Category Archives: Divers Alert Network Courses

CPR, First Aid and Oxygen Provider

Posted on by jon

For all of you interested in becoming volunteer divers at Utah’s Hogle Zoo, remember there are some prerequisites.   You need current CPR & First Aid training as well as Oxygen Provider.

DAN DEMP Diving Emergency Mangement Provider

One way to meet this is the DAN DEMP, Diving Emergency Management Provider, certification.   It includes the recently revised Emergency Oxygen for Scuba Diving Injuries, Basic Life Support CPR & First Aid, First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries and Neurological Assessment.    So it covers both the Hogle Zoo’s CPR/First Aid & Oxygen Provider requirements and takes you a couple of steps further.

CPR, First Aid, Oxygen Provider, First aid for Hazardous Marine Life injuries and Neurological assessment

CPR, First Aid, Oxygen Provider, First aid for Hazardous Marine Life injuries and Neurological assessment

Ready to hop in the water and help take care of the Hogle Zoo’s Rocky Shores exhibit?   Then it’s time to get prepared.

Contact me to get going with training.   DAN DEMP gets you going on your way.

Need additional training?  I teach the Dry Suit and many other specialty training courses.

 

Aquarium Injuries

Posted on by jon

Aquarium injuries?   Why is this on a scuba website?

 

octopus on cross logo

DAN (Divers Alert Network) Hazardous Marine Life Injuries was originally created for scuba divers due to the potential for injury whilst diving.   Aquarium workers and aquarium owners, though, can also benefit from this information.   In addition to CPR and First Aid training, you’ll be well prepared for potential problems.

What you should know:

  • First, make sure the scene is safe.   If you’re providing care to someone that is injured, make sure you don’t become a victim.   Alert EMS if needed.
  • For jellyfish, the current guidelines are to use vinegar to neutralize the sting.   Use tweezers to remove tentacles.  Don’t touch them with your bare hands!
  • For punctures from various spines, remove visible pieces with tweezers.   Immerse in hot water for 30-90 minutes (113F/45C max).
  • For bites, control bleeding with direct pressure.   Once bleeding stops, bandage the wound.  Monitor for shock and/or infection.
  • For any severe reaction or signs/symptoms of shock, alert EMS.

For anyone working with aquatic life, I highly suggest you complete a CPR/First Aid class, the DAN Hazardous Marine Life Injuries class and the DAN Emergency Oxygen course.  Combining the three, you’ll learn:

  • Scene assessment, barrier use, primary assessment of an injured person
  • CPR and Choking Management
  • Shock, Spinal Injury and Serious Bleeding Management
  • Bandaging and splinting
  • Illness and Injury management
  • How to set up and deliver emergency oxygen to an injured person using a non-rebreather mask, a demand valve, a manually-triggered ventilator and a bag-valve mask.
  • Be able to identify four types of hazardous marine life injuries, name five venomous fish and list five common signs of envenomation.
  • Be able to name at least three aquatic animals that might bite someone and list two common warning signs of a marine animal bite.
  • and much more, but the most important thing is:
  • You’ll practice how to take care of these problems

Not sure if there are many aquarium injuries?   Check out this recent article in the Journal of EMS (JEMS) about a toddler bitten by a pet piranha.

This applies to not just home aquariums with exotic fish, but can also apply to commercial aquariums.   I’ve often been told by aquarists I know that their hands are inflamed and feel odd after handling jelly fish.  Luckily, none of them have had allergic reactions to the jellyfish.

Contact me now to talk about how you can be better prepared for aquarium injuries.   If you are a diver working at an aquarium, I also teach the DAN Diving First Aid for Professional Divers course that also covers some skills at the healthcare-provider level.

 

[Also, don’t be worried about shark bites.   They’re quite rare.   Sharks have much more to fear from us than we do from them.]

 

On-Site Neurological Exam for Divers

Posted on by jon

Many cases of Decompression Sickness (DCS) involve neurological complications.   The two DCS cases I saw during my Diver Medical Technician course on Roatan made that abundantly clear.   Often, we dive far from medical help.   Transportation to medical care can take time.  To help the physicians and medics, getting a baseline of the patients neurological symptoms is key.   Sometimes, people don’t even notice they have symptoms unless you point them out.  They might also try to deny they have symptoms.  The DAN Neuro course helps on both fronts.

Skills Development

  • Taking a History
  • Taking vital signs
  • Mental Function
    • Consciousness
    • Speech and Language
    • Orientation to Time and Place
    • Judgment
    • Short-term Memory
    • Abstract Reasoning
    • Calculations
  • Cranial Nerves
    • Eye Control
    • Facial Control
    • Facial Sensation
    • Hearing
  • Motor Function
    • Shoulders
    • Biceps
    • Triceps
    • Finger spread
    • Grip strength
    • Hip flexors
    • Quadriceps
    • Hamstrings
    • Feet
  • Sensory Function
    • Light Touch
    • Sharp Touch
  • Balance and Coordination
    • Walking
    • Finger-Nose-Finger

DAN Courses–The Basics

Posted on by jon

DAN Courses: Dive Safety training for all divers

DAN Courses for divers include a variety of dive safety and emergency response programs.   They include Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving Injuries, Advanced Oxygen First Aid, Hazardous Marine Life Injuries, AED for Scuba, and others.  Here are the four most important DAN courses:

 

Oxygen First Aid
Learn how to provide emergency oxygen first aid. Hands-on training includes assembling an oxygen unit, using a demand-valve mask, a non-rebreater mask and an oronasal resuscitation mask with supplemental oxygen.
The PADI Distinctive specialty “Oxygen First Aid” is also included!

Advanced Oxygen First Aid
Additional training for DAN Oxygen providers. Hands-on training includes using a manually triggered ventilator (MTV-100) and a Bag Valve Mask(BVM) while providing care for a non-breathing injured diver.

Hazardous Marine Life Injuries
Learn how to provide first aid for a diver injured by hazardous marine life. Topics include envenomations, bites, irritations and poisoning. Hands-on training includes techniques for controlling bleeding, applying dressings and bandages to manage wounds and the pressure immobilzation technique.
The PADI Distinctive Specialty “Marine Life Injuries” is also included!

lionfish

Lionfish--particularly venomous and invasive

AED for Scuba
Learn to recognize the signs of sudden cardiac arrest and administer first aid using Basic Life Support and Automated External Defibrillators(AEDs). Hands-on training includes CPR review, providing care with an AED, maintaining an AED and emergency assistance planning.
The PADI Distinctive specialty “AED for Divers” is also included!

Diving Emergency Management Provider
Often times, a dive emergency is not a single event. Typically, several small problems compound to create a larger problem. Diving Emergency Management Provider integrates content from the Oxygen First Aid, First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life injuries, AEDs for SCUBA and Advanced Oxygen First Aid into a single course.
All three PADI Distinctive Specialties “Oxygen First Aid”, “AED for Divers” and “Marine Life Injuries” are included!

 

NOTE:  DAN updated their curriculum in 2011.   As soon as the revised materials are available, I’ll update the content on this page.