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In case of emergency: Do you ever cycle alone?
Marcus Farley Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 12.26pm
In case of emergency (BikeRadar)
Do you ever cycle alone? Do you have difficulty remembering phone numbers? More importantly, how would someone know who to phone if you were unconscious or in urgent medical need?
This may be old news to some of you. But for the rest of us, here are some top tips:
A canny Paramedic suggested that people put I.C.E (In Case of Emergency) next to their next of kin’s name. This way, they could find the person, out of possibly hundreds in your mobile phone’s contact list, who may know how to save your life. That is, if you’ve remembered to take your phone with you, and have charged up the battery.
Always tell a loved one or friend where you are going, and who to contact for exact knowledge of the trail if you fail to return in reasonable time.
Carry a whistle and a first aid kit – they’re relatively cheap and may be the difference between a lonely night on the moors or even life and death. Warm clothes and a space blanket are also worth considering if you are going to remote areas.
Make sure you can get a signal on your mobile phone when traversing your favourite trails. If you can’t, find a mobile phone provider which does cover it.
Getting a waterproof solution for your mobile phone is also a good idea.
Make sure you can easily reach your phone, whistle and first aid kit (all redundant if you put them in a back pack and break your back) – this is where side and front pockets in shorts and tops come in useful, as does the design of Wingnut hydration packs.
Make sure you know all the functions on your mobile phone – some have flashing light distress signals, and most have voice activated dialling.
Got any other useful tips? Please post them here.
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User Comments
There are 3 comments on this post
Showing 1 - 3 of 3 comments
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saracenman09
Posted Wed 22 Apr, 3:54 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
Good ideas guys, thanks i'll carry a first aid kit from now on!
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ride_whenever
Posted Thu 23 Apr, 5:24 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
FAK aren't hugely useful unless you know what you're doing, without the proper training then anything that is actually serious you probably wont be able to handle.
With telling someone where you're going, make sure to give them an expected time that you'll be back, and get into the habit of texting them if you are going to be late back, so they worry if you don't.
Space blankets are brilliant though, particularly when it is wet.
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Halfwayup
Posted Fri 15 May, 3:26 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
The point of having a first aid kit isn't necessarily that you know what you're doing with it - if someone who DOES is first at the scene and you have one, they can help patch you up until the emergency services get to you. It's like the dressing carried in the sleeve pocket by every combat soldier - it's being carried by the person it's intended to be used on!
There is, of course, much to be said for doing a first aid course - just in case you come across someone trying to paint the trail with their own blood.
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