Information

First aid on the bank

A hook in your finger, cuts, stings, a viper bite, sunstroke, hypothermia -- what to do until you reach a doctor.

In any serious situation -- bleeding that won't stop, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, a viper bite, falling into cold water -- call 112 immediately and give the location (the coordinates from your phone or the lake's name).

A hook stuck in the skin

  • If the barb did NOT go in, remove the hook the way it went in and disinfect.
  • If the barb went in: don't yank it out. Cut the line, fix the hook with a plaster so it doesn't move, and go to a doctor (the emergency unit or your GP).
  • A hook in the eye, on the face, at a joint or deep in the hand: don't try anything, cover it lightly and go to A&E.
  • If you haven't had a tetanus vaccine in the last 10 years, tell the doctor.

Cuts and fish spines

  • Wash with clean water (not the lake water), press with a compress until the bleeding stops, disinfect and dress it.
  • Zander, perch and ruffe spines and pike teeth cause wounds that get infected easily: disinfect well and watch for redness and swelling over the next few days.

Viper

  • Stay calm and don't run: movement speeds up the spread of the venom. Call 112.
  • Take off rings, your watch and anything tight, because the area will swell. Keep the bitten limb still, at heart level.
  • Do NOT cut the wound, do NOT suck out the venom, do NOT apply a tourniquet and do NOT apply ice.
  • Don't try to catch or kill the snake: the nose-horned viper is a protected species, and a photo from a distance is enough for the doctor.

Wasps, bees, ticks

  • A sting: remove the stinger (for a bee) by scraping with your fingernail, apply something cold.
  • Swelling of the face or throat, difficulty breathing, dizziness after a sting = a severe allergic reaction: call 112 immediately.
  • A tick: remove it with tweezers, gripping it as close to the skin as possible and pulling straight out; disinfect. If a growing red patch or a fever appears in the following days, see a doctor.

Heat and cold

  • Sunstroke (headache, nausea, hot skin): into the shade, drinking water, cold compresses on the forehead and the back of the neck; if they're confused or faint, call 112.
  • Hypothermia (strong shivering, slurred speech, clumsy movements): dry clothes, a blanket, warm drinks (no alcohol) and 112 if they don't recover.
  • Fallen into cold water: get them out, remove the wet clothes, warm them gradually and call 112 -- even if they seem fine.

The bankside kit

  • Plasters and sterile compresses, disinfectant, tweezers, small scissors
  • Hook cutters, elastic bandage
  • Sunscreen, insect repellent
  • Extra drinking water, a survival blanket, a flashlight