Regardless of the region you live in, you may be faced with many types of environmental hazards. The severity of the injuries will vary, but your knowledge of first aid will greatly lessen the potential for life-threatening situations. In this section we will discuss lightning, drowning and creepy crawlies capable of producing injury or illness.

Although extremely rare, lightning injuries have some very unique characteristics. A lightning bolt can carry more than 100 million volts, but in many cases much of the electrical energy flows around the victim rather than through them. Lightning often flashes over the outside of the victim, sometimes blowing off their clothes, but leaving few external injuries or burns. If a patient suffers a direct lightning hit, massive burns and cardiac arrest are the likely injuries you should be ready for.

Another possible lightning injury is called a "splash" injury. This occurs when lightning strikes an inanimate object or the ground. The electricity splashes or ripples out from the strike zone and multiple people in the area can be injured. Victims may be knocked down or thrown which increases the potential for spinal cord damage in addition to burn injuries. In most cases, lightning strike patients will initially be unresponsive. They may also experience a loss of hearing, sight or even the ability to speak. Frequently these problems resolve 8. the patient returns to normal within 3 or 4 days.

Nationally there are roughly 500 reported cases of lightning strike victims. Of those, less than 12% die from the injury. The electrical energy from lightning travels along nerve fibers, the path of least resistance in the body. This can actually damage the conduction system of the heart. Injuries from a lightning strike can range from minor burns or cardiac electrical disturbance to a full-blown cardiac arrest with severe burns!

There are several key points regarding first aid care for a lightning strike. If the storm that produced the lightning is ongoing, your safety may be at risk. Your first thought will be to help the victim, but it is vitally important that you protect yourself and not become another victim. Once the lightning strike is over, the patient does not have the ability to retain any electricity. It is safe to touch them. Simply follow the basic principles of first aid care; perform the ABC's, use a defibrillator if indicated and activate the EMS system.

The most important step in first aid care for a drowning patient is to ventilate them immediately. Contrary to popular belief, death from drowning is usually the result of suffocation, not water in the lungs. About half of all drowning are termed "dry" drowning. This occurs when the larynx spasms shut and closes off access to the lungs. The patient will then suffocate. Once unconscious, the larynx will begin to relax which allows water into the lungs. If water is aspirated into the lungs, it is termed a "wet" drowning.

Drowning is a serious threat in the United States. We are blessed with so many beautiful bodies of water, both fresh and salt. We are able to enjoy many outdoor activities and water sports that can put us in harm's way of drowning accidents. It is estimated that there are approximately 4000 drownings each year. Most children drown in swimming pools when adults are but a few feet away. In about half of all adult drownings, alcohol is involved. Furthermore, males account for approximately 80% of all drownings.

If you witness someone struggling in the water, the rule is: Throw, tow, row and go. First try to throw them something they can hold on to in order to remain afloat. If you don't have a flotation device available, attempt to toss them a rope and try to tow them to safety. Your next option, assuming a boat is available, is to row out and get them. The last and most dangerous choice is to swim out and attempt to rescue them. If you are not an excellent swimmer, trained in water rescue and wearing a life jacket, do not attempt this option.

Quickly remove the patient from the water by any safe method. Unless you witnessed the drowning, assume a spinal cord injury is involved and use the jaw thrust method to open the airway. You should also try to conserve the patient's body heat by removing wet clothing and keeping the patient warm until EMS arrives. Even near drowning patients need to be transported to the hospital because secondary complications may develop, producing injury or death several days after the accident. Therefore, 91 1 must be called for any drowning or near-drowning.

just about anywhere you find people, you will also find an assortment of insects, spiders, snakes and other creatures capable of biting or stinging. Virtually no one lives in a pest-free zone. Bites and stings can produce a variety of body responses including itching, minor swelling, pain or a life-threatening reaction. These symptoms result from the injection of venom or other substance into your skin. The severity of the symptoms depends on the amount of venom injected and your body's sensitivity to it.

The class of insects known as hymenoptera includes bees, yellow jackets, hornets and wasps. These pests are frequently responsible for causing serious or fatal allergic reactions. All of these can sting repeatedly with the exception of the honeybee, which stings once and leaves the stinger behind.

Basic first aid care for insect stings includes removing the stinger if still present. To do this gently scrape across the skin surface with a credit card. If you try to remove the stinger with your fingers or tweezers, you may squeeze the venom sac and inject more venom into the patient. Next, wash the area with mild soap and lukewarm water. Apply a cold compress to the site for several minutes or until relief is obtained. Most importantly, stay alert for signs of allergic reaction, specifically difficulty breathing. Should this occur, call EMS immediately.

Thousands of people are bitten by snakes each year, but few actually involve venom being injected, and even fewer result in death for the victim. In the United States, there are two families of poisonous snakes.

The first is the pit vipers (crotalidea) named after the small pit located on the snake's head. Rattlesnakes, water moccasins (also called cottonmouths) and copperheads are all in the pit viper family. The second family of poisonous snakes is the elapidae, which includes the coral snake as its primary member. A severe bite from a pit viper can kill within 20 to 30 minutes, but 90% of the Baths occur within the first 48 hours. By comparison, a coral snake bite may produce no visible signs for 12 to 24 hours.

Apply heat or hot water (105 - 113 degrees) to quickly bring pain relief. The heat will also begin to break down and inactivate the toxin. Keep in mind, infection is a common side effect of these injuries, so the patient should see a physician. These injuries are rarely serious enough to activate EMS or require ambulance transport.

By comparison, the brown recluse spider is found in the West, Midwest and South. Many patients don't know they've been bitten until the area around the bite begins to ulcerate. Prior to this, the bite looks like a small blister with a white ring around it. Pain may set in 2-8 hours after the bite and the patient may complain of chills. Again, there is little first aid to be done. Call EMS and keep the patient calm. While the hospital may have anti-venom, they also have other treatment options to offer.

Tick bites can cause Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. There are approximately 15,000 cases of Lyme disease reported each year. Your susceptibility to this disease depends on the region you live in and the time you spend in wooded areas. Lyme disease is most common in the Northeastern, mid-Atlantic and Midwestern parts of the US. Symptoms of Lyme disease are flu-like in nature and may include fever, fatigue, body aches and a rash. Antibiotics are the standard treatment for Lyme disease in the early stages. Progression of the disease may lead to hospitalization.

First aid for insect bites includes keeping the patient calm, applying cold compresses and continually monitoring the in their ABC,s