BATTLE OF THE BULGE
at FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA
64th Commemoration is January 27th thru February 1st, 2009

" Have you HUGGED a WWII Veteran TODAY "
 

2007 Fort Indiantown Gap Battle of the Bulge Medical Scenario COLD WEATHER INJURY PREVENTION WEB SITE  AID STATIONS Aid stations will be established in the field in the locations indicated on the battle maps for the event. Aid stations are staffed by NOTIONAL  MEDICAL PERSONAL AND WILL NOT PROVIDE REAL WORLD MEDICAL CARE. The Goal of the Aid Station is to ensure that the event participants enjoy as safe an environment as possible. The Aid Station will provide a warm refuge, Band-Aid first aid, and a hot beverage to those in need.                                                          Each Aid Station will have in their possession radios and a cell phone to notify the paramedics of emergencies.  Need for medical care will immediately be radioed to the base paramedics. MEDICAL COORDINATORS Real world medical personnel and reenacting medics should touch base prior to the event with their appropriate medical coordinator.  Medical Coordinator: Rob Axis Medical Coordinator : Allied Medical Coordinator: MEDIC BRIEFINGS Daily briefings for real-world and reenacting medical personnel are posted on the daily schedule.  It will be helpful for personnel to attend these briefings. PROTOCOL FOR HANDLING INJURIES IN THE FIELD THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN ALL EMERGENCES DURING THE EVENT IS GETTING APPROPRIATE MEDICAL CARE TO THE INJURED PARTY AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE If an injury does occur, the first priority is to get help to the injured party. For this to effectively occur several things must occur: On the field, call for a CORPSMAN NOT A MEDIC · The command tent must be contacted and advised of the emergency All fighting in the area of the injured party must immediately come to a halt. If one of the re-enactor real-world medical personnel is in the area, they should respond to the location and begin care until relieved by Post Medical Personnel.   Officers must keep their troops calm and not allow them to interfere in the care being provided to the injured party. During an emergency company officers play a vital role. The senior officer should keep all non-medical re-enactors away from the injured party. This will make the job of the medical personnel easier and will expedite care to the injured party PROTOCOL FOR HANDLING INJURIES IN AREA 12 PLEASE REMEMBER TO CALL FOR A CORPSMAN. DO NOT CALL FOR A MEDIC We all want this year's event to be medically uneventful. However if there should be a medical emergency please follow the above protocol to make the medical personnel's job easier. Prevention and Treatment of Cold Injuries For “real-world” medical folks Introduction Cold injuries have had profound effects on military operations throughout history.  Most cold injuries are preventable and require unit commanders to work with medical personnel  to develop an effective prevention strategy.  Types of Cold Injuries  Hypothermia  Frostnip  Frostbite  Risk Factors for Cold Injury  Age  The very young and elderly are more susceptible  Lower Rank Lower enlisted rank associated with higher risk due to greater degree of exposure  Previous Cold Injury Increases risk of cold injury.  Fatigue Increases risk due to carelessness and neglect of survival-related activities  Discipline, Training, and Experience Poorly motivated individuals tend to be less active and pay less attention to personal hygiene needs increasing their risk of injury  Race and Area of Origin Dark skinned individuals and those from warmer climate tend to increase risk  Activity Lack of physical activity increases risk.  Exertion increases sweating, heat loss, and increases caloric requirements   Nutrition and Hydration Increased exercise due to heavy clothing and snow can increase caloric requirements to 7000 calories per day.   Drugs and Other Medications   Clothing Inadequate, tight fitting or wet clothing all increase the likelihood of cold injury.  Wear a hat, scarf, and mittens rather than gloves   Alcohol gives a false feeling of warmth but actually dilates blood vessels resulting in greater heat loss.   Tobacco has very powerful effects on the blood vessels that result in decreased blood flow.    Prevention of Cold Injuries   Training Recognition of cold injuries Buddy aid Proper selection and wear of clothing Proper clothing Wear a hat and scarf Keep dry Wear layers Change your socks Wear mittens rather than gloves if possible                          Early diagnosis and treatment                          Don’t touch metal with bare hands                          Don’t handle gasoline and other volatile liquids with bare hands  SPECIFIC TYPES OF COLD INJURIES  Frostnip  Frostnip is the formation of ice crystals in the subcutaneous tissue.  Usually encountered in conditions of high humidity, high wind, and and temperatures above freezing where the subject is exposed to chronic and intermittent cold exposure.  Affected tissue is painful and pallid due to vasoconstriction.  Symptoms resolve spontaneously.  Frostbite  Freezing injury that results from exposure to temperature below freezing.  Factors that affect severity include temperature, wind speed, and duration of exposure.  Tissue injury results from formation of ice crystals in the tissue.  There are four “degrees” of frostbite  1.                  First Degree Frostbite is marked by redness, itching, and swelling of the affected body part.  There is no blistering or peeling of the skin.  2.                  Second Degree Frostbite is characterized by blister formation and peeling of the skin.  3.                  Third Degree Frostbite is associated with necrosis of the skin and subcutaneous tissue with ulceration.  4.                  Fourth Degree Frostbite involves destruction of connective tissues and bone with gangrene formation.  Secondary infections are common particularly in the case of freeze-thaw-refreeze injury.  TREATMENT OF FROSTBITE  Field  treatment of frostbite is based on the prevention of further injury to the affected body part.  The individual should be kept warm.  The medic should remove constricting clothing and apply a protective dressing.  Give the casualty something warm to drink and eat.  For lower extremity injury, the individual must be transported by litter.  THINGS TO AVOID IN THE FIELD TREATMENT OF FROSTBITE  1.                  Allow no alcohol consumption 2.                  No tobacco products 3.                  Do not rub the injured extremity 4.                  Do not expose the injured extremity  to campfires or car heaters If transport time to definitive medical treatment will be longer than two hours, a reliable supply of warm water is available AND the extremity can be protected against re-freezing, rapid re-warming is a reasonable approach.  Immerse the frostbitten extremity in warm water with a controlled temperature of 104-108o measured with a thermometer.  The process is painful and must be completed once started.  After thawing, the extremity should be dressed in a bulky protective dressing and evacuation completed.  Obviously, this is not applicable in the case of a casualty at this event  Hypothermia  Hypothermia is a condition that affects enthusiasts of the “great outdoors” and those favoring the “indoors” for different reasons.     Outdoor Enthusiasts                          Lack of preparation                         Accidents Unexpected weather change      Indoor Enthusiasts                          Falls Drugs Prescription medications Lower socioeconomic class Advanced age Medical conditions  TREATMENT OF HYPOTHERMIA      “They aren’t dead until they’re warm and dead!”              Prolonged field treatment is to be avoided Remove wet clothing Passive external re-warming with dry insulating materials to avoid continued heat loss Avoid stimulants Litter cases to be handled gently!! Active re-warming should not be attempted COLD WEATHER INJURY PREVENTION WEB SITE

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