First Aid Night

Our Safety badge this year was First Aid. This badge is very theory/discussion based and it can be a challenge to get the girls involved.

The First Aid Badge requirements are:

1. Explain why it is important to check the accident area for your own safety before offering help.
2. Explain how to get help, what to do until help arrives and what to do after it arrives.
3. Describe the limitations of a first aider.
4. Describe what to look for when finding an accident victim.
5. Explain the danger of moving a person who has been injured.
6. Demonstrate how to keep a patient comfortable.
7. Tell about the danger of infection.
8. Put together a simple first aid kit and tell why each item was chosen.
9. Demonstrate rescue breathing and how to help someone who is choking.
10. Explain how to treat a nosebleed.

When we talked about what to do if someone is choking we let the Guides practice on a large stuffed animal. We also had the girls form pairs and act out what they would do in different situations (i.e. finding someone who has been injured, keeping someone comfortable, putting someone into the recovery position, helping someone with a nosebleed). We also had each patrol make up a skits showing how to treat a simple injury, based on the list in the Learn About Safety section of the program.

For our first aid kits, we used film cannisters, plastic lacing and beads to make first aid kit lanyards. First, we poked a hole in the lid of the cannister then threaded the ends of the plastic lacing through the hole, then through a pony bead, tying a knot in the ends. Before doing this, if the girls wanted to thread some beads onto the lacing that would show they were able to do that. In the cannisters we put:

• 1 gauze square
• 1 alcohol swab
• 1 large bandaid
• 1 small bandaid
• 6" paper tape
• 1" tube of polysporin
• 1" tube of baking soda