- Nov 22, 2003
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I am not sure how many first aiders, rescuers, and other health care or emergency care individuals there are out there but anyone who has flown on a plane knows the idea of "Save yourself first" which means, if you aren't safe, then you won't be able to help anyone else. Which on a plane means, put on your mask first before helping a child.
Is this however a rule or merely a guideline, isn't greatest love described as laying down one's life for ones friend? This question comes from an experience yesterday:
My partner and I went with a hiking group of lesbians that every month do a different hike, usually not too strenous. But yesterday they decided to go up a local peak which was a 2.5 mile striaght up to a ridge walk, plateau, another ridge walk and summit.
The weather was suppose to be hot with some clouds but by the time we reached the first ridge it was starting to rain and the wind had picked up considerably. Though all other groups had turned back due to wind on the ridge so strong that it was too dangerous to be alone, the group I was with continued in groups of three, unroped, up and over the plateau, down the next ridgewalk. There, my partner, I and a third woman, as we were in the rear stopped to take a picture as the clouds had parted. A woman in her 40's and a man in his 60's passed us, having come a different way and we followed them 45 seconds later. 100 yards from the summit, we came upon the man lying face down on the ground. My partner, who is a first aider, put him in the recovery position while I went to get the rest of our group for help. As I returned mountain rescue was called while the man's pulse went from faint to nothing and he was rolled over for chest compressions and CPR. His mouth was covered with blood and my partner, wiped as much free as possible, hesitated and then started CPR.
Another woman in our group I will call Claire, who was a first aider, helped as they tried for 5 minutes to revive him. His ears were blue, his eyes fixed and filming. At that point we realized that the weather had turned considerably worse (winds even stronger, drop in temperature and visability about 10-15 feet). We assessed the situation and determined that if we did not leave now, that there was a possibly of hypothermia, or worse (As this was suppose to be a short hike on a burning hot august day some were not as prepared as others). Claire wouldn't leave as it was not only her but those who were in his party that were still around and Claire's friend volunteered to stay with her.
We left in groups of three, spacing outselves so as not to lose sight of the party ahead and alternating the windward side person (to give you an example - the wind was so fast that not only did you have to hold on to each as the wind pulled you to your tiptoes, but the only way to communicate was to scream into the person's ear and the would still only be able to hear you if there was a slight lull in the ferocity). We all made it down, and reported the exact location to mountian rescue who had tried with two different helicopters to make an approach without success. They were bringing in an extreme conditions military helicopter with hopes that would work. Some Ranger survival rescue personal had gone up as we were coming down to the bottom. 30-40 minutes later Claire and her friend made it down, leaving him after trying for 15 minutes to resusitate. At the bottom she talked to the mountain rescue and found from thier personal up there that they had not met the group of 3 people who were with the man who had the heart attack which meant they had not descended. Claire immediately volunteered to go back up the mountian in order to lead them to the group.
Situations like this always cause you to question things after. According to the "rules" you do not start CPR on someone with blood on thier mouth due to risk of infectious diseases, you do not leave members of your party behind. Should we have stayed another 5 minutes and then made everyone come down, leaving the body there? Should we have attempted CPR at all? What if, what if, what if....
It is hard to know what the correct, "Christian" response is, what does it really mean in a real life circumstance to "lay down one's life"? I dunno.
Is this however a rule or merely a guideline, isn't greatest love described as laying down one's life for ones friend? This question comes from an experience yesterday:
My partner and I went with a hiking group of lesbians that every month do a different hike, usually not too strenous. But yesterday they decided to go up a local peak which was a 2.5 mile striaght up to a ridge walk, plateau, another ridge walk and summit.
The weather was suppose to be hot with some clouds but by the time we reached the first ridge it was starting to rain and the wind had picked up considerably. Though all other groups had turned back due to wind on the ridge so strong that it was too dangerous to be alone, the group I was with continued in groups of three, unroped, up and over the plateau, down the next ridgewalk. There, my partner, I and a third woman, as we were in the rear stopped to take a picture as the clouds had parted. A woman in her 40's and a man in his 60's passed us, having come a different way and we followed them 45 seconds later. 100 yards from the summit, we came upon the man lying face down on the ground. My partner, who is a first aider, put him in the recovery position while I went to get the rest of our group for help. As I returned mountain rescue was called while the man's pulse went from faint to nothing and he was rolled over for chest compressions and CPR. His mouth was covered with blood and my partner, wiped as much free as possible, hesitated and then started CPR.
Another woman in our group I will call Claire, who was a first aider, helped as they tried for 5 minutes to revive him. His ears were blue, his eyes fixed and filming. At that point we realized that the weather had turned considerably worse (winds even stronger, drop in temperature and visability about 10-15 feet). We assessed the situation and determined that if we did not leave now, that there was a possibly of hypothermia, or worse (As this was suppose to be a short hike on a burning hot august day some were not as prepared as others). Claire wouldn't leave as it was not only her but those who were in his party that were still around and Claire's friend volunteered to stay with her.
We left in groups of three, spacing outselves so as not to lose sight of the party ahead and alternating the windward side person (to give you an example - the wind was so fast that not only did you have to hold on to each as the wind pulled you to your tiptoes, but the only way to communicate was to scream into the person's ear and the would still only be able to hear you if there was a slight lull in the ferocity). We all made it down, and reported the exact location to mountian rescue who had tried with two different helicopters to make an approach without success. They were bringing in an extreme conditions military helicopter with hopes that would work. Some Ranger survival rescue personal had gone up as we were coming down to the bottom. 30-40 minutes later Claire and her friend made it down, leaving him after trying for 15 minutes to resusitate. At the bottom she talked to the mountain rescue and found from thier personal up there that they had not met the group of 3 people who were with the man who had the heart attack which meant they had not descended. Claire immediately volunteered to go back up the mountian in order to lead them to the group.
Situations like this always cause you to question things after. According to the "rules" you do not start CPR on someone with blood on thier mouth due to risk of infectious diseases, you do not leave members of your party behind. Should we have stayed another 5 minutes and then made everyone come down, leaving the body there? Should we have attempted CPR at all? What if, what if, what if....
It is hard to know what the correct, "Christian" response is, what does it really mean in a real life circumstance to "lay down one's life"? I dunno.
