wwii axis reenactment forum

Hello to all Medicos,
I have portrayed a medic, for a number of time periods, for many years and have found that in this impression you may well be called upon to do some REAL first aid type work at any time. Frequently it is perceived by others that you must know something about first response since you "look the part". I got into this impression because of a long career in professional medicine wherein I developed a love for medical history and have been asked for REAL medical assistance on different occasions.
My thought is that if anyone is portraying a field medic he/she should have some actual first responder training so they not only look the part but can also act the part if needed. It is very rewarding to help out in the time of crisis.

There are many organizations that will train one in first aid but I want to recommend a great course that goes well beyond standard first aid and will get you primed for a field/backcountry problem - in the USA that is the American Red Cross WILDERNESS AND REMOTE FIRST AID training. This is a 16 hour course ( a weekend) that is great! You will learn to fix problems with what is at hand in the wilderness. Usually costs around US125.

In reenacting we basically 'pretend'.....no one really shoots anyone ( I hope ). Medical situations of a very real nature can and will come up where a 'medic' can be of real assistance to a victim. Many of you folks may already have emergency medical training...GREAT!! If you do not, get some! It will make your medical impression more fun for you and will provide that extra measure of comfort to your buddies!

Ron Anderson
Wilderness Medic
ARIZONA, USA

good idea
when in my previouse hobby of saturday and sunday leugue footy
i was called apon to give medical help to a good friend who colapsed during a game

at the time i had no idea what to do
i did what i could .mouth to mouth and compressions...but after the real medics arrived i found it was to no avail

he died in front of me

now
what i learnt from this experience was we should all know some basics
personaly i think it should be taught for nothing by the government


i did a course .....got me certificate .................
went off into the wide world and helped some peeps again.

im all for this type of learning
all of us sometime will need it
either taking it or giving it

In our group it is obligated that if you want to wear the sanitäter badge you have to folow a first aid training and must be holder of a certificate!

I must say in the USA the lessons are expensive!

In Flanders the lessons of the Red Cross are free, only the manual is 12 euro I think (mine was in 2006). Now I'm going to do a folow up as the certificate expires after 5 years with the Flemish Cross (independant since 1927) and there the lessons and book are 32 euro

good advice.
yes wear the armband and people will come.

i have been trained for many years and with my job too have many advanced certification .

when out and about i carry the original equipment but my rucksack is full of modern kit, from plasters to burns dressings to airways and resus kit. there is rarely an event i go to where i dont have to treat someone, out in the battlefield the kit is there on standby and HAS been used.

kids getting stung is a common one.

appointed persons first aid courses are relatively inexpensive and last one day, if a group has funds it is worthwhile having the sani put throught this just for piece of mind to treat his fellow group members if the need arises,
further training such as the first aid at work 4 day courses(uk) givesa more indepth and reccomended first aid course,
aed ( defib training)
medical gasses
emergency airway management
xygen therapy

always good to look into..never know when or where you need it


.

mind you when we have our red cross tent up you will be amazed what i get asked

i remember the old dear (about 90 ) sat on one of my chairs , i was doing field surgery on the dummy , when i turned round she looked me up and down ( i was in feild surgeons kit ) she genuinely asked me if i could look at her knee as her athritis was playing up and she thought a german doctor would be better than the useless bugger she had

Thanks for your replies....I am glad to see that some classes are free to those who want them! The US125 fee I mentioned is for the WILDERNESS FIRST AID course...16 hours of level 2 advanced first aid. Students must have an ADULT CPR certification card in their possession before they can take the WFA course.

We should send all of our 'battlefield med stories' out. I know what you mean about questions during reenactments! I have been asked about birthing babies, festering wounds, eye problems, ear aches, sore joints, sore throats, etc., etc. I remember one burn case where, at an old west festival in Arizona, a 'cowboy' was holstering his .45 revolver when the hammer caught on his holster lip and the thing went off against his leg. Fortunately it was loaded with blank ammo but it blew his trousers to shreads and burned the heck out of his leg. Wyatt Earp, indeed!!

Shall we form a worldwide historical medical society and trade information? Could be fun.

For great info on the wilderness medicine topic go to the WILDERNESS MEDICAL SOCIETY website. They are the 'peak of the wilderness medical mountain' in the US.

So others may live,
Ron

Hi guys, very interesting topic and some common-sense replies.

I currently portray a WW2 German Sani, and come from a background that has encompassed (in "real life") first aider, military combat medic, battlefield first aid instructor and A&E (ER)/trauma/orthopaedic nurse. I am currently a nurse advisor/lecturer and still hold a qualification in advanced trauma life support (ATLS).

However, given the litigious times we live in here in the UK, unless it was a "life or death" situation, I would be extremely cautious about tendering treatment of any kind unless I had some additional cast-iron public liability insurance.

Whilst I appreciate the sentiment of doing the best that one can for one's fellow human beings, I don't think that there should be any pressure on re-enactors to provide "no-duff" medical cover.

Leave it to the professionals, otherwise we run the risk of being seen as a group of over-zealous ambulance chasers. Believe you me, I have met more than my fair share of them, and would not let them treat my dog. They are scary, and serve to do nothing more than give the medical and nursing profession a bad name.

Peter Hoffmann wrote:Hi guys, very interesting topic and some common-sense replies.

I currently portray a WW2 German Sani, and come from a background that has encompassed (in "real life") first aider, military combat medic, battlefield first aid instructor and A&E (ER)/trauma/orthopaedic nurse. I am currently a nurse advisor/lecturer and still hold a qualification in advanced trauma life support (ATLS).

However, given the litigious times we live in here in the UK, unless it was a "life or death" situation, I would be extremely cautious about tendering treatment of any kind unless I had some additional cast-iron public liability insurance.

Whilst I appreciate the sentiment of doing the best that one can for one's fellow human beings, I don't think that there should be any pressure on re-enactors to provide "no-duff" medical cover.

Leave it to the professionals, otherwise we run the risk of being seen as a group of over-zealous ambulance chasers. Believe you me, I have met more than my fair share of them, and would not let them treat my dog. They are scary, and serve to do nothing more than give the medical and nursing profession a bad name.

Well said!

As a certified EMT-B, it gets kind of tricky when if comes to providing care. Ill provide full care to the boys in my gruppe, but only basic first aid to the general public because of the Good Samaritan Law.

all well and good saying leave it to the pro's

but
it all depends on the situation
we all know that

if i was laying flat on my back dying
id like to think
that one of you out there in reenacting land would do thier best to help me survive


if a profesional is not at hand what would you do

sit and watch me die?

i know some dont like me...pmsl

again in a situation of no one around and you are the only hope of help even if its just a cut
i would help out wherever i could
id hope others do too

les hearn wrote:all well and good saying leave it to the pro's

but
it all depends on the situation
we all know that

if i was laying flat on my back dying
id like to think
that one of you out there in reenacting land would do thier best to help me survive


if a profesional is not at hand what would you do

sit and watch me die?

i know some dont like me...pmsl

again in a situation of no one around and you are the only hope of help even if its just a cut
i would help out wherever i could
id hope others do too

if i am around les. i will be there .!

Les I will help you ( unless your in the mankini )

Franz repper wrote:Les I will help you ( unless your in the mankini )

and that would have been the main time i needed mouth to mouth



not seen any pics yet ...phewwww

Just finished my senior first Aid

Even with out a course, you can can learn almost anything you need to know on the internet, and should take some time practicing first aid. Also make sure to carry a real medical kit and plenty of expendables in it.

Nothing major, but I completely wrecked my thumb in the heat of a tactical whilst firing a blackpowder panzerfaust at a tank, and had to get the assistance of the US medic mid-battle. The kid had no idea what to do, but thankfully had bandages in his kit. Wrapped my thumb up with the help of a unit member, and kept on trucking. Ever since then, I now carry a medical kit in my bandage pocket of my tunic, and have helped people with injuries when no one else around had bandaging.

Glad to see the qualified sani's out there!