We all love to get outdoors and geocache. Whether it’s the thrill of the hunt, the excitement of the find or sometimes the frustration of a DNF on a tricky hide. A DNF however isn’t the worst that can happen on a geocaching adventure.
Have you ever spotted a snake while out exploring? If you or your caching partners were bitten by a snake, would you know what to do? What about if you broke a limb climbing a tree, or your caching buddy suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. How would you react?
On Saturday, Geocaching Victoria was pleased to have Darren Mannix (Omegaman1971) from Healthguard First Aid as a special guest at a geocaching event GCAGHHH: First Aid Knowledge is Invaluable.
Darren was able to share his wealth of experience regarding the importance of First Aid and just how valuable knowledge can be. He also shared some shocking statistics including the fact that currently in Australia, only 1 in 10 people will survive a sudden cardiac arrest.
We can all play a part in improving those statistics as well as being prepared in the event of an emergency while geocaching and beyond. Some of the key takeaways from the introduction were:
- There are 3 simple steps to potentially help save a life in the case of a sudden Cardiac Arrest: Call, Push, Shock. This is a key part of Heart Safe Australia’s awareness and education campaign.
- Ensure you and your families emergency information is setup in your mobile phone so that it can be used by first aiders to help you in an emergency. Setup your iphone or android smart device today.
- First aid TOTTs – We are familiar with carrying numerous TOTTs to retrieve caches – Is a first aid kit one of your TOTTs?
Following the event, 17 lucky geocachers had the opportunity to attend a three hour information session to learn more about First Aid. Darren shared information about emergency response, CPR, wound management, bandaging and much more. That is 17 additional geocachers in the community that are now better equipped to assist in the case of an emergency. Are you lucky enough to cache with one of them?
If you would like to learn more, attend a First Aid course, or purchase First Aid equipment, please reach out to Healthguard First Aid at www.healthguardfirstaid.com.au.
Geocaching Victoria would like to send our sincere gratitude to Darren, and Healthguard First Aid for helping to keep our geocaching community safe.
