EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'
My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the
American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced
rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an
earthquake.
I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams
from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a
member of many rescue teams from many countries.
I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I
have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for
simultaneous disasters.
The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City
during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child
was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by
lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary
and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the
time know that the children were told to hide under something.
Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling
upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a
space or void next to them. This space is what I call the 'triangle of
life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The
less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability
that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The
next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the
'triangles' you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common
shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.
TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
1) Most everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are
crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are
crushed.
2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position.
You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct.
You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa,
next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void
next to it.
3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an
earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake.
If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created.
Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick
buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many
injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply
roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can
achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a
sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down
on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out
the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next
to a sofa, or large chair.
6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is
killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward
or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam
falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you
will be killed!
7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of
frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The
stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other
until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on
stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly
mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the
stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even
if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later
when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for
safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible -
It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the
interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the
building the greater the probability that your escape route will be
blocked.
9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls
in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what
happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The
victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their
vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting
out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would
have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or
lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them,
except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.
10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and
other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large
voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
IN CASE OF MUSCLES CRAMP
Muscle cramps are caused by muscle tissue being contracted for a sustained amount of time, causing the muscle spasm to cut off the blood and oxygen supply to that area. All muscles in the body can cramp, except for the heart. Other than the regular causes of muscle cramps, such as physical activities and lack thereof, even your diet can affect muscle cramps
1)Avoid drinking alcohol, sugary drinks and phosphate containing sodas. All of these can steal nutrients from the body, leading to cramps.
2)Make sure to get a proper intake of vitamin E, All your B Vitamins, Calcium and Magnesium. If you have a low intake of any of them, you should begin to take them in supplemental form.
3) Avoid eating too many processed and salty foods. When using salt, opt for Celtic Sea Salt. Not only is sea salt better for you, it also provides your body with essential sea minerals.
If you feel cramp when you are in the sea, you should move your cramped leg with other leg so you can make kind of massage
TREATING CRAMPS
A gentle stretching and massage of the affected area will help to relieve cramps. Give the affected person plenty of fluid and something salty to eat.
FOR THE THIGH
1. Straighten the knee and raise the leg if the cramp is in the back of the leg.
2. Bend the knee if the cramp is in the front of the thigh.
3. Massage the affected muscle firmly.
FOR A FOOT
Often if the affected person stands on the foot with the sole flat on the ground, this may relieve pain. If this does not work, accompany this with gentle massage.
FOR THE CALF
Straighten the person’s knee and gently push the foot up toward the shin. Massage the affected muscle.
Signs & Symptoms
· A person is in the water with signs of distress. He or she can't stay above water, swims unevenly, signals for help, etc.
· Blue lips or ears. The skin is cold and pale.
· Bloated abdomen. Vomiting. Choking.
· Confusion. Lethargy.
· The person does not respond or can't breathe.
Causes
· Not being able to swim. Being in water too deep and too rough for one's ability to swim.
· Water sport and other accidents. Not following water safety rules. Not wearing a life preserver, etc. Unsupervised swimming.
· Falling through ice while fishing, skating, etc.
· Injury or problems that occur while swimming, boating, etc. Examples are leg or stomach cramps, fatigue, and alcohol or drug use. A heart attack, stroke, seizure, and a marine animal bite or sting may have occurred.
WHAT TO DO FOR DROWNING VICTIMS?
Rescue
Throw the victim any large object that will float, so that they can hold onto it, hence reassuring them and help ease their panic. Ideally approach the person by boat. If you are approaching them by swimming do try to calm them before you make contact, because their panicking and struggling may well drag you under!!
Support their head above the water, remove any debris from their mouth, tilt their head back over the crook of your elbow and breath into their mouth, whilst holding your cheek against their nose to stop air escaping from the nostrils. As their chest rises, remove your mouth, and then keep on repeating the same procedure.
Once on land or into a boat, chest compression should be commenced if no pulse is present. With arms straight press down firmly, pushing the lower breastbone down by about 2 inches then relax and repeat. Do 12 chest compressions after every two mouth to mouth breaths. When the pulse returns stop the compressions but mouth to mouth resuscitations may have to continue for some time. Some victims have been revived 30 minutes after breathing has stopped!! Once breathing restarts put the victim into the recovery position.
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