Safety-Wise and Camping

Safety-Wise is our "safety bible."  Before taking your troop camping you should be very familiar with pages 81-93.   Health Issues Related To Outdoor Activities Dehydration causes headaches, exhaustion and difficulty concentrating.   Help prevent it by taking frequent breaks to "offer a toast" for something.  The girls will all take a drink and have fun at the same time. Heat Exhaustion usually causes complaints of headache, upset stomach, sweating, and cool moist skin.  Move to a cool place and sip cool water. Heat Stroke shows a high body temperature and red, dry skin.  Breathing may be shallow and rapid.  This serious emergency requires immediate medical attention. Hypothermia is a cool-weather problem and may become serious if not treated early.  Shivering, numbness, listlessness and decreasing pulse and breathing rate are all signs of hypothermia.  Be aware that hypothermia may occur even when the temperature is in the 50s or 60s, especially if the person is wet or the day is windy.  Remove wet clothing and warm the body slowly. Poison Ivy grows abundantly in western North Carolina.  Help the girls learn to recognize it or follow the adage "Leaves of three, let it be!" Also be aware of "hairy vines." Touching poison ivy vines can also cause a reaction. If a child comes into contact with poison ivy wash her skin with alcohol, flush with cold water, and then wash with soap and water.  Rashes can be treated with cold cloths, oatmeal baths, or with the parent's permission, calamine lotion.  (Poison oak is less common, looks similar, and requires the same treatment.  We do not have poison sumac in our mountains.) Copperheads and timber rattlesnakes are our only poisonous snakes.  Both have triangular heads – a sure sign of a poisonous viper.  Color may vary, especially in the rattlesnake, which can range from tan to black. Teach girls to respect all wildlife.  Step slowly away from snakes.  Do not touch any wildlife. Current treatment for snakebites is an immediate trip to the hospital.   Copperhead snake.   Timber rattlesnake.   A bite by a Tick could infect you with one of several diseases.  Encourage all campers to do a thorough daily tick-check of themselves.  Remove a tick by pulling it slowly and smoothly away from the skin.  Wash thoroughly and make note of the date.  See a doctor if flu-like symptoms develop within 10-14 days. The largest specimen in the top-center is a male American dog tick, Dermacentor variablis.  To the right are three stages of Ixodes scapularis, the female (largest), male (intermediate size) and nymph (smallest).  To the left of the dog tick are three stages of the lone-star tick, Amblyomma amercianum.  The female is the largest one (with the white dot), the intermediate sized lone-star is the male and the smallest is the nymph.  The ruler is in 16ths of an inch. Photo by Jim Occi. More common than any of the "dangers" above are stings from bees, yellow jackets, hornets... Girls with allergies to stings should bring medications.  Allergies can develop over time, so always monitor someone who has been stung.  Watch for trouble breathing or severe swelling.  Cold cloths may help lessen the pain of a sting. Administering medicines First Aiders should be aware of allergies in the group. The First Aider keeps and administers all over-the-counter and prescription medications (except medicines such as asthma inhalers which might be needed quickly). First Aiders know to give children ONLY medicines approved in writing by their parents/guardians. It is important to keep a written record of any medicine given, the time, and the reason it was given.  A small notebook in your first aid kit will be handy for this record. Let's Review: 1)  True  False  The First Aider keeps girls' medications and records any treatment given. 2)  True  False  Hypothermia is only a problem when the temperatures are around freezing. 3)  True  False  In our mountains, a poisonous snake will have a triangle-shaped head. 4)  True  False  It is okay for girls to give each other medicines such as aspirin or Tylenol. 5)  True  False  If a girl is bitten by a tick on a weekend camping trip the leader should inform the parents so that they can watch for flu-like symptoms in 10-14 days.

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