Two Types of Wounds in Scouting

Scouting is an important part of camping, military operations and spending time in the wilderness. Scouts look for potential dangers and help prevent injury to others in the group. There are two possible types of injuries: open wounds and those that do not break the skin. The most dangerous are open wounds and broken bones. Open wounds are dangerous because become easily infected. Broken bones are dangerous because they limit movement, and if set improperly, will heal badly. Taking proper care of wounds can save lives.

Stop the Bleeding

• Any open wound needs the bleeding stopped first. Put pressure on the wound using material that can soak up the blood and hold it. Any cloth can work to stop the initial bleeding, including a ripped up shirt or part of a shirt, a wash cloth and cotton pads or cloth bandages from a first aid kit. Always stop the bleeding before treating the wound.

Clean the Wound

• Once the bleeding has stopped or slowed enough that stopping is imminent, clean the wound. Ideally, clean a wound with an item like alcohol or an antiseptic cream for infection prevention. If these are unavailable, use water and a clean cloth. Always remove any dirt and get the wound as clean as possible. This will cause some minor bleeding, but adding pressure again will stop it.

Wrap the Wound

• Once the wound is clean, wrap it with a cloth and tie firmly. Scouts do not have the luxury of a hospital and the tightly tied cloth will prevent further bleeding and infection. Depending on the length of time before the injury is treated and the cleanliness of the cloths, infections can still occur. You can prevent most problems, however, by cleaning the wound and keeping it wrapped. If it will take more than a couple of hours to reach a hospital after the injury, unwrap, clean and then rewrap the wound once every hour or two if possible to prevent infection.

Broken Bones

• In the case of broken bones, only someone that knows how to set the bone should try to do so. If there is no one available, leave the bone alone. Use some sticks that are roughly the size of the broken body part, such as branches the length of the injured scout's arm, and tie these to his arm using a cloth or rope. This will prevent the arm from moving much and sustaining further injuries. Take the scout to the doctor as soon as possible to prevent further damage and get the bone set.

Bite Wounds

• If one of the scouts is bitten by an animal, take care of it like any other open wound. If no doctor is available within a five-hour time period, antibiotics are needed. Without antibiotics, there's a high risk of infection. When you reach a hospital, have a rabies test and treatment performed on the victim, just in case.