Are You Prepared For The Worst?

Beekeeper

🍯Honey Monster🍯
Aug 6, 2019
1,750
2,196
Surrey hills
Thanks, that’s got me thinking too. Even a small first aid kit is better than nothing and at the moment I’ve been carrying every conceivable thing for the bike itself but nothing at all for humans ?
 

S D

Active member
Mar 26, 2019
191
124
Shelley
Good article, even more relevant for those people who carry on riding through winter.
Most are surprised just how fast hypothermia can set in once injured and static on the ground.
 

Doomanic

🛠️Wrecker🛠️
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 21, 2018
8,643
10,256
UK
Most are surprised just how fast hypothermia can set in once injured and static on the ground.
I did some work on my bike the other day. I was in the conservatory which is carpet tiles over concrete and wasn't wearing shoes (I know, fucking hill billy, right? :ROFLMAO: ) and I didn't realise how cold my feet were until I went back inside the house; I wasn't wearing a jumper either, because the air temp was fine and sleeves just get in the way, but the concrete floor really sucked the heat out of my feet.
 

Tim69

Well-known member
Feb 25, 2019
180
210
Israel
Sorry I don't understand "the Queen's English".. but what is a "bivvy bag"??
Thought it was a space blanket, but that was mentioned separately, in the first aid kit..
Thanks
Tim
 

KennyB

E*POWAH Master
Aug 25, 2019
824
564
Taunton
Waterproof, usually breathable, bag, big enough for one (actually two is pretty comfortable and great in an emergency). Usually a subtle camo colour but orange better for our purposes.
 

miPbiP

E*POWAH Master
Jul 8, 2019
754
805
Surrey Hills.
I ride light tho rarely alone and my riding area is not remote.

What's scary in the Singletrack article is not anything to do with the gear it's that it took > 4 hours to get paramedics to casualty lying on the floor in the open with suspected spinal injuries. Totally unacceptable.
 

KennyB

E*POWAH Master
Aug 25, 2019
824
564
Taunton
Can't remember where, but I picked up an emergency hooded jacket made from space blanket material, pocket sized so always with me, space blanket for the casualty, jacket for me.
 

dobbyhasfriends

🌹Old Bloke 🎸
Subscriber
Sep 19, 2019
3,252
4,638
Llandovery, Wales
I usually carry too much every ride but I cant be arsed to unpack the bag.
always have butterfly stiches and tape etc but if on a big one, a survival bag too.. I did have to use it once for an overnighter, it wasnt perfect but better than nothing
 

lumpy

🚁 CHOPPER 🚁
Nov 26, 2018
468
441
SF Bay Area
I'm a coach on a high school mtb racing team and we're quite frequently way out in the middle of nowhere. I carry a full first aid kit with me, along with a bunch of tools, just out of habit now. The extra weight and bulk of the gear is no big deal and it's good to have it for just in case.
As a coach, I needed to take wilderness first aid training which was quite helpful
 

Nicho

Captain Caption
Subscriber
Jan 4, 2020
1,041
1,889
Furness, South Cumbria.
As a member of a Mountain Rescue Team in the Lake District for the last 36 years I have seen many types of accident and often worked with the ambulances.

The ambulances' wheeled stretchers are not designed to go off a hard surface, despite the valient efforts of their crews, and on rough ground a specialist stretcher needs at least 8 people to handle it, and many more if the carry is of any distance, not to mention having to pass it over or through obstacles such as gates, walls and narrow bridges.

This applies even if the casualty only needs to be carried a few feet.

We have had many callouts to such incidents only a few feet from a road!

Often the ambulance is called, and it is only when it arrives on scene some time later, that they realise that they are unable to recover the casualty themselves and have to ask for the assistance of an MRT.

If you are in an area covered by MRTs and you are obviously not likely to be accessible to an ambulance stretcher, then when you dial 999 ask for Mountain Rescue rather than an ambulance, as this might save you vital time!

Team members (who are all unpaid volunteers) then have to get out of work or go home to get their gear then get to base to collect the team vehicles and equipment, then drive to the nearest access point to the incident.

This all adds up to a possible wait of at least a couple of hours before the casualty gets help.

As the article says, it is vital that the casualty's party carries enough gear to keep him and themselves comfortable until help arrives; it is no good giving the casualty your jacket if this results in you then suffering from hypothermia and becoming a second casualty!

Even in summer conditions a forced stop of a couple of hours can easily result in lightly clad people starting to suffer the effects of hypothermia.

In such situations space/foil blankets are of little use, and the more substancial types such as "Blizzard" type bags and blankets are better, but the best thing is the nylon bivvy or bothy bag, especially if it is big enough for other members of the party as well, as after a few minutes out of the wind/rain everybody including the casualty will be much warmer.

Also do not forget to try to insulate the casualty from the ground (without moving him at all if neck/spinal injury is suspected).

All too often I see riders in the Lakes carrying no gear at all (even in groups I have ridden with), and they either (a) do not seem to have given any thought as to what might happen to them, or ( b) expect somebody else to provide and carry safety equipment for them!

Unfortunately, once an accident has happened to you or your friend, it is too late to think about this; the time to think is NOW........and then do something about it before you go off-road again!!!
 

Slowroller

Well-known member
Founding Member
Jan 15, 2018
494
496
Wyoming
In every pack I own stuffed down in the bottom of the hydration pocket I carry zip ties, toilet paper, a lighter with duct tape on it, a fire starter, two big garbage bags and first aid supplies. I use packs on longer rides and hikes and the more remote the trip, the more gear I bring along. Even in the best scenarios, you're on your own for hours if not overnight if someone ends up hurt.
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
Author
Subscriber
Mar 29, 2018
10,496
10,699
the internet
"Helpful suggestions that we should call an ambulance came from riders that were passing through the quarry for a third time."

I presume that's Singletrack attempting to be sarcastic?
Only... from the article it sounds very much like they didn't bother to call back and chase up the Emergency services at all. Instead just waiting for another 4 hours?
Wow!
What a bunch of twats.
 
Jan 11, 2019
65
60
Thirsk
Another app worth considering is The what3words app | what3words

It's also worth remembering that when you activate the SOS function on a phone it will attempt to find any network that will allow you to make emergency calls.
Use Emergency SOS on your iPhone
Get help in an emergency using your Android phone - Android Help
Also if you have no signal and ring 999 or 112 your phone will roam to any network, I test this as part of my job nearly every day so know it works
 

StuE

E*POWAH Master
Patreon
Jun 4, 2018
282
298
Leeds
I ride light tho rarely alone and my riding area is not remote.

What's scary in the Singletrack article is not anything to do with the gear it's that it took > 4 hours to get paramedics to casualty lying on the floor in the open with suspected spinal injuries. Totally unacceptable.
LUBP is only 20mins from the nearest large hospital, so definitely not remote
 

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