First Aid Activities

First Aid Skills are life skills that may save your life or someone else at some point in your life. 

On the Trail to First Class, we cover some of the basics of First Aid.  The First Aid Merit Badge covers even more.  And the Wilderness First Aid Course packs in 16+ hours of medical training.  That a tremendous amount of information and can be really dry if delivered in the traditional classroom manner.  That said, First Aid training can also be a LOT of Fun if you approach it the right way.

Patient Carries

Patient Carries are always a fun activity for Scouts.  Easy to turn this life skill into a race and can be combined with pioneering skills to increase the challenge and level of fun. 

Severe Bleeding

This hands on activity can be a blast with the right amount of energy and supplies.  Bedsheets or fabric from the hobby store can be easily ripped and cut into triangular bandages.  You will needs sticks to make improvised tourniquets. 

Treatment of Severe Bleeding and Tourniquet Use is taught by Stop the Bleed course hosted by the Department of Homeland Defense. This is a highly recommended program.  We also recommend our Wilderness First Aid program that focuses on treatment of severe bleeding through improvisation - use of supplies found in the Wilderness.  These skills can in turn be used for Scout Activities at the troop. 

Bandaging 

This hands on activity can be a lot of fun with the right amount of energy and supplies.  Bedsheets or fabric from the hobby store can be easily ripped and cut into triangular bandages. 

Splinting

Not only does this develop vital life skills, this is exciting as it allows Scouts to get creative with supplied they might have on hand. 

First Aid Activities

Bandages and Splints

• Materials:  Big bag of Scout neckerchiefs or triangular bandages

• Method:  Brief class/demo on how to bandage a wound and brief class/demo on splinting.  Break up Scouts into groups of 5 or less.  Make one Scout in each group injured and have remaining Scout dress wound and then splint an extremity on the "Injured Scout".  Injured Scouts should ham it up with moaning to add chaos to event. 

• Scoring:  if doing this as a race, inspect that all bandages are tight (2 fingers not 4 fit under dressing) and splints don't fall off is shaken. 

Bandage Relay 

• Video

• Materials:  Scout neckerchief or triangular bandage for each patrol

• Method:  Each Scout selects a buddy from their own patrol and the pair lines up double file, facing an assigned judge who is standing 25 feet away with a neckerchief or triangular bandage. The name of a bandage, either “ankle,” “head,” or “sling,” is called out. When the name of the bandage is announced, each pair of Scouts run over to their judge and correctly apply the bandage to their buddy. The judge checks bandages as they are finished. As soon as a bandage is approved by the judge, it is removed, and the Scout on which the bandage was tied now ties the same bandage on their buddy. When the judge approves both bandages, the buddies run back to their patrol and tag off the next pair of Scouts.

• Scoring:  Each pair that correctly ties the bandages gets a point for their patrol. The first pair to run back to their patrol scores an additional point.

Stretcher Relay 

• Video

• Materials:  two sturdy, 6-foot poles, one blanket, one inflated balloon for each patrol, Diagram for Makeshift Stretcher

• Method:  The patrols line up in relay formation with the blanket and two poles. One patrol member is designated as an “injured Scout” and lies on the ground twenty-five feet away at the rescue point. On signal, two Scouts serving as stretcher carriers run up from the starting line with the blanket and two poles. When they reach the rescue point, they make a stretcher and put their “injured Scout” on it. When ready, they lift the stretcher and a junior leader (or judge) places the inflated balloon on the “injured Scout.” The carriers transport the “injured Scout” to the starting line without letting the balloon fall off. If it does, they must return to the rescue point and try again. The “injured Scout” may not hold onto the balloon. At the starting line, the carriers lift the “injured Scout” off. Another patrol member is designated as an “injured Scout,” and two other Scouts run up to make a stretcher for transporting them at the rescue point.

• Scoring:  The patrol that most carefully transports their “injured Scouts” to the starting line in the least amount of time, wins.

First Aid Baseball 

• Materials:  ten numbered cards (1 through 10: card 2 is a double, card 6 is a triple, card 10 is a home run, all other cards are singles), list of questions based on Tenderfoot, Second and First Class first aid requirements

• Method:  A miniature baseball diamond is marked out on the floor. The first patrol lines up behind home plate. The “umpire” (game leader) holds the cards in their hands. In turn, each Scout in that patrol tries to answer a question given to them by the umpire. If the Scout gives the correct answer, they draw a card. They score whatever hit is indicated on the card and become a base runner as in regular baseball. If they do not answer the question correctly, they’re out. After three outs, the next patrol comes to bat.

• Scoring:  The patrol with the most runs after two innings is the winner.

First Aid Carry Relay 

• Video

• Method:  Patrols line up in relay fashion facing a single turnaround post located 15 feet away. Two Scouts from each patrol carry the first “injured Scout” using Two-Person Carry around the turnaround post and back to the starting line. Next two Scouts carry the second “injured Scout” using the Four-Handed Seat Carry around the turnaround post and back to the starting line. Next Scout carries the third “injured Scout” using a One-Person Carry around the turnaround post and back to the starting line. If at any time an “injured Scout” touches the ground, the Scouts carrying this “injured Scout” must stop, reform their carry and continue.

• Scoring:  The first patrol making a complete circuit with the three “injured Scouts” scores wins.

First Aid Scenarios 

• Preparation:  The following scenarios can be printed out and distributed as a point of reference:

  • Scenario A:  A Scout zigzagging on a bicycle is hit by a car. They receive a cut on their left forearm that severs an artery. They also sustains a simple fracture of their right leg.

  • Scenario B:  A driver is speeding along a country road when one of their tires blows out. The car crashes into a pole. The driver receives a simple fracture of the right forearm and a gash on their right shoulder, causing arterial bleeding.

  • Scenario C:  While on a hike, a Scout patrol finds an electrical repairman lying at the bottom of a transformer pole. They are not breathing and have burns on both hands.

  • Scenario D:  While swimming in a country pond, one Scout jumps from a rock ledge and does not come back up to the surface. The other Scouts notice they are gone, jump in, and pull them out. They are not breathing and have a gash on their forehead that is bleeding profusely.

  • Scenario E:  A Scout is riding their bicycle when a dog bites them on the right ankle. The Scout swerves to get away, and falls heavily on the road. They lacerate a large area of their left elbow into which dirt and sand are ground. Their left wrist is swollen and painful.

  • Scenario F:  A woman is pinned under a pickup truck that has overturned at the side of the road. When she is released, it is found that she has a cut over her right eye and is spurting blood. Her right ankle is very painful and swelling rapidly.

  • Scenario G:  On an extremely hot day, several Scouts are sitting on a fence in front of their high school, watching a parade. One of the Scouts falls to the ground. Their face is hot, dry, and flushed, and their pulse is exceptionally rapid. Their left ear is torn and bleeding profusely.

  • Scenario H:  On a very cold day, an unconscious man is found lying behind a train shed. It is evident that he slipped on the railway track and struck his head. There is a gash running five inches from the front to the back of his head and it is bleeding profusely. The skin on his face is very cold, and his ears are pale.

• Method:  Depending on how much time is to be allotted for the activity, one or two scenarios are assigned to each patrol. After two minutes of deliberation, in turn, each patrol narrates a course of action detailing the correct approach to administering appropriate first aid.

• Scoring:  As determined by a panel of judges, depending upon the details and accuracy of their presentation, a patrol can score up to four points pertaining to their scenario.

Ice Accident 

• Materials:  for each patrol, a 10 to 15-foot rope, a Scout stave or broomstick handle, and a blanket

• Method:  Casually arrange the equipment in a corner of the room so that it’s ready for use, but don’t draw attention to it. Have each patrol place a Scout “victim” in a prone position at the opposite end of the room. Announce that these victims have broken through the ice and that it is up to each patrol to rescue its victim and to render first aid.
  Note the following:

  • Whether or not ropes and staves are noticed and used

  • Whether or not the victim is warmed by the blanket and treated for shock

  • Whether or not the need to administer CPR is ascertained

  • Whether or not medical help is summoned

• Scoring:  The patrol with the best performance and time wins .

Kim's Game: First Aid 

• Materials:  blanket or tarp, collection of ten or more first-aid objects such as: gauze pads, bandages, splints, adhesive tape, absorbent cotton, scissors, tweezers, sunburn ointment, antibiotic ointment, rubber gloves, thermometer, etc., and ten or more objects not used in first aid such as: a ball, paper clip, merit badge pamphlet (not first aid), pencil, penny, photo, shoe, glove, hand ax, toothpaste, etc.

• Method:  All objects are spread on the floor and covered with the blanket or tarp. The patrols gather around the covered objects. The cover is removed for exactly one minute. Afterward, the patrols huddle separately and write down all first-aid objects they can remember.

• Scoring:  The patrol with the most complete list wins. One point is deducted for each non-first-aid object listed.

First Aid Games by Sir Robert Baden-Powell

Wounded Prisoners

Placed at various points, each fifty yards from camp, are prisoners, one for each competitor in the game. These prisoners can be the smaller boys of the troop, and their arms and legs should be securely bound. They are supposed to be unconscious.

At a signal each of the competitors has to make for a prisoner and bring him home, and the one who reaches camp first with an unbound prisoner receives twelve marks. The competitors can either untie the knots directly they reach the prisoner which would aid in carrying or on arrival at Camp, but the ropes must be removed before the result can be arrived at.

No knives must be used and the prisoners, being unconscious, cannot give any assistance. The Scoutmaster has his eye on the competitors all the time, and is particularly observant for cases of rough handling or bad carrying, both of which are naturally injurious to wounded people.

The competitor who obtains most marks wins. A boy, for instance, might win twelve marks for getting home before the others, but he may lose three marks through handling his captive roughly, therefore the second boy, who would receive ten marks, should be acclaimed the winner. Generally speaking, however, the first arrival wins.

This provides good practice in untying knots and carrying the wounded. It can be adopted as an inter-patrol game, the first boy home out of twelve receiving 24 points, the last, 2, and the patrol which obtains the most marks winning.

The Red Cross Hero

One day while the whole camp are enjoying themselves a messenger arrives and tells a Patrol leader that while he was being pursued by the enemy on their side of the border he saw one of his men lying on the ground, wounded, and was unable to render him any assistance. 

The Patrol leader then tells his men the bad news, and calls for a volunteer to go and bring or endeavour to bring their comrade back to camp. Thus the "Red Cross Hero" is found. His duty is to find the wounded man (who will have been placed in a fairly hidden position beforehand) and then carry him back to camp, without being captured by the opposing Scouts. 

This game needs a Scout of brain and resource to act the part of the " Red Cross Hero," for he is supposed to be in a hostile country with a wounded man whom he must bring back to camp. If seen he must endeavour to dodge. 

Two of the enemy must get hold of him before he is captured. This is a game which will severely test the resourcefulness of the Scout. For example, if pressed he might be sharp enough to leave his comrade completely hidden until he has knocked his pursuers off his track. 

When the wounded Scout has been hidden all who can be spared from camp should go out to act as enemy, then one comes in as messenger and describes roughly where the wounded man is. There could be several wounded men and red cross heroes, if the enemy's number is sufficient.

The Ill Fated Camp

By Percy Hill.

Orders are given to a patrol to march in a certain direction until they find a camp, and, when they arrive there, they are to act as they think best.

They find the camp after a short time, with everything disordered, as though there had been a fight. There is a man lying in the tent labelled: "Shot through the head dead." Near by is another man, with a label, "Broken thigh," while some way off there is yet another wounded man, who crawled away after he had been shot, and had fainted from loss of blood.

It is interesting to watch different patrols at work. A tenderfoot patrol will very likely spend the first ten minutes fussing round the dead man when they arrive on the scene; and, after prodding him, poking him, and rolling him about, will, perhaps, make a stretcher, and carry him off for burial.

After wasting all this precious time, they turn to the man with the broken thigh, and carry him to the tent to patch him up, making the fracture a compound one on the way. They then tie up the wrong leg with numerous grannie knots, and, after some quite needless artificial respiration, leave the unfortunate patient to himself. The spoor of the third man passes unnoticed, and he is left to blood to death.

But now watch the arrival of a more experienced patrol.

As soon as the leader sees that the men have been wounded in a fight, he puts out two sentries to prevent another surprise attack; the dead man is briefly examined and left to himself, and the broken thigh carefully put into splints on the spot, and the patient gently carried into the tent. 

Then one of the Scouts notices that there are three tea cans by the fire, so they hunt round for the owner of the third. When he is found, a Scout's scarf makes a tourniquet, and the man's life is saved. This game makes a good subject for a display.

Injuries

The boys are divided into pairs. One boy starts the game by turning to his neighbour and saying: "I have twisted my ankle," or cut my finger," at the same time assuming a position he considers the accident will cause, or simply holding out the injured member.

His neighbour has to explain at once the proper treatment of the injury. If he cannot answer he must take up the sufferer's burden. If he answers correctly the sufferer has to keep in the position.

The procedure is repeated with each pair, different troubles being used in each case, therefore at the end the first round half the boys are sufferers (the losers) the other half uninjured (the winners).

The sufferer now suddenly conquers his malady, but discovers one equally troublesome which he asks his neighbour to solve. If the neighbour is successful it proves that he is the better boy at First  Aid, because he has won twice.

Only those boys who have won twice enter the next round; those who have lost both times, or won one and lost the other, being counted out.

The winning boys are pitted against each other until a final winner is discovered. If the final between the last two boys be a draw, they should test each other, again. Of course the winner is not necessarily the smartest boy in the troop at First Aid, but the game undoubtedly helps to impress the principles of First Aid upon the memory of the boys.

The Scoutmaster listens to the recital of each injury and judges the suggested treatment. He may also ask supplementary questions to make sure that the doctor really understands.

Ambulance Knights

In this game a big boy takes the place of a horse, and a small one rides on his back. Each small boy is labelled with the name of an injury, and holds a stick in his hand.

Rings allowing one for each pair of boys are hung at a certain distance in such a manner that they can be easily dislodged by the sticks, and this is the object of the game, the big boys carrying the small ones past the rings at a run.

When a small boy has succeeded in getting the ring upon his stick, the big one who is carrying him has to reach a given point, put the small boy down, examine his label, and treat him for his injury.

The one who does this in the quickest and most correct style wins.

Should the small boy fail to dislodge the ring at the first attempt, the big one may go back to the starting place and try again.

Necessary appliances must be supplied for the big boys.

Ambulance Rounders

A judge is necessary for this game.

Sides are taken as in ordinary rounders, and the game played as usual, those who are "in" each having a label representing some kind of hemorrhage tied on to their arms.

When one is caught out, or hit with the ball, he drops on to the ground. The judge immediately calls out the name of his supposed injury, and the one who has caught him out or hit him runs to treat him instantly in the correct manner.

The opposite side must be on the look out for faulty treatment, for should there be any it counts to them, and the injured person is released, his side still remaining in.

In all other respects the game is exactly the same as usual, but each member of the side which is "out" should be provided with a bandage and piece of stick.

Ambulance, French and English

The boys are all labelled with the name of some injury and are divided into two parties one French, one English.

Captains should be chosen for each side, and certain boundaries agreed upon.

Two camps are chosen as far apart as possible, and in each are placed as many objects as there are boys on one side. Anything that is light to carry is suitable, such as sticks, empty match boxes, etc.

The object of the game, as in ordinary French and English, is for the boys on one side to obtain the articles from the opposite camp and bring them back to their own.

There is no division of territory as in the ordinary game when played in a garden, and a boy is only safe when in his own camp, which must be quite a small space, when he is on a return journey with an article from the enemy's camp, or when he is on a return journey with a prisoner.

The game should be played where there is as much cover as possible, as it makes it so much more exciting.

The boy on one side who can first snatch the label off an enemy and read it has a right to make him prisoner.

The prisoner must then be attended to with the best improvised treatment possible in the circumstances, and must accompany his captor to the latter's camp.

It is of course a great object to obtain as many prisoners as possible without delay.

The prisoner can only be rescued by one of his own side. He is free when he has been touched, and can then shed his bandages, etc., and return.

The captain does not take an active part in the game. He picks up, and then remains in camp to put fresh labels on liberated prisoners, judge the ambulance work, and keep a list of marks obtained for his side.

The captain can be changed at half time if desired.

The game lasts until the whistle is sounded at a certain time, and then the marks on each side axe added up.

Marks are given as follows: one for every article from the enemy's camp, one for every prisoner, one, two, or three for the ambulance work according to its quality.

Ambulance Hotchpotch

Tables are arranged on which are various games, such as spillikens, draughts, sticking pins into corks with scissors, building card houses, etc. Two boys sit at each table and play against one another, and by each boy is a folded paper and pencil.

When a bell rings, the boys begin to play the games: when it rings a second time, they leave off, unfold the paper, on which is a "first aid " question, and answer it to the best of their ability.

When the bell rings a third time, all stop and give in their answers. Each pair then moves to the next table, where the same performance is gone through. The same questions must, of course, be asked each pair of boys at each table.

When the game is finished, every boy's marks are added together for both competitions, and the highest score wins.

This game may be found useful for asking such questions as :

• What would you do if your clothes or those of another person caught fire ?

• How would you treat a bad burn?

• How would you treat a frostbite?

• How would you treat a foreign body in the eye or ear? etc., etc.

Ambulance Elements

The players are divided into two sides, and toss up to decide which should begin.

He who commences tosses a ball or handkerchief to anyone on the opposite side, saying the name of some artery as he does so.

The one to whom the ball is thrown immediately calls out where the artery is situated before the thrower can count ten. Should he fail to do this, he must cross over to the opposite side.

The side wins which has most players at the end of a given time.

The name of an artery is only given as an example. It might be required, for instance, that upon giving the name of any fracture, the requisite number of bandages should be called out, or anything else of the kind.

This game may be found useful for filling up odd minutes.

Resources

• talk to our Wilderness First-Aid Team

• Troop Resources - Basic First-Aid 

• First Aid Merit Badge

• Troop 60 - First Aid Scout Skills