Task · part of 1. Hazards and first aid: thirteen conditions, and the gear that answers them
1(a). First aid and prevention for thirteen conditions, searchers AND subjects
Required Often forgotten
Shown or explained, prevention as well as treatment. Note the wording: these are conditions searchers and subjects could develop, so it is not only about looking after yourself.
Notes and warnings
Warning. Thirteen conditions, and read the wording: these are conditions searchers AND SUBJECTS could develop. It is not only about looking after yourself. The 2025 requirements book lists six, so a first-aid answer prepared from a printed book will be short by seven: shock, eye injuries, chigger and gnat bites, bee stings, spider bites, scorpion sting and the bite of a wild mammal.
Note. This thirteen-item list is word for word the same list as requirement 1(a) of the Wilderness Survival merit badge. The study is the same study, even though each badge is signed off separately: worth knowing if you are working on both.
What this is made of
- 1(a)(1). Dehydration
- 1(a)(2). Heatstroke
- 1(a)(3). Hypothermia
- 1(a)(4). Shock
- 1(a)(5). Blisters
- 1(a)(6). Eye injuries
- 1(a)(7). Ankle and knee sprains
- 1(a)(8). Bites of chiggers, ticks, mosquitoes and biting gnats
- 1(a)(9). Bee stings
- 1(a)(10). Spider bites
- 1(a)(11). Scorpion sting
- 1(a)(12). Bite of a wild mammal
- 1(a)(13). Bite of a venomous snake
Where this step comes from
- Search and Rescue Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-12-31), Requirement 1(a) · Names thirteen conditions and applies them to searchers AND subjects.