What would you do.....?

[Wayne]

Seeing as the last one got people thinking about communication and dealing with catastrophic bleeding we should have another go at coming up with a consensus.

Simple one this time.

I'm sitting by the fire watching others cook, scrapping embers under pans smell of sausages and fried onions making me hungry.

I put down my empty beer can. I'm cold and fed up waiting I go back to my tarp grab my gas stove and a frying pan. I have a bit of steak left over and some bread. Going to go down well with another beer.

Screw the the cannister to the stove, balance the frying pan on top. I just can't get it level. Kneeling with the stove by knees. Finally seems ok. Pan is smoking nicely I pour a generous slug of extra virgins into the pan. Nice and hot. I drop my big juicy steak into the pan.

The whole tower starts to fall. I instinctively snatch the frying pan with my bare hand just as the oil pours out of the pan over my hand and on the the stove.

Whoosh. Burning oil on my hand and leg.


Help........

 

[EddieP]

Water, water, more water. Once cool, loosely clingfilm. Take to hospital, ideally a specialist plastics / hand unit as the hand burns are potentially a life changing injury.

 

[Janne]

Agree, water.
But the problem is that usually in a bush situation you do not have a quick access to larger amounts.
If the oil is on fire on your body, you should try to extinguish it by suffocating it, that is much faster.

I do not carry cling film, so I would use cooking oil or shoe fat and loose bandages to cover the wounds.

Not relevant here, but phosphorus burns are the worst. We trained on pig carcasses what to do. You basically have to deep scrape it away, or cut off the burning skin....

 

[Drain Bamaged]

It's something that for some reason is very often not suggested when people discuss the contents of a FAK but several plastic food bags take up very little room and have a multitude of uses one of these uses being to slip over burns etc.

D.B.

 

[Fraxinus]

Smother the flames on the stove and turn off the gas, it's an explosion in waiting and could cause further harm to him or others.
Smother the flames on the victim if he has not dropped and rolled them out.
Water, as EddieP says and call for medical assistance and treat for shock. Break out the survival blanket to keep him warm and help keep wounds sterile. (unlikely to have cling film on me)
Removing burnt clothing is only possible if it has not been melted into the skin and probably best done in A & E.
Get others in the party to guide in medics or rescue.

Rob.

 

[Janne]

I would help the victim first.
(Unless it is an expensive stove of course! )

 

[Drain Bamaged]

Obviously it would depend on whether or not the steak had had chance to cook properly, if it had I would reach for my little container of spice mix and............

D.B.

 

[Fraxinus]

I would help the victim first.
(Unless it is an expensive stove of course! )

You've never seen one go off then.
Even lighters, plastic ones, left out in the sun can explode when a person tries to light a cigarette, saw it happen poolside in Crete to a German guy. Mega downer on his holiday.
You can't help others if you become a patient.

Rob.

 

[Janne]

I have lighters explode in the car. Hot here in Cayman! Makes a mess. But I quit smoking 2 weeks ago, so no more!
When I was young and stupid I used to shoot spray paint cans and the small gas canisters, with a tea light behind. with a .38 or a .357. Great fun! Then, a few years later, I got qualified as a demolition guy in the Swedish Army. Taught all soldiers in my old regiment that, for 3 years..
I have seen explosions, trust me.

Also the difference between a First Degree burn and a (deep) third Degree burn is only a few seconds, so yes, I would try to extinguish the fire on my or my friends hands first.

 

[forrestdweller]

Obviously it would depend on whether or not the steak had had chance to cook properly, if it had I would reach for my little container of spice mix and............

D.B.

which spices do you suggest for long pig?!


on a more serious point: I've seen gas stoves exploding (from cartouches not inserted properly; which is one reason I'm not using them...) so extinguishing the fire would be my 1st priority....

 

[petrochemicals]

Assuming you roll on the floor and throw the stove and pan sideways to somewhere, extinguish you with what is at hand such as a damp cloth. Water on a cloth with soap to take the oil off and then try to remove the clothing if possible by cutting it. Keep watering the cloth for 20 minutes. Then a nice cuppa. Discovering no adequate burns treatment in the FAK, apply savelon to the cloth and keep it damp and cool. See for signs of shock and wrap you in warm things top keep you warm. Evac to a hospital as its going to be quicker than waiting for an ambulance.

 

[Tony]

Interesting read this one, you going to chip in at all Wayne?

I think i'd avoid water until the flames are out, put flames out ASAP (it's good that we're mostly wearing wools and stuff so that would help for smothering, I'd assume it's a major burn, after fires out get water on the burn areas, as much as possible, leave clothing on burn areas unless it's loose and not sticking, exposed burn cover with something clean and sterile if it's available, if blisters have formed don't burst them, make sue the Ambulance is called or we get them to the hospital ASAP and watch out for Shock and treat for that if needed.

I bet i've left loads out and got a few things wrong but that's the process in my head. Of course in reality I'll make sure i'm with someone like you Wayne and call out really loudly that we need help

 

[Fraxinus]

Interesting read this one, you going to chip in at all Wayne?

That'll be a "no" then

Rob.

 

[santaman2000]

Maybe it's best if we look at the basic 1st Aid precepts:

1-Make sure the scene is safe (in this case that means either extinguish the fire or take the victim a safe distance away from it)

2-Direct somebody to call EMS while you begin care

3-For burns the basics are:
a--Cool the wound
b--Protect from infection
Sometimes these two can be counter to one another. Meaning that applying anything to cover the wound (protecting from infection) tends to hold heat in. Hence protocols seem to change frequently. When I was a teenager (and for the next 35 years or so) the protocols always said refrain from applying any salves, or coverings (coverings could also stick to the wound causing even more damage when removed or could indeed be the source of an infection) but the current prevalence of "cling" (a non-stick item) has alleviated that.

I don't believe there will actually be a consensus but my personal choice would depend on how quickly you could get the professionals involved. If they are expected to arrive (or if you can get the patient to them) fairly soon (say within a half hour or less) I'd follow the old protocols and leave it uncovered. If I expected it to take longer than an hour I'd probably try to cover it with a sterile, non-stick covering.


All that said, when I was a teen I suffered a fairly bad 2nd degree burn to my left wrist and hand. I was a typical idiot and opened the radiator cap on my car right after shutting off the engine. You can imagine the gushing steam onto that hand and wrist. It left a pretty big scar for decades (mostly in the form of discolored skin) that I've only outgrown within the last 8 to 10 years. I was lucky in that the only lasting damage (said scar) was cosmetic but I'd also recommend seeking treatment (or at least an evaluation) from a dermatologist if you have any doubts at all.

 

[woof]

When I was a prison officer, hot fat & boiling water with sugar in it(so it sticks)were known weapons, as there's no defence against them, & the victim is totally incapacitated by it, we always threw them literally in the showers to cool the "wound" before the medics got there.

Rob

 

[Fraxinus]

When I was a prison officer, hot fat & boiling water with sugar in it(so it sticks)were known weapons, as there's no defence against them, & the victim is totally incapacitated by it, we always threw them literally in the showers to cool the "wound" before the medics got there.

Rob

Makeshift Napalm then Rob, really unpleasant stuff.

Pretty grim having to deal with the effects too, no one should have to do that.

Rob.