The Incident Command System (ICS) is the model tool for command, control and coordination of response and provides a means to coordinate the efforts of individual agencies as they work toward the common goal of stabilizing the incident and protecting life, property, and the environment. ICS uses principles that have been proven to improve efficiency and effectiveness in a business setting and applies these principles to emergency response.

The role of searching personnel is often misunderstood. The highest priority is not the health and well-being of the subject. The highest priority is the health and well-being of self, then the team, and then the subject. When these priorities are scrambled, the possibility of a rescuer becoming a patient increases, turning an asset into a liability. If a Searcher becomes injured, then it takes time and vital resources away from the original objective of the search.

Many accidents in search and rescue operations are the result of a failure to adequately identify and manage risk. Risk management is a process that should be ongoing. Anytime a search is conducted, personnel go into places facing numerous issues that could potentially cause harm.

HIV continues to affect the lives of many even today, physiologically as well as psychologically. Although medical interventions continue to work on finding the optimal cure or treatment for AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, most people who have tested HIV positive, tend to turn recluse and ostracise themselves from others, mostly because of the stigma attached to the disease.

Pain is considered the “fifth vital sign” and a subjective symptom, so healthcare providers must rely on the patient’s description. Pain is whatever the person says it is, existing whenever the person says it does even if no specific cause of can is identified. To conduct his pain assessment, you can use the COLDERR method.

Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) revolutionized our approach to trauma by utilizing evidence-based medicine in replacing the antiquated “ABCs” with the MARCH mnemonic. If you are not familiar with MARCH, here is what you need to know.

A first-aid kit is an important item to have when you travel, whether it’s in your own country or across the globe. When your doctor’s office is far away, having the right items with you is essential. Your first-aid kit should have what you need to take care of mild illnesses and injuries. This will include a variety of things, but you don’t need to take an entire medicine cabinet.

An EpiPen is an epinephrine auto-injector used to treat severe allergic reactions called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis can be triggered by different allergies, including food, venom, and drug allergies.

World Diabetes Day is celebrated every year on 14 November to raise awareness about diabetes. Patients with diabetes are found less in the rural populations than in the urban population because there is a difference in food intake. To prevent this disease, not only awareness but also lifestyle changes are important. Diabetes patients are more likely to be seen in cities due to irregular eating habits and less physical activity.

IV therapy is a delivery method for fluids and medication. “IV” stands for intravenous, which means the fluid is administered through the veins. The fluid that contains vitamins and minerals or medication is delivered via an IV drip or injection into the vein, which allows the therapy to move quickly through your bloodstream. Direct IV insertion typically delivers medication faster than oral administration.

Multiple Casualty Incident (MCI) occurs, such as a major road traffic accident, fire, or terrorist attack, prioritising patients is critical for those that are most in need to receive urgent treatment first.

The cold and flu season is starting to rear its ugly head, and we cannot seem to get away from the coughing and sneezing. But why are we more prone to these infections during the colder months?

Flash floods result from relatively short, intense bursts of rainfall, often from severe thunderstorms. It can occur in almost all parts of the world and poses the greatest threat of loss of life due to flooding.

Clothing might seem like an afterthought when one is headed outdoors or planning for an adventure. Still, it’s the first and most important layer of protection between you and the elements.

Nearly 80% of people who die from drowning are male. Drugs and alcohol are involved in half of adolescent and adult deaths associated with water recreation. Trauma from water recreation is secondary to dives, falls, and horseplay. And failure to wear a personal floatation device (PFD), while boating, results in a staggering 88% of drowning deaths.

The management of someone injured is probably the most important topic in all injuries, sports, and outdoor medicine. There are four effective survey techniques that are used in your initial assessment of a sick or injured person.

You can get altitude sickness if you travel to a high altitude too quickly. Breathing becomes difficult because you're not able to take in as much oxygen. Altitude sickness, also called acute mountain sickness (AMS), can become a medical emergency if ignored.

This article outlines life-saving concepts related to avalanches but does not cover all aspects of avalanche safety. To be truly safe from an avalanche, a person needs to take an avalanche safety course. Understanding avalanches is one of the more critical topics in wilderness medicine, if not for any other reason than that injury and death rates are rising.

The rule of nines is a method doctors and emergency medical providers use to easily calculate the treatment needs of a person who’s been burned.

Honey has been used as a wound dressing for thousands of years, but only in more recent times has a scientific explanation become available for its effectiveness.