Larry
Guest
Following this thread:
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=391400#post391400
I have posted part of my reply here as well if anyone is interested. PM me and once I have about ten people I will start making some arrangements. Let me know if you would prefer a weekday evening or a Saturday and whether Waterloo or Fulham would be better.
As posted on the link:
The general advice is do not remove the helmet unless absolutely necessary. The only time a helmet should be removed before the ambulance crew arrive (who will have been trained in two person helmet removal) is if there is a problem with the patient's airway or they are not breathing. By a problem with the patient's airway I mean something blocking it such as blood, vomit, broken teeth, etc. In these cases protection of the cervical spine becomes secondary - not being able to breath will cause a much more immediate problem than a spinal injury.
The only way to do a controlled removal of a helmet is by two trained people. If it is necessary to remove someones helmet by yourself (ie. the circumstances above) try and get it off in as controlled a manner as possible. Attempt to keep the head in line with the body as much as possible, undo the straps and then pull the sides of the helmet to expand it slightly - helmets will flex. Then ease it off the patients head by tilting it slightly forwards and backwards (remove glasses first - theirs, not yours). If there is someone else there you can get them to support the patients neck with one hand underneath and one hand supporting the chin/jaw. HELMET REMOVAL PRIOR TO AMBULANCE ARRIVAL IS ONLY TO BE DONE IF THE PATIENT IS NOT BREATHING OR HAS A BLOCKED AIRWAY - if they are breathing adequately it is far safer to leave the helmet on and let the trained people remove it. It is also worth discouraging people from removing their own helmets after an accident if the impact involved was of sufficient force to cause a potential head/spinal injury.
I work on my own in London and the above is the only circumstance in which I would ever attempt to remove a helmet on my own - otherwise I will always wait for another trained person to arrive and we will then consider using additional spinal immobilisation equipmet, oxygen, etc.
As some of the threads have already said, your local ambulance service should be able to point you in the direction of some first aid training. In London, the London Ambulance Service currently offer free resuscitation (CPR) training which includes basic first aid. If enough people are interested I would be happy to put together a small session with the LAS community resuscitation trainers tailored slightly more to GS riders (how to deal with beards, 250kg of bike on top of you, etc) in London one evening or possibly on a Saturday.
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=391400#post391400
I have posted part of my reply here as well if anyone is interested. PM me and once I have about ten people I will start making some arrangements. Let me know if you would prefer a weekday evening or a Saturday and whether Waterloo or Fulham would be better.
As posted on the link:
The general advice is do not remove the helmet unless absolutely necessary. The only time a helmet should be removed before the ambulance crew arrive (who will have been trained in two person helmet removal) is if there is a problem with the patient's airway or they are not breathing. By a problem with the patient's airway I mean something blocking it such as blood, vomit, broken teeth, etc. In these cases protection of the cervical spine becomes secondary - not being able to breath will cause a much more immediate problem than a spinal injury.
The only way to do a controlled removal of a helmet is by two trained people. If it is necessary to remove someones helmet by yourself (ie. the circumstances above) try and get it off in as controlled a manner as possible. Attempt to keep the head in line with the body as much as possible, undo the straps and then pull the sides of the helmet to expand it slightly - helmets will flex. Then ease it off the patients head by tilting it slightly forwards and backwards (remove glasses first - theirs, not yours). If there is someone else there you can get them to support the patients neck with one hand underneath and one hand supporting the chin/jaw. HELMET REMOVAL PRIOR TO AMBULANCE ARRIVAL IS ONLY TO BE DONE IF THE PATIENT IS NOT BREATHING OR HAS A BLOCKED AIRWAY - if they are breathing adequately it is far safer to leave the helmet on and let the trained people remove it. It is also worth discouraging people from removing their own helmets after an accident if the impact involved was of sufficient force to cause a potential head/spinal injury.
I work on my own in London and the above is the only circumstance in which I would ever attempt to remove a helmet on my own - otherwise I will always wait for another trained person to arrive and we will then consider using additional spinal immobilisation equipmet, oxygen, etc.
As some of the threads have already said, your local ambulance service should be able to point you in the direction of some first aid training. In London, the London Ambulance Service currently offer free resuscitation (CPR) training which includes basic first aid. If enough people are interested I would be happy to put together a small session with the LAS community resuscitation trainers tailored slightly more to GS riders (how to deal with beards, 250kg of bike on top of you, etc) in London one evening or possibly on a Saturday.
