The other day, Redditor u/PeachMilkshake2319 asked the first responders of Reddit, "What is a terrifying situation that you wish more people knew how to handle to result in less casualties?" They shared what to do — and what NOT to do — in various situations to save your life. Here's what they had to say:
1. "Career Coast Guard here: Wear your life jacket. Period. Don't drink and drive a boat. Period. Use the kill switch on your boat/PWC. Know where you're going, and tell two people your itinerary."
"Make sure a second person on the vessel knows how to operate it. Practice man overboard drills/situations. The backfire flame arrester on your engine is your friend; do not remove it. I promise you it doesn't 'gain you any horsepower' when you remove it. Keep a life ring/throwable within arm's reach. If you ever fall through ice, you only have minutes to get yourself on the shelf. Once you're on the shelf, roll away from it towards stronger ice. Don't try to stand up and walk."
2. "For limb amputations: It's easy to save someone with a tourniquet. Keep a few in your car, and know how to apply them. It can save your or someone else’s life. Tons and tons of blood dumps out of an amputation."
3. "Know how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself; you're a goner without a doubt if you're by yourself and food gets too stuck."
"It's way too common to find people choked to death on toilet stalls at restaurants. By instinct, they don't want to disturb others and seek a place where they try to get whatever is stuck in their throat out. Please, if you are choking, try to get help, and let everyone know that you are in trouble. 'Oh I don't want to embarrass myself and ruin people's night, so I'll just die in the toilet' is a wrong mindset in that situation."
4. "I was an EMT 13 years ago. It’s not a great idea to put the pedal down as soon as the traffic light turns green. Wait a couple extra seconds. That first two to three seconds when the light turns green is a GREAT time to get nailed by some idiot blowing through a red light."
5. "If you are dealing with someone who has been stabbed or impaled, and the item is still inside the body, do not pull it out."
6. "Treat every gun as if it’s loaded."
"Here are guidelines for proper weapons handling, according to the Marine Corps: Rule 1: Treat every weapon as if it were loaded. Rule 2: Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot. Rule 3: Keep your finger straight and off the trigger, until you are ready to fire. Rule 4: Keep the weapon on safe, until you intend to fire. Rule 5: Know what lies beyond and between you and your target."
7. "Know how to inject an EpiPen!"
"Don't put your thumb on the end of the pen! Great way to stab yourself instead (although if you're stabbing yourself anyway, an EpiPen to the thumb is still better than nothing)."
8. "Firefighter here. Wear your seat belt, AND when biking, riding a scooter, or riding a motorcycle, wear a helmet."
"My pregnant wife and I were nailed by a driver who ran a red light. Our car rolled over. She was around 6 months. We were wearing our seat belt. Without the seat belt, my son would not be here today."
9. "Make sure children are strapped into the appropriate-sized car seat in the back. Front airbags can be fatal to kids."
"For parents: DON'T hold any of your children in your arms or on your lap while in a vehicle. I don't care if they are hungry, crying, you name it. In a crash, the airbags can kill them on your lap. You can be the strongest person in the world, but even you won't stop your little one from becoming a flying projectile. Just make sure they are properly seated and secured according to their age and size."
10. "I volunteered on a SAR (search and rescue) team for several years, and here are a few things that if people had known them, they may have saved their life. If you fall in swift water, float on your back with your knees slightly bent and feet facing downriver. This lets you push off rocks without breaking your legs or being pulled under. You can use your arms and legs to direct your path downstream to avoid obstacles."
"Avoid crossing areas of rock where the rock slope steadily increases to a cliff or drop. This is common in granite slabs in the Sierra Mountains. Even on pretty gentle slopes, there can be loose gravel, and once you start sliding, it can be extremely hard to stop. So, always keep in mind what would happen if you were to slip.
When lost in dense woods, it's very easy to wander in circles. To avoid this, line up three trees in the line you want to follow. Move to the middle of the three trees, and then select a new tree, keeping it in line with the others. Keep doing this to navigate in a straight line.
You do not need cell service for your smartphone to have GPS or for the compass to work. If you get lost, take note of your GPS cords, and use the compass to get a sense of your surroundings. Then, turn off your phone and save the battery. Check for cell service if you find a high point. Your phone may still have some maps loaded, so check that as well. You may get lucky and be near a trail or road.
If you are stuck outside and getting very cold, you will start to shake pretty violently. This is a good sign and means your body is trying to warm you up. If you start to get tired or feel warmer, even though nothing has changed, DO NOT fall asleep. Do literally whatever it takes to keep yourself awake. If you fall asleep, there is a very low chance you will ever wake up. Along these lines, if you suddenly stop shivering and feel a bit drunk, you may be in the final stages of hypothermia and are in serious trouble. Even warming up may not be enough; seek medical attention quickly."
11. "For children choking: Every parent should assume at some point that their child WILL choke on something and know how to handle such situation."
"I choked on a mozzarella stick as a kid. I also got a frantic pounding at my door from my neighbor holding her 2-year-old who was blue from swallowing a hot dog bite that wasn’t cut small enough. Luckily, I’m a pediatric nurse — I’ve seen it more often than not in my field that the general public does not know what to do if someone (child or adult) is choking, and it breaks my heart! Just super glad I was home that day!"
12. "Have your address clearly marked and lit so responders can get to you quickly... Every second counts."
13. "My wife was a trauma nurse (now PACU, or Post Anesthesia Care Unit), and we’ve found ourselves in some not-ideal situations in our travels. Take an AED (automated external defibrillator), CPR, and first aid class — bonus points for Stop The Bleed (it’s often free!). That will prepare you for the majority of stuff you’ll encounter. Have a good first aid kit on hand at home and in your car."
14. "One thing a senior supervisor taught me as a crisis social worker is if it feels bad or wrong, trust it. Don’t push past it; there’s usually a good reason you intuitively know that."
"Also, lock up your damn guns."
15. "Whenever you encounter an emergency situation, stop what you’re doing and say to yourself, 'This is not MY emergency.' This will (hopefully) allow you to take a step back, assess the situation, and prevent you from making poor, split-second decisions. So many people jump into swift water trying to save someone else, only to become a second victim. Some people quickly try to extricate victims but injure them further. Allow yourself to look at things as objectively as possible, and you’ll make much better decisions."
"The first thing I was told when I did my first aid/CPR course was 'help if you can without endangering yourself.' When I did my first sailing course, it was 'help if you can without endangering yourself, your crew, or your vessel.' If you charge in without assessing the situation, then there's one more person to be rescued and one less person available to provide help. Rule number one is don't make the situation worse."
16. "I have a friend who is a first responder. He says to STAY OFF OF TRAIN TRACKS. Don’t squish pennies or do photo shoots on them or walk on them at all. Believe it or not, trains can sneak up on you at an alarming speed, and they DO NOT slow down."
17. "If you ever encounter a heavily burnt person running to you (they always run in the hope to survive), don't touch them with your bare hands. Your hands might be too hard for their burnt skin and flesh; always touch them with cloth or towel."
18. "If you see a snake, just keep a distance and keep calm. Most snakes won’t attack you — probably only anacondas think of you as food, unless you’re a little kid who meets a big python. Don’t try to pick a snake up!!! If you get bitten, take a good look at what kind of snake it is. Try to stay calm, and get medical help ASAP."
"I actually had to give a presentation on snake bites in EMT school! Just to add a few more points:
Do not suck on the snake bite like in the movies. It will do nothing and can just cause an infection. Sucking devices designed for snakebites do not work either.
Do not apply ice. It has been proven to worsen outcomes.
Do not apply a tourniquet above the bite to stop any venom from spreading. As counterintuitive as it may seem, you want the venom to be as diluted in your blood as possible, as this will make it less potent. Therefore, the correct course of action would be to just let it spread throughout your bloodstream.
Remove any bracelets or rings. If you begin to swell up, they can cause issues and may need to be cut off.
Even if the snake's head is separated from its body, it can still bite. Do not play with dead snakes or take them with you to the hospital.
As you mentioned, take a good look at the patterns, size, and colors of the snake. Take a picture if you can. Different kinds of snakes require different kinds of antivenom, so this information is valuable to doctors.
Do not panic. Venom can take its time to work, and not all snakes are venomous. Call 911 ASAP."
19. "Road safety is very underrated, and emergencies are common. Keep your cool. Warn others of a problem with emergency flashers. Stay well off the side of the road if you must get out of the vehicle. Keep your belt on, unless you just get out of the vehicle. If you are walking, be aware of your surroundings. Don't get lost in your headphones. Walk against traffic. Stand off to the side of the road if it's narrow and a car is coming. Wear bright/reflective clothing, especially at night."
"If you are a driver, keep a safe following distance. Slow down in bad weather. Use your emergency flashers liberally for when traffic slows suddenly, weather is really bad, or around a road hazard. WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT! I've seen innumerable people die who would have lived if they had just buckled up. And never drive under the influence! I've seen more people die from road incidents than anything else, by far! (Lifestyle disease not included.)"
20. "If you lose your child in a crowded area, shout out what they're wearing as well as their name. It makes them much easier to identify to others."
"If you're swimming in the ocean, and you get knocked over and can't tell which way is up, exhale and follow the bubbles."
And finally...
21. "A friend of mine is a police officer in his home city. If your friend is drunk get them a cab home. DO NOT leave them to take the train home. He always tells me 90% of the people he gets run over by trains are drunks who fall into the train tracks."
Fellow first responders and medical professionals, what are some other do's and don'ts that could save people's lives? Let us know in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.