This textbook chapter on Outdoor Emergency Care provides an overview of special operations relevant to patrollers and OEC technicians, covering topics such as ambulance operations, disaster response, hazardous materials incidents (HAZWOPER), terrorism response (including active shooter protocols), and search and rescue (SAR) techniques. It emphasizes safety, preparedness, and coordination with specialized teams, highlighting the importance of understanding roles in various emergency scenarios, including avalanche and rope rescues, confined space incidents, and interactions with SAR dogs. The chapter also touches upon fire ground operations and crew resource management (CRM) to enhance team effectiveness and safety in complex situations.

This chapter from the Outdoor Emergency Care: A Patroller’s Guide provides OEC technicians with essential knowledge for managing behavioral emergencies. It defines key terms, differentiates between mood and psychotic disorders, and outlines common signs and symptoms. The text emphasizes rescuer safety during assessment and intervention, detailing techniques for patient evaluation, treatment, and when restraint is necessary. Finally, it addresses critical incident stress and the importance of seeking support after challenging events.

This chapter from an Outdoor Emergency Care guide provides comprehensive information for patrollers on assisting adaptive athletes, emphasizing the importance of understanding various disabilities like physical, intellectual, and sensory impairments. It details appropriate assessment and care techniques, including communication strategies tailored to different needs and considerations for specialized equipment. The text outlines specific medical conditions such as autonomic dysreflexia and seizures, and discusses adaptations for common procedures like splinting and patient transport, even addressing lift evacuation. Ultimately, this resource aims to equip emergency responders with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively and respectfully aid athletes with disabilities in outdoor settings.

This chapter from an Outdoor Emergency Care guide focuses on geriatric emergencies, highlighting the physiological changes associated with aging and their impact on medical assessments and treatments. It outlines common illnesses and conditions affecting older adults, discusses the complexities of medication use in this population, and emphasizes crucial considerations for trauma management. Furthermore, the chapter provides guidance on effective communication techniques for geriatric patients and underscores the differences in managing their emergencies compared to younger individuals, using a case study to illustrate key concepts.

This chapter from Outdoor Emergency Care: A Patroller’s Guide to Medical Care specifically addresses pediatric emergencies, highlighting the anatomical and physiological differences between children and adults that influence assessment and treatment. It outlines various stages of child development, normal vital signs for different age groups, and effective communication techniques for young patients and their caregivers. The text covers common pediatric illnesses and injuries, emphasizing assessment skills using the pediatric assessment triangle and modifications for physical exams based on age. Furthermore, it provides guidance on the management of pediatric emergencies, including respiratory issues, seizures, and suspected child abuse or neglect, alongside a case study illustrating these principles in practice.

This chapter from Outdoor Emergency Care: A Patroller’s Guide to Medical Care provides a comprehensive overview of water-related emergencies. It defines drowning and explains various incidents like arterial gas embolism and decompression sickness associated with diving. The text also discusses spinal injuries in submersion incidents and swimmer’s ear, covering their assessment and management. Furthermore, it outlines procedures for patient assessment and treatment in different water-related scenarios, emphasizing safety and prevention strategies.

The provided text, a chapter outline and lecture notes from the sixth edition of "Outdoor Emergency Care: A Patroller’s Guide to Medical Care," focuses on altitude-related emergencies. It defines altitude, explains the effects of increasing altitude on oxygen levels, and details risk factors and preventative strategies for altitude illnesses. The material further describes the signs, symptoms, assessment, and treatment of specific conditions like acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), and high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), concluding with a case study illustrating these principles.

This chapter from Outdoor Emergency Care: A Patroller’s Guide to Medical Care provides essential information for outdoor emergency care technicians regarding injuries and illnesses resulting from encounters with plants and animals. It defines key terms like poisons, toxins, and venom, and describes potential harm from various biological sources, including toxic plants, poisonous mushrooms, spiders, snakes, insects, and marine life. The chapter outlines patient assessment techniques specific to these situations, emphasizing scene safety and recognizing signs of envenomation or poisoning. Furthermore, it details the proper management of such emergencies, covering topics like stinger removal, tick removal, snake bite care, and treatment for animal bites, always prioritizing life-threatening conditions and transport when necessary, as illustrated in the included case study.

This chapter from the Outdoor Emergency Care: A Patroller’s Guide to Medical Care provides a comprehensive overview of heat-related emergencies. It begins by explaining how to prevent these illnesses through preparation and understanding the body's thermoregulation processes in hot environments. The text then details the different types of heat emergencies, including heat syncope, cramps, exhaustion, and stroke, outlining their signs, symptoms, assessment, and management. Finally, it offers a case study to illustrate the practical application of the discussed principles in a real-world scenario.

This chapter from an Outdoor Emergency Care guide details the recognition and management of cold-related medical emergencies, primarily for ski patrollers and other outdoor responders. It explains conditions like frostnip, frostbite, and the different types and severities of hypothermia, including afterdrop and considerations for avalanche victims. The text outlines patient assessment techniques specific to cold injuries and describes various treatment methods, emphasizing the importance of preventing further heat loss and appropriate rewarming strategies, while also addressing considerations for resuscitation in severe cases. Resources and learning objectives are provided for both instructors and students using the guide.