are reassured a participant is breathing/ventilating adequately and perfusing their organs with blood, we can consider the mechanism and the psychosocial safety. | ||
| Line 343: | Line 366: | ||
Moving an unresponsive participant after a fall could potentially worsen a cervical spine injury, causing paralysis of the diaphragm and subsequent death. | Moving an unresponsive participant after a fall could potentially worsen a cervical spine injury, causing paralysis of the diaphragm and subsequent death. | ||
Completely unresponsive or unconscious participants and possible head injuries must be seen by the EMT. | |||
'''Opiate Intoxication''' | '''Opiate Intoxication''' | ||
| Line 403: | Line 426: | ||
* Muscle twitches | * Muscle twitches | ||
* Hyperreflexia | * Hyperreflexia | ||
'''Respiratory Distress''' | '''Respiratory Distress''' | ||
| Line 419: | Line 443: | ||
Facial burns represent a real life-threatening emergency, as the participant's tissue can swell rapidly causing total occlusion of the airway and resulting inability to perform CPR (necessitating a cricothyrotomy). | Facial burns represent a real life-threatening emergency, as the participant's tissue can swell rapidly causing total occlusion of the airway and resulting inability to perform CPR (necessitating a cricothyrotomy). | ||
In facial burns, look for: | In evaluating facial burns, look for: | ||
* Obvious burn to lips, nose, face | * Obvious burn to lips, nose, face | ||
| Line 446: | Line 470: | ||
* Crepitus or "rice crispy feeling" to skin over area of injury | * Crepitus or "rice crispy feeling" to skin over area of injury | ||
Suspected breaks need to be evaluated by the EMT. | Suspected breaks need to be evaluated by the EMT. First Aid may transport these participants to outside services if the break is not suspected to be life-threatening and is not causing an open wound or loss of circulation. | ||
'''Fractured Neck''' | '''Fractured Neck''' | ||
| Line 461: | Line 485: | ||
* Paralysis/Loss of function below the level of injury | * Paralysis/Loss of function below the level of injury | ||
If you are concerned a participant has a fractured neck, do not move them! | If you are concerned a participant has a fractured neck, do not move them! Call EMT and stand by to prevent other participants from moving them or disturbing them. | ||
'''Our Working Relationship with the EMT team''' | |||
First Aid volunteers are expected to be respectful of our paid EMT team. We do not argue with them, even if we hold a hospital practice license like MD or RN. At Firefly, they are the final authority on medical issues on-site, because they are legally allowed to treat patients and we are not. They have saved the lives of Fireflies several times, so the most important coworking task we volunteers can perform is this: '''Let them work, and do whatever is necessary to make that work easier.''' | |||
This includes, but is not limited to: | |||
* Diverting as many minor injuries to our care as possible, so the EMTs are free to respond to bigger things. | |||
* Making a path to, and forming a barrier around, a participant who needs EMT help. | |||
* Body blocking or telling off the Looky Lous who want to spy on a participant in crisis. | |||
* Providing any and all supplies we stock to the EMTs if they need more - they are very well stocked, but the worst injuries will go through all the gauze very quickly. | |||
* In the event of a Big Deal (a participant requiring resuscitation or stabilization by the EMTs), First Aid volunteers who are not needed at the scene should go to the First Aid tent and interrupt any participants who attempt to get to the EMS tent. No, a twisted ankle may not wait in the EMS tent when there is an inbound Big Deal - First Aid has comfortable cots, and the participant is welcome to find transportation to a hospital. | |||
If you really believe that a participant is not receiving appropriate *medical* care from the EMT team, radio your soup or go directly to Khaki with your concerns. | |||