Emergency Survival – Gunshot Wounds (part 1)

emergency survivalAs you might imagine, getting shot by a gun is painful and dangerous, though, if you live in Miami or Los Angeles, not all that uncommon. What can you do for the gun shot victim in the immediate aftermath of the incident? Here are some emergency survival tips for that very scenario.

Medical Attention: Your first order of business should be to get the victim in front of a doctor as soon as possible. Whatever else you might do to stabilize the wound, don’t let the focus shift from finding competent medical care. The faster you do so, the better the chances for survival. However, for various reasons, this might not always be an option.

Secure the Area: If there is still live fire in the area, obviously you want to get the victim as far away from flying bullets as possible, to reduce the chances of being shot again. The only thing worse than one gunshot wound is two…or three…or four. You get the idea. Likewise, if the victim was armed, move the gun out of reach and point it in a safe direction where an accidental discharge won’t strike him again. Remember, bullets can ricochet. At this point, emergency survival depends upon paying attention to the small details.

Immobilize the Victim: Keep the victim still. Lightly support the head and keep it in alignment with the body. This helps to not further aggravate injuries.

Breathing: If the victim is unconscious, check that he is breathing. If not, let’s hope you know CPR because now would be a good time to administer it. Chest wounds can be problematical with CPR. If this is the case, you seriously should be thinking about finding a doctor.

Almost 70% of gunshot victims survive. Head and heart wounds are the most dangerous. Next time we’ll discuss the emergency survival techniques for stopping or slowing bleeding in the absence of a physician.

The Holistic Survival Team

Holistic Survival

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