Camping Safety and First Aid
Camping safety will allow every trip to be a great vacation.
I am sure everyone wants to have a good time while camping safely, in fact we only want to have good times. It is hard to deal with the fact that things will happen that are out of our control.
How you prepare will make a world of difference with the outcome of those unforeseen events.
So here are some camping safety tips to help you avoid a possible crisis...
Food Safety
Leaving your food out is a big no-no! You can and will attract every animal in your vicinity. You might think you want that but believe me you don't.
- Clean up after each meal. Keep the raccoons, coyotes, fox or other animals like bears out of your site
- Don't feed animals. You are not doing them any favor and they will come back at night while you sleep and get into your trash.
- In the wilderness put your food scraps in a safe place, hang your trash bag up from a tree branch at night so the animals can't get to it.
- In a Family campsite use the designated trashcans.
Animal Safety
Keep your distance from wild animals.
They might seem nice from a distance but if you get to close they will get scared and could panic. Their reaction would be to attack or trample you.
They are stronger, faster and have sharper teeth and claws than you think.
If you want to see the animals buy a pair of binoculars and go on a hike.
Find a comfortable place to sit and wait it out. I am sure the less you move around the more wildlife will find you.
Bathrooms
Many of you will be camping at a site that has public bathrooms and even showers. However, if you are in the wild there are a few ideas you want to know about...
- Make sure the spot you choose is about 200 ft away from any water sources. You don't want to affect someone's drinking water.
- Get your shovel out. Dig a "cat hole" (if you have never lived with a cat before this is what they do).
- When your done, mark your spot with a stick so that others don't step or dig in it after you depart.
Fuel Safety
Growing up my family camped with a propane stove and lantern. In general it was very safe but there are a few things you want to do to make sure you conserve your fuel as well as be safe with it.
- Don't keep any fuel near the fire pit
- Turn off your fuel at the main valve after every use to prevent leaks and loss of fuel.
- Make sure your stove or lantern is in the off position before you turn on the main valve.
A Camping "Safety" Story:
One beautiful morning while camping a friend of mine decided to start cooking breakfast. In a state of grogginess he opened the valve on the stove and tried to light it with the lighter. Nothing happened so he checked the main valve and realized that he had not turned this valve to open so he began to turn the knob.
Meanwhile the stove began to pump propane gas. By the time he got to light the stove enough gas had been released to surround him. As soon as he sparked that lighter a cloud of flame enveloped him!
Fortunately, he was all right but he spent some time explaining to everyone at school why he had no eyebrows!
So be sure to turn on your fuel in the proper order. You might not be so lucky!
Fire Safety
Yes, more fire safety.
The United States Forest Service says that there is an average of more than 182,000 forest fires every year. That is only in the United States! Most of these fires are caused by lightning or other natural events. But don't put your guard down.
- Check with the forest service about the fire danger level in your area before you get to the camp and make sure you are allowed to have a campfire.
- Don't make your fire pit under a low tree canopy. Embers could ignite a dry tree.
- Keep flammable things like paper, fuel or clothing away from your fire.
- To prevent forest fires put out your coals/embers when you are done with your fire by drowning them.
Natural causes like the bark beetle in California have made forests ripe for forest fire.
Personal Camping Safety
You might not be a professional or a regular when it comes to camping but that is no reason not to think like one. Sharpen your leadership skills and work to make your experience a positive one.
- Print out one of these checklists so you are sure to pack properly before you go on any backpacking or base camping trip.
- Water wicking materials are important for base layers.
- Bring a map and compass
- Don't leave camp or go on a hike alone
- Tell someone where you are going when you leave
- When on a trail, stick together. Don't get too far apart
- Bring a first aid kit
- Bring a survival kit
Water Treatment
A fact of nature is that there are things like bacteria and microorganisms in beautiful clear mountain streams everywhere.
Don't worry, treating your water can be easy.
You can work around this by bringing large jugs of water from home but that can be cumbersome and take up a lot of space.
If you are at a campsite with running water and bathrooms you probably don't have to worry about treating your water but it never hurts so here is what you can do...
- Boil your water. If you are using the water to cook with the process of cooking will be fine. If you are going to drink it just bring it to a boil and let it cool off. This will kill most any microorganisms.
- You can treat your water chemically with Iodine tablets. This can take from 25 to 45 minuets so you have to think ahead to do this as well. Also the taste of iodine in the water might bother you. You can use another additive to neutralize the flavor, use a charcoal filter or live with the flavor.
- Use a water filter. A water filter will clean down to 1 micron, which will be fine for most cases. The advantage is that there is no waiting to drink your water, once you filter it you can drink it. The disadvantage is that like any devise they can clog or break with uses and need occasional maintenance like changing or cleaning filters.
- There is a difference between water filters and water purifiers. Getting a water Purifier is more expensive but potentially worth it. It will take out any bacteria AND microorganisms as small as .004 microns in size (now that is small!). Like the filter once you purify it you can drink it. Also maintenance is about the same.
- There are also UV light systems that purify water but you can only do 32 fl. Oz. at a time. The good news is that they are easy to use and it only takes as much as 90 seconds to kill all of that bacteria, virus and protozoa!
If you choose to go and get a filter of some sort or just boil your water it would be a smart idea to carry Iodine tablets along with you just in case your filter breaks or the water looks worse than you expected.
Water Safety
If you decided to camp at a site near a lake, stream or river at some point you probably want to go swimming or water skiing. Here are some reminders to keep your trip a happy one.
- Don't swim alone
- Wait for 45 minutes after eating before you hit the water
- Watch the children carefully
- Don't dive head first until you are sure of the depth of the water
Tent Camping Safety
There is a little more to setting up a tent then trying to get those tent poles to slide into the loops. Take the weather into consideration before you set up your tent.
- Make sure you are not setting up a tent in a possible flood area
- Don't set up your tent under trees if you can help it. At least look for branches that are old and could snap. This could be caused by wind, rain, snow or the trees age... Also rain can drip on your tent for hours after a storm.
- Look for possible falling rock if you are in a valley
Really the point is to keep your eyes out for anything that you might see as an issue.
First Aid
First Aid is a great way to keep small accidents from turning into big deals.
It is easy to get certified in first aid and a good idea for at least one person in your camp to have some basic skills.
The Red Cross is a great place to take a class that will teach you a wide variety of information.
Some courses are 3.5 hours and some are as much as 14 hours (done over several days).
Here is some information we have collected that might help you identify some common issues...
- Heatstroke
- Choking
- Burns
- Wounds
- Broken Bones
- Concussions
- Blisters
- Insect bites
- Animal bites
- Cramps
- Heat Exhaustion/Stroke
- Toothache
- CPR
- Exposure
- Anaphylactic shock (allergic reactions)
- Altitude sickness
- When to leave or stay with a person.
First Aid information is very good to know. It is something that can help you in many instances in life not just camping safety...