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First Aid Badge

(Discover Health & Fitness)
By Kerry Cordy

 

Disclaimer: First aid is designed to stop life-threatening dangers, protect an injured or ill person from further harm, and get them the proper medical attention as quickly as possible. All information for instructing this badge must be from American Red Cross or equivalent handbooks in order to avoid myths and mistakes. Please exercise caution.

 

Preschool: Do the three starred requirements *

_____1.* Learn why first aid is important. How do you keep yourself safe from being hurt when you go to help someone else? People who are hurt or sick might feel afraid: How could you help them not to be scared?

_____2.* Understand how to dial 911 and what questions you should be prepared to answer. Role-play with a parent, leader or other adult how a 911 call might go. Know the difference between how your call is responded to when you make the call from a cell phone verses a land line.

_____3.* Demonstrate how to treat basic injuries including scratches, small cuts, bug bites, and minor burns.  Know which items you need from the first aid kit.

 

Level 1: Do four requirements including the two starred *

_____1.* Do Preschool requirements 1 – 3.

_____2.* Put together or purchase a home first aid kit. Be able to identify each item in the kit, what it is used for, and how to use it properly.

 

Level 2: Do five requirements including the three starred *

_____1.* Do Level 1 requirements 1 & 2.

_____2.* Learn how to treat basic camping injuries including scratches, small cuts, bug bites, and minor burns, heat exhaustion, sunburn, and blisters.

_____3.* Put together or purchase a home first aid kit. Be able to identify each item in the kit, what it is used for, and how to use it properly.

 

Level 3: Do six requirements including the four starred *

_____1.* Do Level 2 requirements 1 – 3.

_____2.* Do the following:

  • Understand the treatment for a severe cut. Be able to explain how elevation, direct pressure, and pressure points are used. Explain the dangers of using a tourniquet and under what extreme emergencies it may be necessary. Describe the symptoms of anaphylactic shock caused by allergic reactions such as bee stings. Be able to explain prevention and treatment.
  •  Understand the difference between a simple and compound fracture. Demonstrate first aid for fractures of the forearm, wrist, thigh, lower leg and ankle using improvised materials.
  •  Describe the symptoms and possible complications of injuries to the head, neck, and back. Demonstrate proper procedures for treating suspected injuries to these areas. Explain what measures can be taken to reduce the possibility of further complicating these injuries.
  •  Describe the difference between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burns and the care necessary for each.
  •  Explain first aid for blisters and the benefits of moleskin.
  •  Learn the symptoms of choking and how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver.

_____3.* Be able to identify symptoms and first aid for the following conditions: Hypothermia, chipped/loosened/broken teeth, knocked out tooth, convulsions, strains, sprains, frostbite, bruises, abdominal pain, muscle cramps, dehydration, bug bites, and snake bites.

_____4.* Describe what action you would take for someone who shows signs of shock, of a heart attack and of a stroke. What conditions must be present before performing CPR on a person? Demonstrate proper technique for performing CPR in front of an approved instructor. What is in AED (automated external defibrillator)? How and when should it be used?

 

Level 4: Do seven requirements including the two starred *

_____1.* Do Level 3 requirements 1 – 4.

_____2.* Describe what to do in the following scenarios:

  •   One of your friends falls from a tree, blood is gushing from her arm and her lower leg looks broken.
  •   A summer hiker is pale, nauseous, complaining of a headache, and their breathing is fast and shallow.
  •   A summer hiker is flushed, having difficulty breathing, and seems confused or disoriented.
  •   A ball hits your friend in the face and his nose begins to bleed.
  •   While camping you receive several mosquito bites on your arms and legs.

 

Level 5: Do nine requirements including the two starred *

_____1.* Do Level 4 requirements 1 & 2.

_____2.* Teach someone how to do a skill from this badge or teach some knowledge about this badge to someone. You can teach kids, your spouse, seniors, anyone, just as long as you are sharing your new found knowledge. If for some reason you cannot teach what you have learned to someone else, you may choose an additional 2 optional requirements instead.

 

Optional Requirements:

_____4. A bandana can be used for a variety of first aid purposes. Demonstrate how to use a bandana as a sling, to stop bleeding, to cool off an over heated person, or to stabilize a twisted ankle.

_____5. Explain when and why an injured person should not be moved. If an injured person must be moved describe how you would decide the best method. Demonstrate (with a “victim” weighing less than you) a chair carry, a two-man carry, and how to improvise a stretcher.

_____6. Create an emergency phone list to post near your phone. Make sure to include the local fire and police department, the poison control center, and your personal physician

_____7. Look into a career where first aid is important. Ideas might include teachers, lifeguards, police, fire fighters, EMT, or day care provider. What first aid training is required for their job? What types of injuries/illnesses are most common in that profession?

_____8. Level 3 & Up only: Create a first aid safety booklet for Preschool and Level 1. It can be a coloring book, activity, book or children story, but make sure it includes basic first aid procedures and important telephone numbers.

_____9. Take a first aid certification course.

_____10. Take a CPR course.

_____11. Take turns with your family, friends, or club members where someone is playing a “victim” (they decide what kind of ailment they are suffering from or what kind of accident they have been in). They can be conscious or unconscious. Assess them and try to figure out what medical attention they may need based on what they describe or what kind of scenario is taking place.