First aid never takes a vacation

Guest entry by Kristopher Tharris, Coordinator, Learning & Development, First Aid

Flip flops, sunscreen, beach reads….and a first aid kit!

Many Canadians escape winter this time of year to a sunny destination. For me this meant two weeks in beautiful Barbados.

It was spectacular: sand, sea turtles, and body surfing. At one end of the beach is a small reef that creates waves ideal for body surfing. We lined ourselves up between the exposed bits of reef on the shoreline and went for it in the 20-metre space between.

I caught THE wave.

It was an excellent ride with the shore rushing up when I felt stinging in my hand. If the moment had frozen it would have looked like I was mid-push-up, with my hands directly in my face. I came up from the wave and found that I had scraped my hand on a bit of unseen reef.

Following Red Cross’ training, I first applied pressure to stop the bleeding, washed the wound with soap, rinsed with clean water and then covered with a bandage.

As I’m currently working on the Wilderness & Remote First Aid program development, I also snapped a few photos of my injury (you never know when you might catch a book-worthy image!). Though the hand was tender for a few days, I realized it could have been worse – at least it wasn’t my face!

While incidents can happen anywhere at any time, with the proper training and a few basic supplies packed in your luggage – they won’t ruin your vacation.