I remember the whole, who actually made the post thread...still up for grabs. And I once again see the comment about never calling military personnel better than civis also up for grabs. But I've never seen where "teachers/fire/doctors/ or a number of other civil servants" are serving their country...good times.

Anyways, I've came up on plenty of people that had no idea what to do other than call 911 and scream. That doesn't make them void of common sense, it makes them scared human beings. Especially with something like a messed up hand, something that many people would immediately pass out from. He went beyond what most people would have or would have known to have done.

[QUOTE=Linus]I'll say it again: Treatment is common knowledge. Everyone with 2 brain cells knows to put pressure on a wound. Everyone can do basic triage (More blood usually = more damage).

Now, DOING it under pressure is different. I never said DOING it was easy. Not a single time.
QUOTE]

I never said they knew what to do other than call 911. There are plenty of people that couldn't take the next step regardless of pressure.

Linus wrote: I said basic first aid, not advanced. Basic first aid is to hold the victim over until trained help arrives. That means stop/slow the bleeding as much as you can and treat for shock.

It is very clear what you're stating. Crystal in fact. The point is, it's still wrong.

Basic first aid is not common knowledge. Not even close in my experience.

You're right, that is basic first aid. Read c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y.

Not everyone knows basic first aid.

Here goes the semantics round-about. Big difference between putting on a band-aid and treating someone for shock.

You're putting using a band-aid and treating a mangled hand as the same.

Maybe the average person does know how to put on a band-aid, but not treat for shock or a number of other things that guy did.

[QUOTE=Linus]I have said it before: Knowing how to do something in normal situations doesn't mean you will think clearly on how to do it in an emergency.
QUOTE]

And for the last time, as I have let myself get sucked down into a never ending debate that changes in order to keep from admitting the truth, I will say it one last time.

Just because you know how to put on a band-aid does not mean you can treat that hand. Regardless if ideally the techniques may be the same, the average person would have no realistic clue. He just may have learned that from a video game about the military. I would clearly bet that had he been a medic in the military prior, your argument would be completely opposite.

And I'm tapping out.

Linus wrote: You simply cannot say that direct pressure to the wound is not common knowledge. Yes, you can.  However, judging by the immediate reaction to grab the wounded area which many people have, it may be an instinctive response. Yes, people do stupid things in emergencies, which is why when taught in the military, they do it under stressful situations so that you get used to it. (Actually, it's probably better to say *expect* it) Again, most of first aid is basic, the reason why people suck at it is because they suck under pressure and their brain quits functioning. Have to agree with that. CPR is something different, that's not basic first aid and that has to be taught. Same with tourniquets. And again for the 4 life saving steps (Start the breathing, stop the bleeding, protect the wound, treat for shock) What about step 5? (Take watch, wallet and cash.) But damn, putting a pressure bandage on a wound? Not instinctive or common sense at all.  While many people, courtesy of medical shows, know that a bandages are required; very few untrained personnel apply them correctly.

*Stealth* wrote: . . . I still highly disagree about your first aid procedure is a common sense... ... Wait till you see a med student answer the question: "How would you best go about stopping profuse bleeding of a limb?" "With ice".

My personal favorite misapplied first aid story was during an exercise overseas quite a few years ago.  The scenario involved a victim with profuse bleeding from a simulated head wound.  I had to step in and stop a young troop (supposedly trained/certified on first aid/buddy care) who thought that a neck tourniquet was in order.)

GI JOES SON wrote: edit-as for the guy claiming AA was the reason he reacted and treated? who knows. i think some people are born with certain instincts that other people aren't born with. Not necessarily instincts; perhaps traits which allow them to maintain control better in stressful situations? does it make them better? not necessarily, but it just gives them that one advantage.