Step 1: Control the Situation
Each (mountaineering) team should ideally appoint a rescue leader beforehand (different from the main climbing leader), or assign a leader temporarily.
When an accident occurs, this leader's task is to immediately make an initial assessment of the situation, assigning different tasks to different people, or caring for different injured individuals. This allows the entire team to make the most effective response in the shortest possible time.
Step 2: Approach the Injured in the Safest Way
The aim of this step is to prevent further casualties. Often, at the accident site, especially immediately after the accident, dangerous factors still exist.
For example, falling rocks, avalanches, other falling objects, or terrain prone to lightning strikes. While approaching the injured, prevent further injury to yourself and the injured.
Step 3: Provide Emergency Aid for Life-Threatening Injuries
If breathing stops, life is in imminent danger. Temporary cessation of breathing can be caused by: lightning strikes, being struck by heavy objects, strangulation by ropes, carbon dioxide poisoning due to insufficient ventilation in snow caves or tents, or a ruptured pleura. If a wounded person does not receive timely treatment, their life will be in danger.
Sometimes, moving the wounded person to a safe place (e.g., in cases of carbon dioxide poisoning) or removing objects that are causing suffocation will cause them to resume breathing spontaneously.
If breathing difficulties are due to a pleural puncture disrupting the negative pressure in the chest, the wound should be immediately plugged with your hand, and then sealed with gauze.
Generally, for wounds without obvious arterial bleeding, direct pressure bandaging can be used to stop the bleeding.
If there is arterial bleeding in the limbs or head and neck, the artery proximal to the heart can be firmly pressed with your fingers or palm to stop the bleeding.
For larger, more complex, or rapidly bleeding wounds in the limbs (where pressure bandaging is ineffective), a tourniquet can be used. The tourniquet should be applied proximal to the heart, on the side of the limb closest to the heart.
Step 4: Protect the Wounded and Reduce Their Stress When injured, the body experiences significant stress and becomes more sensitive to external stimuli such as cold and heat. At this stage, prioritize the protection of the injured. Maintain body temperature in cold environments and speak to them in a relaxed tone, reassuring them that rescue efforts are underway to reduce their psychological stress and reassure them.
Step 5: Check for Other Injuries
After treating life-threatening injuries and securing the injured, conduct a thorough examination from head to toe.
Some injuries, especially internal injuries, may not be immediately visible or apparent under extreme stress, and may only be detected during a full-body examination.
After treating wounds, rescuers should immediately wipe blood from their hands to prevent infection and should not attempt to treat other injured individuals without first addressing their own wounds.
Step 6: Develop an Action Plan
Evacuate, or send a message and remain in place awaiting external assistance. At this point, the rescue leader should have a comprehensive understanding of the injuries sustained by all injured individuals.
At this point, time should be spent working together to develop the most effective evacuation plan, taking into account the team's existing resources and manpower, the injuries of the wounded, the terrain and weather conditions, and the availability of external support.
The guiding principle is to ensure the wounded receive the most effective and fastest treatment in the shortest possible time.
Step 7: Execute the Action Plan
Regardless of the plan implemented, close monitoring of the wounded is essential, along with attention to weather and terrain. The action plan should be adjusted accordingly if the situation changes.
In the chaotic aftermath of an accident, following each step meticulously is unrealistic. Any theory must be applied flexibly and appropriately in practice.
Rescue operations must be approached from a holistic perspective, with a comprehensive understanding of the situation. In outdoor situations, resources, time, and manpower are all limited. Sometimes, sacrificing a small amount for a greater good is necessary to minimize losses.
Finally, it is important to remind everyone that personal safety is paramount in rescue efforts. Ensuring your own safety allows you to provide greater and more effective assistance to others.
