Border Safety Workshop Live Blogging

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 22:02

6:04p.m. Thank you for joining us this evening. Check out the story that will be written by Allana and the slideshow from Lauren! Good night!

6:02 p.m. Now it is a hands on workshop. They will be testing our skills on stopping injuries. Moving on into the next room.

6:01 p.m. You may not be able to recove it yourself, so just be supportive.

5:58 p.m. Now Jim discusses injuries pertaining to knives. The problem with knives is that they do damage going in and going out. So do not remove it. Wait for proffessionals.

5:55 p.m. Whitney asks how someone gets under  a persons butt, when applying a pelvic splint, without hurting them for other injuries. Jim replies, that they will hurt but if it saves them then it is something that they have to do. Place your hands under the butt, lift, slide the sweater or sheet whatever you have, and drop.

5:53 p.m.The key, says Jim is that even a proffesional job might look ridiculous. As a sidenote he added that he once had to run a call in his pajamas.

5:50 p.m. "If I knew help is on the way, I would still try and immobolize the injury, even if that means just holding it " says Jim.

5:48 p.m. For arm and shoulder injuries the most common is to use a triangular cloth to immobolize the injury.

5:46 p.m. Jim says he knows this is gross, but this is the world we live in. *chuckle*

5:41 p.m. How do I know when a certain method isn't working to stop the bleeding? Jim says to look for signs of shock. Early shock includes restless, anxious, fast pulse, fast breathing, cool clammy skin. Late shock includes confusion, slowed speech, possibly unresponsive, fast(er) pulse, fast(er) breathing.

5:37 p.m. The last resort for bad bleeds is a Tourniquet. Okay, they just showed some graphics of a chopped arm with that tourniquet above the chopped part to stop the bleeding. Hmmm.......

5:35 p.m. If a person is bleeding apply pressure, says Jim. When that doesn't work elevate the  injury, this will slow the pressure down.

5:33 p.m. Jim has stepped in and tells the story about his first EMT phone call of a guy having a heart attack at a Burger King. Jim cut off the down jacket. feathers everywhere.  

5:31 p.m. When checking for circulation you should also check for breathing. I'm not getting everything. I'm sorry readers too many medical terms. 

5:30 p.m. Emergency number in Mexico is 066, our 911 is their 066.

5:28 p.m. Steve talks about considering the location when deciding whether or not to move someone. Probably not smart if the car accident occurred on the freeway. But he says it's ok if the car is on fire. 

5:26 p.m. Pulses can be a test for blood pressure. If you feel a radial pulse then your blood pressure is above 80. (Thats the one on your arm). Steve says if you should drop below 60, or even 70,  is pretty bad.

5:24 p.m. Start with the ABC's- air waves, breathing, checking for a pulse. Steve is asking us all to check our pulse. I think I'm alive.... but it's the pulse that says I am. I'm typing so I'm still not sure.  

5:22 p.m. People in places like Uganda and Mexico often travel on two wheels, bikes. This might be one reason why Americans hold the highest number of deaths in car accidents in other countries, because most travel is done on two wheels.  

5:19 p.m. I'm calling Stephen, Steve. Steve says that Americans are the highest number for getting into car accidents, even in other countries

5:17 p.m. Unintentional injury is the number one cause of death. Jim Fox was just introduced as the other coordinator.  

5:16 p.m. I thought there would be more time... But we're back, with  Stephen from Wilderness Medical Society.

5:08 p.m. Pizza smells good! We're taking just a few moments to eat. When we come back First Aid will be coming in for a session.

5:05 p.m. An arguement arose when Dr. Gonzales started talking about giving water to illegal immigrants. Kemper just makes a point to warn us that some people working with Humane Borders have been arrested for giving people water. Dr. Gonzales comes back with "In the U.S. it's illegal to refuse someone water ..... and how do I know that they are illegal?"

5:04 p.m. Pizza's here! Rochlin was excited too.

5:02 p.m. "I've been to Iraq taking pictures and I've never been ripped off," Professor Zanger stops and corrects herself. "The only time I've been ripped off is when I was in Nogales."

5:00 p.m. Rochlin asked a good question about giving money to sources. Other opinions are that while rules say you really shouldn't sometimes you have to give in to your human emotions. Kemper says he was told that sometimes it's dangerous, if you can't feed them all then it might turn into something ugly.

4:57 p.m. Mexico is really trying to clean their officers up, Rochlin told the story of a couple officers that weren't accepting money for bribe.

4:56 p.m. "Make sure to take off sunglasses so people can see your eyes. This way they can see you are respectful," said Rochlin.  

4:55 p.m. Professor Jay Rochlin was put on the spot, when asked the question "what do you do when people ask you for money or a 'mordida'?"

4:51 p.m. "Do not be submissive, but don't be arrogant!". Kemper steps in to add a little more-- He says that when you're in a situation where you do not know your rights or the language be calm. Professor Zanger says "Freak out when they freak out...if you hear a gun shot if other people dont hit the floor you don't do it. Take your cue from people around you."

4:50 p.m. A question arose when a student asked if a person should show their fear or try to act tough when in an uncomfortable situation.

4:49 p.m. Moral of the story--- listen to yourself. Trust your instincts.

4:45 p.m. During the first golf war he had a guy who wanted to get a story, so he looked around and found photographer that he trusted to take with them. The photographer drove them past an Iraqi checkpoint and then immediately turned back. He noticed that there was a shooting about to start. That might not happen in Mexico, but maybe.

4:43 p.m. New guest speaker- says one time he smuggled a burro across the border. Customs asked what that was and he said, "sir that's my date she always makes an ass out of herself." (This is the same person who reminded students to bring toilet paper).

4:40 p.m. Dr. Gonzales explains that it is important to know your limits, while she sometimes encourages people to step out of the comfort zone she says that its important to tell someone when you no longer feel comfortable. " I have made my living bearing witness to some of the most horrific events at the end of the 20th century."- Christiane Amanpour CNN reporter.

4:39 p.m. Between 86 to 100 percent of journalists have witnessed a traumatic event while covering the news.

4:36 p.m. Dr. Gonzales is speaking about "source vulnerability". Treat sources with respect. Be mindful of what they have experienced. Best stories are generated when you have established trust with sources. Protect sources- if they are undocumented you probably don't want to call the border patrol on them.

4:34 p.m. Mexican journalists in the video commented that working with the drug cartel is very diffcult because they live where it happens and they become targets.  

4:32 p.m. A journalist who was kidnapped is now speaking about his experience. They beat him up and humiliated him as a person.  

4:30 p.m. A video is now being played. It is a training for journalists reporting in Mexico. They played out a kidnapping scene to prepare journalists.   

4:28 p.m. Dr. Gonzales says that she has never seen the border violence at the scale. She has encountered being shot at from Mexico in the U.S.

4:27 p.m. Border Safety workshop power point presentation is beginning, by Dr. Celeste Gonzales

4:26 p.m. Now we are getting into the emotional support. ooo pizza will be here at 5pm. The list of resources and contacts is posted on the UA Journalism Web Site

4:25 p.m. That was a joke please no one take guns with them.

 4:25 p.m. Side comment- if you do carry guns, take a lot with you.

4:24 p.m. Water is very important. Take toilet paper with you. Do not carry guns and amunition.

4:23 p.m. "Grab some mexican currency if you can, so that if you are in a jam you can make a phone call."

4:21 p.m. A list of resources have been passed out and the speaker is going through them. The American consulate information is on there. If you are crossing the border one must have a passport to be able to cross back. Something very important that was told to the students is that if you are crossing the border in a car the car must belong to that person and it must be insured.

4:20 p.m. After having a few technical difficulties we are now live blogging. The workshop has so far covered a few important things. 1.Be sure to tell someone that you are heading down to Mexico. 2. Check with your insurance to see if you are covered in Mexico. 3. Safety is very important! There is no story worth your life.

Border Beat staff reporter Matilde Cantero will be blogging live from the Border Safety Workshop today in the Marshall building, room 340, from 4 to 6 p.m.  Many students doing their senior capstones will cross the Mexico-U.S. border. Journalism students who plan to report from the borderlands are getting a workshop about crossing the border and dealing with situations that may arise while there.

According to the University of Arizona School of Journalism, "The workshop will cover UA and School of Journalism policies regarding crossing the border to report from Mexico; emotional aid, such as dealing with the impact of covering human distress,trauma, fear; resource packets, which will include university travel forms, maps, list of contacts, list of Web sites to explore, and a checklist of what to take; and first-aid training by the UA College of Medicine Wilderness Medicine Society Student Interest Group."

Written by Matilde Cantero You are reading Border Safety Workshop Live Blogging articles