# first aid stuff



## last125eagle (Jan 16, 2010)

Anyone know of a book or informational site I can look to figure out what level of first aid is good to have on hand in the theater / shop.

I have a friend who is a first aid red cross instructor who is going to test me and get all my stuff back up to snuff. Now I am concerned about what to have on site for myself, the staff, and the patrons. 

A ounce of prevention is worth many pounds of cure on this one in my opinion.


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## cprted (Jan 16, 2010)

There was a discussion about levels of first aid certification and gear required about six months back. Run a search and see what you can find. I know I contributed to that thread, so adding "cprted" to the search may narrow down your results.


last125eagle said:


> A ounce of prevention is worth many pounds of cure on this one in my opinion.


Except that first aid training is about reaction to injuries. Promoting safe work practices is the preventative element.


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## Anvilx (Jan 17, 2010)

http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/facility/14763-first-aid-facilities.html
Could some one explain to me this level system? My first aid kit is just the BSA one, as seen on pg. 289 of the BSA handbook. Funny thing is that is a much better kit then anything I have ever seen at my school.


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## cprted (Jan 17, 2010)

Anvilx said:


> http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/facility/14763-first-aid-facilities.html
> Could some one explain to me this level system? My first aid kit is just the BSA one, as seen on pg. 289 of the BSA handbook. Funny thing is that is a much better kit then anything I have ever seen at my school.


To which "level system" are you referring?


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## mstaylor (Jan 17, 2010)

Make sure you can fix cuts, burns, eye wash, sprains, simple things. It is for basic first aid only, you don't need to set up to be a parametic. You should consider having an AED in your lobby. I have now needed to use one on at least 6 or 8 times in the last few years. If you get Red Cross training, first-aid, CPR and AED, then yo will know exactly what should be in your kit.


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## Anvilx (Jan 17, 2010)

last125eagle said:


> Anyone know of a book or informational site I can look to figure out what level of first aid is good to have on hand in the theater / shop.



And from the other thread: 

cprted said:


> We have Level 1 kits in the loading bay and the booth, and Level 2 kits in the Lobby and the TD's office.



What are level one and level two first aid kids?

Or are you talking about what floor the kits are on?


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## cprted (Jan 17, 2010)

Anvilx said:


> And from the other thread:
> 
> 
> What are level one and level two first aid kids?
> ...


Ahh, no. Level 1 is a small, basic kit, whereas Level 2 are large kits intended to deal with more serious injuries.

How much gear, how many attendants, and what level of training is dictated by "Worksafe" (OHS/WCB) using a formula balancing the danger level in your industry, number of employees on site at a time, and travel time to a emergency room.

The body responsible for OHS in Texas will have similar requirements in place.


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## wolf825 (Jan 22, 2010)

Safety and Prevention is your best first aid--but of course its always good to be prepared. We have a standard kit backstage and one FOH along with an AED system (the kind you buy with supplies for 15 people) which just include basics like band-aids of all types, splinter removers, blister ointment, burn cream, insect and sting ointment, gauze pads, disinfectant and alcohol swabs etc. In addition to this--I stock disposable COLD and HOT bags--they can be found from many supplies (chief medical supply has great prices--google em!) and I also stock eye-wash stations in our shop, and have for crew-use only various aspirin/n-saids and ibuprofin..like tylenol, aleve, advil, excedrin..and we also stock stuff like pamprin and some basic cold meds and some stuff like Pepto Bismal and antacids... Word of caution--do not go handing out meds to people..there are some liability risks especially when it comes to the public or to children--if you have a sick child backstage--never give them anything or you could be sued if it goes wrong. If you have someone wanting aspirin in the audience--never give it to them! You do not know their medical history nor do you know the illness--it could be a headache or it could be a symptom of a worse condition and in some instances OTC pills and pain relievers can worsen a situation and make you liable. Basically we have it set so if anyone needs anything--adults can come find us, get the item or ice bag or band-aid--and then they can use it at their discretion, but we do not dish out stuff like a pharma or that could be dangerous. Keep any medications for yourselves. We, for insurance purposes, have to note and record any injury in our theater and what was done about it...so a log book is also helpful. You need to monitor the expiration dates on all your stuff--eye wash is only good for 2 or 3 years usually--some ointments only last a few years too...so assign someone to be the first aid person who routinely checks stock and rotates out old items. 

Just a few thoughts...
-w


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## photoatdv (Jan 22, 2010)

An interesting practice a theatre I recently worked at has is all first aid and medicine is in a cabinet, and you're free to use whatever you need, but no one will get it for you/help you/ ect.


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## cprted (Jan 22, 2010)

Under British Columbia's regulations, when acting as a first aider, I cannot administer any medication to anyone (including over the counter stuff). The closest I can come is to assist a patient in distress take a medication for which they have a valid prescription (ie, open the bottle, put two pills in their hand and hope they don't choke).


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## Chris15 (Jan 24, 2010)

Down here, you are not permitted to have anything in the way of meds - not even an aspirin or paracetamol in a first aid kit.

I'd suggest the first point of call in any discussions of first aid needs to be your local authority having jurisdiction over occupational health and safety. I'd be surprised if they didn't have rules to be followed...


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## Raktor (Jan 24, 2010)

Chris15 said:


> Down here, you are not permitted to have anything in the way of meds - not even an aspirin or paracetamol in a first aid kit.



Which is ridiculous in my opinion, it's just because of people trying to cover their behind in case of reactions etc.

Now it just comes down to venue supervisors having to hand out these out of their personal stash, and with it coming a warning that it's at their own risk etc... which shouldn't have to happen.


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## mixmaster (Jan 26, 2010)

last125eagle said:


> Anyone know of a book or informational site I can look to figure out what level of first aid is good to have on hand in the theater / shop.
> 
> I have a friend who is a first aid red cross instructor who is going to test me and get all my stuff back up to snuff. Now I am concerned about what to have on site for myself, the staff, and the patrons.
> 
> A ounce of prevention is worth many pounds of cure on this one in my opinion.



If you are taking a basic red cross course, stock up on whatever supplies you use in that class. You will not be trained on how to safely do anything else, and Hollywood aside, you are not going to be playing ER doc back stage. Professional rescuers call this scope-of-practice. 

Personally, I would NOT stock up on meds. At the high school level, I suspect that your school nurse is probably the only person who is authorized hand out meds. Even making Tylenol and Advil available in the theater would have been a violation of the rules at the high school I graduated from. At the college level, I expect our crew to be responsible enough to provide their own Tylenol if they feel they need it. Tylenol (for example) taken because someone has a headache is not what a first aid kit is for. Tylenol taken for pain control in conjunction with a significant injury will not have time to come to full effect before the patient "should" be seeking professional help.

Your first-aid kit should be able clean and cover small injuries. Massive blunt force or sharp trauma will best be handled by trained professionals and YOUR tools of the trade should be limited to stopping the bleeding and calling for help. AEDs in the lobby are a good thing, but that will probably come with a whole list of insurance and liability issues that will be above the paygrade of a theater tech.

If, because of your training, you are going to be responsible for maintaining and administering first-aide for your crew/venue, one thing to ask your friend is if the training that he gives you will affect your protection under the Good Samaritan laws. I know that when I certified as an EMT and was running squad, Good Samaritan no longer applied to me. Now that I let that cert. go, but remain CPR AED certified, those laws now apply.


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## DrPinto (Feb 19, 2010)

I'm a big fan of the AED in the theater. Beyond that, I wouldn't carry anything beyond band-aids. Administering ANY drug such as aspirin or ibuprofen is a bad idea. If the person has an allergy to these medications, it could cause them to end up in the hospital or worse. Even something as simple as applying an Ace (elastic) bandage to a sprain could cut off circulation if improperly applied. I wouldn't treat anyone medically beyond using the AED and performing CPR if you're certified. You're not there to play doctor. If there is any medical problem, call an ambulance.


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