Hurt on the job

[axewoman]

I was recently hurt during a mayday training exercise. I was wondering if anybody else has been hurt during mayday training?

[len1582]

Every year there are numerous training related injuries nationwide. I'm sure mayday training is in there someplace. If you don't mind my asking what were you doing when you were injured and what's the nature of the injury?

[axewoman]

We were doing the basement drill. I was the victim being carried up. The old style scotts pack strap cut into my armpit and collapsed my brachial artery. After spending a week in the hospital, 4 days in ICU with a TPA drip (this was after surgery to get the clot out that had formed after the artery collapsed) I still had little use of my hand. After alot of therapy I have gotten some use back but not 100% Now I am not a small woman. They had a guy the size of my 10 year old daughter pulling me up. I told the instructor that I was hurt because I felt something pop in my arm. He instructed me to keep going that the guys needed to feel how it would be to pull someone bigger then them out. After a few more pulls I could not take it anymore. When I took everything off my hand had all ready started turning white/blue. It has been a long road!!

[ATFDFF]

Sorry to hear that! Will you be able to go back to shift soon? Or are you OOS for a while?

[LaFireEducator]

While we have not had anyone hurt, my volunteer department has stopped using "live" victims for much of our mayday training and instead use a dummy we recently purchased.

We have bruised a couple of members and because of that, have changed the way we train now using a dummy much of the time.

[paulLepore]

Wow, good luck with your rehab. Sounds like a brutal injury....