Hopefully most people have been taught in their younger years the way to perform the Heimlich Maneuver (a.k.a. abdominal thrusts) on the victim of an obstructed airway. It is a lifesaving method that everyone should know in order to assist someone who is totally at the mercy of unsuspecting bystanders. If a person is still choking, it is advisable to let them try to emit the food material by their own power, but if not, and their airway is clearly obstructed, by all means intervene and perform this lifesaving technique. This is the very essence of emergency preparedness. It is quite a simple technique with profound consequences. It can mean the difference between life and death.
Emergency preparedness isn’t completely geared to helping others in a bind, however. It includes being prepared to help yourself first and foremost. As far as emergency preparedness goes, you can’t really help other people if you can’t take care of yourself.
If you happened to be all alone and you were eating some solid foods and by accident didn’t chew carefully enough, or for whatever reason swallowed a chunk of food that obstructed your airway, you have some options. If you are prepared for an event such as this you can come out victorious and live to see another day. The emergency preparedness technique of the Heimlich Maneuver can readily come into play if you have practiced it and understand the concept of using it to help yourself.
The motto of the Boy Scout is “Be prepared.” For anything. This is where I first learned not only the Heimlich maneuver, but further how to perform a version of it to empower myself in case I was not under supervision of anyone or was otherwise on my own without assistance if I should ever stop breathing due to an obstructed airway. In the previous emergency preparedness video about the self-administering of the Heimlich, I have dumbed it down a bit because I was just demonstrating, and I didn’t want to hurt myself. But you still get the idea. In the video you may have noticed when I perform the first method, I am using my hands up against the corner of the counter top, and that makes it less effective. In a real life situation you would not stabilize yourself or negate the forceful thrusts in this manner. And in the second method, upon reviewing the film, I notice that I am up against a door, not a more firm wall, and I am probably lifting myself off of my feet and making weird noises, as well as not being flush up against it (was I being overly dramatic?).
Regardless of my flaws, the point is still illustrated well enough to aid those who wish to polish their emergency preparedness skill set and have another tool of knowledge. You can’t develop too much in the way of emergency preparedness skills. There is always more to learn that you hadn’t thought of before and these gems are extremely useful. You won’t ever be sorry you took the time to learn about different aspects of emergency preparedness because you never know what can happen!
Related Posts:
Emergency Preparedness: Christmas Tree Safety
What Are Your Survival Priorities?
The “Triangle of Life”
Emergency Preparedness: The Shutoff of Utilities
2 Responses to “Emergency Preparedness: The Self-Administered Heimlich Manuever”
|
|
RSS FEED
Baby Baths
Excellent demonstration, even if it is a little corny. This is a lifesaver, to be sure. Thanks for sharing.
kettlebell workouts
Everyone should know the Heimlich, and now everyone should know how to administer it to themselves. This is a great variation on the original Heimlich Manuever.