How to choose the right fire extinguisher for your car? Where to put the first aid kit in the car? Proper preparation for emergency situations is another aspect of safe travel. Paweł Kwiatkowski from Kvadro, who is a specialist in first aid training and a paramedic with fire protection qualifications, will talk about valuable tips related to the appropriate response in emergency situations. If you want to find out what are the most important elements of emergency equipment that cannot be missing in a car, turn on the latest AmberPodcast!
Anna Kordecka: Welcome to the sixth episode of the AmberPodcast. Today’s conversation will be devoted to discussing the technical aspects of providing first aid when traveling by car. Ensuring the safety of all travelers should be the most important issue of any trip. Therefore, it should be a priority for every driver to make sure that their vehicle is equipped with the necessary equipment, such as a.a. car first aid kit, fire extinguisher or warning triangle. The special guest of this episode of the AmberPodcast, with whom we will talk about first aid on the road, will be Paweł Kwiatkowski from Kvadro, who specializes in first aid training and is a paramedic with fire protection qualifications. Hello.
Paweł Kwiatkowski: Hello.
AK: Let’s start with a car first aid kit, which may not be mandatory according to the law, but it is worth having it in the car for your safety and for the possibility of helping others. What does the basic equipment of a car first aid kit look like?
PK: As you have mentioned well, according to Polish law there is no obligation. However, as you also rightly say, I ask you to be equipped with it. To have it both at home, at work and in the car. This is for our safety. It is worth having a first aid kit to use it in case of danger or need. It is better to have a first aid kit. As for the equipment of the first aid kit, we again do not have them standardized and we cannot set clear standards, because no one has defined them. Standard equipment, which can most often be easily purchased in many pharmacies and many public places or shops, are the so-called DIN equipment 13164 and 13157. Of the two equipment, we recommend this 13157 equipment because it is much wider. It includes plasters and sets ranging from smaller to larger, smaller and larger bandages. Unfortunately, bandages, the sterile ones, which are put directly on the wound, are usually small there. I would also recommend you to at least have sterile compresses of half a meter and one-meter gases, because in the case of severe hemorrhages, in the case of larger injuries, there is a minimum of 2-3 gases for stopping wounds and for spreading to a larger surface of the body. For example, if a cyclist fell and, as we say, planed the part of the body where the back loses its noble name, then spreading such small 5 by 5 bandages, then this is what the puzzles would look like, and this is how you can spread all the gauze over the entire part of our body and maintain the comfort of sterility of this wound. In addition to this – of course, instead of bandaging, we recommend triangular scarves at the moment, which can be used to quickly cover this part of the body, such as the head. You can put it on a pirate, on a granny style. Slings and each sling, folding into appropriate straps, can be made and replaced with a bandage. Bandages are more suitable for stiffening a possible foreign body in a wound. Because we should remember that we never take any foreign body out of the wound. Compresses vary, from smaller to larger with basic equipment, but one of the elements that such equipment will have is a thermal blanket. As for the thermal blanket, I would just like to point out, depending on which one you get: old, new versions. There will be thermal blankets, which can be silver-silver, silver, silver-gold. In the past, in the old rules, it was said that gold to the sun, silver to the inside of the body. Ladies and gentlemen, in our conditions it would be important to treat this patient, so which side you would put on him, the thermal blanket is to be used for homeostasis, such as the temperature of the patient. So if it is well wrapped, as we call it like a candy, with such a thermal foil, then at this point we will maintain this thermal comfort. Regardless of whether it will be silver or gold. The latest ones are, so that people don’t get confused, they are completely silver on both sides. There should be scissors. Scissors of the right form, because there are often scissors, such as for children, where a piece of paper cannot be cut, and such should unfortunately be surgically, good so that especially in winter, they can cut all elements of clothing well. We also recommend some additional equipment that is not included in the first aid kit as standard.
AK: In that case, what are the additional items that are worth stocking our car first aid kit with?
PK: The most important thing for us is to have the safe ones, that is, the basic ones, that is, gloves. I would also like every first aid kit to have a mouthpiece for artificial ventilation in the case of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Because often, unfortunately, we are afraid of the so-called mouth-to-mouth. We also know very well that breathing is very important – so is the oxygen provided by us. We will have much more comfort when we have this mouthpiece, and even more, as I said, the so-called heart, a pocket mask that makes it possible for us to do it in a much safer way for us. Of course, in addition, I would like to ask you, after each rescue operation, we are left with waste after stopping, after dressing, some bandages, some with blood, some of our gloves, which we will take off after the whole operation. So that we don’t leave it on the side of the road, but have a bag for this very waste. So that we also have a second bag, one of the better ones, so that if necessary, we can have at our disposal when our victim has, for example, a finger amputee, a hand amputee, so that we can keep it in such a bag, whether smaller or larger. And if necessary, pass it on to the appropriate services, because it may still be possible to sew it on the patient. Depending, of course, on the condition, but this will be assessed by medics. For non-standard equipment, I would recommend that you have in your car, maybe not in a first aid kit, but in a car a flashlight. I would recommend having a signal flare, but when it comes to, for example, highways, long distances, especially at night. Because this triangle is reflective, but its impact, especially at high speeds, is smaller, and the signaling and lighting flares give, so to speak, these glare and illumination much bigger. Of course, we also have these additional elements, that more bandages, I mean one-meter bandages for stopping bleeding. More triangular slings, at least three. Which can stabilize us, because two triangular slings will be needed to stabilize the hand, the so-called sling. And for good fixation of the leg in case of fractures, there are three triangular slings: around the feet in front of the knees and above. So it’s such a stabilization that these three triangular slings are the elements recommended by us.
AK: Thank you very much for this answer. Now we will certainly know how to properly equip our car first aid kit. If we complete such a car first aid kit, is there any place in the car where it should be placed?
PK: Of course, ladies and gentlemen, it would be best if this first aid kit was available very quickly. Usually it is a place in the car, but most often it is behind the back seat. Less often on the back shelf, because we are afraid that it may fly during accidents if it is poorly attached and will create an additional threat to us. Or in the trunk, of course. But in the trunk, it is very important that if we put our luggage, we do not put the first aid kit there, where it is usually at the bend, under the floor, but we have to arrange it in such a way that it is one of the last packed elements, so that when you open the trunk, you can immediately take this first aid kit out of the car.
AK: It is worth remembering that the first aid kit should always be easily accessible when needed. As for the contents of the first aid kit, there may be things in it that expire. How often should you check the contents of your car’s first aid kit?
PK: There is no regulation again, but we, ladies and gentlemen, say that once every six months at the latest. But I would say that I would prefer it to be a quarterly check, because of this additional content. Especially when there are summer or winter periods, if we are talking about flashlights and other things, batteries, for example. At these different temperatures, they will work differently. When it comes to the warranty of first aid kit equipment, we are aware that they usually have standard equipment for two or three years, so we are able to see during standard semi-annual inspections that a given sterile bandage or other piece of equipment is at the end of its validity.
AK: What are the most important elements of emergency equipment that cannot be missing in a car?
PK: Absolutely, of course, there must be a triangle and a fire extinguisher. This is mandatory in our legal system. I think that we should also add a properly equipped first aid kit. Adapted to what we have and the number of people in the car, so a first aid kit for a passenger car would also be different, a different first aid kit for a truck or a bus.
AK: The place of an accident, collision or simply a breakdown must be properly marked. The basic action is to place the warning triangle at an appropriate distance from the scene of the incident. What is the correct distance at which we should set up the warning triangle?
PK: According to the provisions of the Highway Code, the triangle should be placed at a distance of about 30 to 50 meters from the damaged car. If we are talking about expressways in non-built-up areas, we have to increase this distance, and this is said to be the distance of 100 meters from the vehicle. Hence, dear Ladies and Gentlemen, because in an undeveloped area and at high speed of moving vehicles, especially in the night position, I would recommend to you, in addition to this triangle, this flare-type equipment. To be able to set them up, at an even greater distance, so that it better signals the danger. Or you can pass it on to another person, a traffic participant, who, as in the case of, for example, events, you may have watched, formula races, when an accident occurs, such a person waves such flags on the side, you can also wave these flares, far away. These people, the participants, seeing that something is already wrong, will start to slow down. When they start to slow down, they will see a triangle, the speed will already be adjusted, so that there will be no direct collision, so to speak. Because the visibility, of hazard lights, or this reflective element, can be, difficult in the night position, especially if it is right after a bend or at the moment of some other, or fog and other unfavorable precipitation.
AK: As you mentioned earlier, one of the mandatory elements of car equipment is a fire extinguisher. What are the differences between the different types of fire extinguishers and how to choose the right fire extinguisher for your car?
PK: As a fire protection inspector, I can tell you that there are two standard ones. Small, car fire extinguishers are standard. They are not constant pressure. They, like the drink siphon used to be, consist in breaking the cartridge of the charge with gas, which must be released, mixed with the powder and then it will become an extinguishing agent. I do it at home and I recommend buying less anti-stress constant pressure fire extinguishers with the so-called pressure gauge during training. They are also generally available, of course they are a little more expensive fire extinguishers. At the time when you see that there will be a circle next to the element, at the pin, at the pressure element, this is the so-called pressure gauge with pointing to red, green, red. On green, it means that the pressure in the cylinder is adequate and there is gas mixed with extinguishing powder inside. At this time, after pulling out the pin, pressing immediately causes the gas mixed with the extinguishing agent to come out of the extinguisher, i.e. the speed of the extinguishing reaction is immediate. In the case of the second type of fire extinguishers that we have, just like with the so-called mushroom fire extinguishers, as I have already told you in the introduction, you must first press the lever that causes the gas charge to be compacted, and then immediately release this lever. Why? Because if we don’t let go, this lever, as we call it, unfortunately, at the same time releases the release valve, so the powder, instead of the cartridge flying inside the extinguisher to catch the powder and become an extinguishing agent, flows out on its own through the valve to the outside. Unfortunately, the extinguishing force is then a few centimeters in front of it, but it is not effective. Hence, unfortunately, it is very often the case: “Mr. Fireman, we used five or ten of these fire extinguishers, and this powder is as much as I have on my hands.”. We always ask such people at this point; how did you use this fire extinguisher, or as it is in the picture on the fire extinguisher? And what is drawn on this fire extinguisher? Of course, it is that you tear out the pin and you can see it in this drawing. There is a drawing where you can see two arrows that you press the lever and there is a down and up arrow. Well, some people say, yes; Pressed? Pressed. Did you mix it up? We mixed. Was it hissing? It hissed. And it was not supposed to hiss, because this marking arrow up, arrow down means, ladies and gentlemen, that we should first press this lever and immediately, according to the description that is next to it, which we very rarely read, immediately release it. As I said, otherwise the gas will escape. After letting go, releasing this lever, you have to wait depending on the size of the fire extinguishers, manufacturers say from 3 seconds even to 5 for the larger fire extinguishers, because it must be the time for the gas to mix with the extinguishing powder that is at the bottom. For this purpose, many firefighters recommend that the fire extinguisher should be shaken and stirred, so that the process of mixing powder with technical gas is as fast as possible. And in this time, after these three or five seconds, the lever is pressed again and during this time the extinguishing agent, i.e. gas mixed with powder, will be coming out of the hole.
AK: Thank you very much. This is a very valuable instruction on how to properly use fire extinguishers. I think it is also worth adding about regular checking and legalization of fire extinguishers at least once a year.
PK: Yes, of course.
AK: One of the basic additional pieces of equipment for people traveling with children is a car seat. What are the recommendations for installing and positioning a car seat for infants and older children?
PK: Most medics will immediately say that there should be as little travel with these youngest newborns as possible, because they have not yet completely formed their muscle structure, and adjusting car seats is much more difficult. Of course, the so-called insoles are starting to be available, which are of different sizes, because our baby is also of different sizes. For him, of course, there is the best position, the most lying down, more bent in such a circle. Therefore, these inserts should be properly fitted to our baby and indeed, I will say, it should be directed in the opposite direction to the direction of traffic. And hence it would be best to place this seat in the back seats. There are mirrors that can be bought for mothers, such as those that are attached to the headrests. During this time, the mother driving the vehicle can observe through the mirror the other mirror, which is shaped, directed at the child, and then we know what the child is doing, how it is doing it, and so on and so on. Still, it’s better if you can, travel with another person. The other person sitting next to this child in a small seat, will fully control it. He can see if he is breathing properly, if there is any choking on saliva, and these are the elements that can be hardly visible through the mirror, and this, unfortunately, can cause milk or food to bounce and become expelling from his mouth due to the road, and this will even cause his respiratory tract to become clogged.
AK: How to ensure safe travel for people with disabilities and pregnant women?
PK: If we are talking about pregnant women, of course it is the case that our legislation says that with the appropriate certificate they can not use seat belts at all. Technology has advanced so much that there are special belts, adapters for pregnant women, which mean that there is no pressure on the abdominal plane, There are so-called adapters, e.g. B-Safe, you can introduce it, which, like for drivers, are attached here by the thighs and protect the pregnant woman. If we are talking about people with disabilities, then everything depends on what the disability is, but as a standard, so to speak, all people should be fastened, travel in seatbelts.
AK: Since we already have a car equipped with elements that affect our safety, let’s move on to good habits while traveling. What are these good habits to maintain the well-being and concentration of the driver?
PK: In order for a good journey, it is a comfortable position, so it is good for this person, and both the driver and the passengers, to adjust the seat to their comfortable travel and travel time, as far as possible. Thermal comfort, or if someone likes smaller, larger air conditioning, the passenger can say more, maybe less, that one-, two-, three-zone air conditioning, it is known that it works wonders for some travelers. So adjust the thermals, but the most important thing is the stops. The most important thing is to change your position from time to time, to also control yourself, because fatigue, in the worst case, falling asleep, leads on the road, especially on expressroads, to many, many unpleasant events of even tragedy.
AK: This is very important information, let’s take it to heart and use it during long journeys. We often go on a trip with other people whose behavior may affect our safety. What are the main obligations of passengers when travelling by car?
PK: The most important thing for me as a driver is to support this driver. Because he is the one who can notice faster at any time that something dangerous is approaching. Especially when it comes from the side. When someone can, without seeing us, being in the so-called blind spot in the mirror, pulls over into our lane, approaches us so that we can react, whether it is the driver e.g. honk, reduce the speed a bit, approach the edge of his road, if it is still possible and safe. And elements related to the pilot. The pilot navigates, tells us what, where he is, where the route will be, maybe he will even have some navigation on, which very often leads us to our destination so that we can get there. Not only navigation, but also observing mainly signs, because unfortunately navigation is often not up to date and those detours, difficulties or restrictions on movement, do not determine that navigation will put us on the wrong tracks. So there is trust, but still control of the environment, control of signage, control of speed, because each time you have to adapt to the conditions on the road. So planning the route of the stops and of course also observing the driver, because if the driver squints his eyes, or his head seems to fall slightly down, as if he wanted to fall asleep, then unfortunately the intervention is necessary. Some people also prefer to talk to the driver, but these conversations are more like a monologue of the passenger, so that the passenger talks more than the driver himself, so that this conversation does not significantly distract him when driving a motor vehicle.
AK: Let’s remember about the obligation to use seat belts, also as passengers on the back seat we are obliged to do so by law. These are all the questions in our podcast today. Thank you very much for participating and sharing your knowledge about safe travel to Mr. Paweł Kwiatkowski from Kvadro. And I invite you, dear listeners, to the next episode, which will be devoted to practical issues related to first aid.
