How dangerous is the field surgery test? Experts say that the dangers may include geological disasters, weather changes, encounters with dangerous wild animals, getting lost, etc.
field surgery test safety awareness is more important than first aid knowledge
Recently, the news of the death of four geological team members who lost contact with Ailao Mountain in Yunnan has once again aroused the public's attention to the field surgery examination.
Sudden weather, beast attacks, natural disasters...In the wild, scientific expedition team members face countless risks.
Many experts who have been engaged in field surgery examinations for a long time shared their stories with reporters from the Beijing News.
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"It's not uncommon for peers to be in danger"
In recent years, it is not uncommon for field surgery team members to be injured or even killed.
In July 2018, four teachers and students from Southwest Petroleum University carried out a field geological survey in Xinjiang and were killed in a sudden debris flow disaster.
In 2012, scientists from the Cold and Drought Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences were killed in an accident during a field investigation.
Last year, a member of the snow leopard investigation team had an accident in the Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province, causing multiple injuries to his body and unable to move. He was rescued by a helicopter.
Gu Lei, an associate professor at the School of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, has conducted botany research in Qinghai and Tibet for a long time. He said that the field surgery examination is indeed a high-risk job. The possible dangers include geological disasters, weather changes, and encounters with dangerous wild animals. , Falling from heights, getting lost, hungry, cold and lack of oxygen, traffic accidents, etc.
Danger is everywhere.
In 2001, a doctoral student from the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was killed during a field study. According to media reports at the time, the cash and camera he had stored in the travel apartment were unknown.
Gu Lei said that in order to save money, people often went to field investigations alone, but accidents occurred. At present, many long-distance investigations require at least two people to participate.
“It’s not uncommon for colleagues to be in distress: those who were bitten by snakes, leeches, or ticks that caused illness and hospitalization, fell from a height and were seriously injured or even died...” Gu Lei once studied Ph.D. in botany at the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He recalled that at that time A teacher in the botanical garden who was doing research on Magnoliaceae fell from a tree while studying in Yunnan and died.
Zhao Guochun, an associate professor in the School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), has been running in the field for more than 30 years.
In 2015, he conducted a field investigation in Jiangxi. When observing the rocks under the steep wall, a large piece of rock fell from the top of the mountain and almost hit him.
One of his graduate students was injured by falling rocks during an inspection in Tongling a few years ago.
Zhao Guochun said that geological surveys often involve climbing mountains with no roads.
“There are plants and vegetation growing on the edges of some steep walls. Be careful not to slip them. Don’t fall down.” In 1988, when he was on a field study in Songshan, Henan, a student didn’t pay attention and slid down the steep wall. “Fortunately, it was blocked by a tree. Otherwise it will be crushed to pieces."
Li Chunwang, an associate researcher at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has also encountered wild animals.
"That time, when I went out into the wild in the United States, I found a coyote 200 meters away. I had a flash of inspiration and called out. It stopped and observed for a long time, then turned and walked away."
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People are always newbies in front of nature
Accidents happen frequently, and safety issues are increasingly being valued by scientific researchers participating in field investigations.
Gu Lei said that researchers must first have a general understanding of the destination, such as geological conditions, weather conditions, etc., and at the same time bring adequate clothing and outdoor equipment. Your clothes will not lose temperature.” He said that if geological disasters such as mudslides occur frequently at the destination, it is necessary to avoid travel during the rainy season as much as possible.
The rivers in the mountains often flood without warning due to the precipitation in the upper reaches, so try not to walk in the valley.
To prevent the risk of falling when climbing, wear ropes and safety belts.
Zhao Guochun also believes that it is necessary to take precautions in advance according to local seasons and topography. For example, karst areas may collapse, and sometimes avalanches may occur in the alpine areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Fires must be prevented in the northern forest areas in autumn and winter, and thunder and lightning must be prevented in summer.
"When you really encounter these situations, you must know how to avoid danger." He pointed out that first-aid kits can save lives at critical moments. Researchers should not ignore these items because of the heavy burden.
Xing Lida, a paleontologist who often goes to the wild to find dinosaur fossils, reminded that the shorter the field surgery test time, the easier it is to take the equipment lightly.
He said on Weibo that the equipment should include 3 major operators’ SIM cards and 2 mobile phones, lighters, lighters (spare), mosquito and snake medicine, fever and cold diarrhea medicine, hemostatic strips, water purification tablets, high-calorie foods, 2 flashlights, sabers, mountain knives, compasses, Beidou satellite tracking system, whistle, etc.
"You must keep in mind the principle of two people walking together. Those who have trouble are often veterans. In front of nature, people are always novices. No matter what you do, even when you go to the bathroom, you must go together. help."
Li Chunwang believes that it is most suitable for three people to travel together.
"Our students must be in groups of three or more. If one person has a foot on the mountain, two companions can lift him down, or one person can look after him and the other person down the mountain for help." At the same time, the first time to go to a strange place, the most It's good to be accompanied by a local guide, because some subtle topographic maps cannot be displayed.
At the same time, he recommends downloading high-resolution maps in advance to avoid situations where there is no signal in the wild.
Animals and insects in the forest and grassland also need to be guarded.
Gu Lei reminded that the ankles, cuffs, necklines and other places where ticks might crawl into should be packed in advance.
He said that the northeast is a place with high incidence of forest encephalitis, and it is easy to get sick if bitten by a tick. If you go to these places for field surgery, you may need to inject the vaccine in advance.
What should I do if I encounter a beast?
Li Chunwang said that you must be alert when you hear the wind and grass, and try not to have direct conflicts with wild animals.
When you see animals in a wide field of vision, you must make a little noise. Wild animals know that there are people in the distance and will try to avoid them.
"It's a terrible situation to meet head-on. It can't avoid you, and you can't avoid it."
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Regularly carry out safety training to share experience
Master first aid knowledge may come in handy at critical moments.
After all, "doctors on the team" are very extravagant, and most scientific examinations will not have this "configuration".
Gu Lei said that in recent years, the domestic field surgery examination training has been increasing day by day, but in the early years, "everyone depends on experience and luck."
In addition, many experts have expressed the same view-more important than first aid knowledge is to establish safety awareness in advance.
"Field surgery examinations and production safety are the same principles and should be emphasized at any time. Including me, I feel that the entire industry still needs to strengthen safety awareness. Many times I feel that I have been out in the field so many times. There will be paralysis." Gu Lei said frankly.
Li Chunwang feels that young scientific researchers nowadays are passionate about running outdoors, with a strong romantic color.
"In fact, going out to do scientific research is a very serious matter." He said that their research group has a field safety manual. Before going out in the field, everyone will sit together for safety education.
"After everyone has finished reading, sign a word or discuss it, and the teacher will also ask questions to ensure that safety education is implemented."
Gu Lei believes that relevant research institutes should regularly carry out safety training for their employees. On the one hand, it is conscious and on the other hand method.
"A lot of people didn't know what to do when going out in the wild. Our experience was slowly accumulated by ourselves. Looking back now, we can only say that life was great at that time and there was no real danger." He said, with the new Members continue to join, and experienced members should share their experience with everyone.
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The popularity of satellite phones should be increased
With the popularization of infrared cameras, thermal imagers and other equipment, can scientific and technological means gradually replace manual field investigations in the future?
Several experts said that the experience of scientific researchers cannot be replaced by scientific and technological means.
Li Chunwang pointed out that finding clues about wild animals is difficult to achieve with drones.
"The drone flies over the dense forest and can't see anything downward. Thermal imaging only captures the outline of the animal, and the specific animal is unknown. Similarly, infrared cameras also need people to be placed in the forest."
Gu Lei said that large-scale vegetation research can be done with remote sensing data, but to see what the forest looks like in a certain place, it is still necessary to check on the spot.
Zhao Guochun said that no robots are currently used in the sampling work of conventional geological scientific examinations, because the intelligence and sensitivity of the robots are not up to the requirements.
Since the field surgery examination is an indispensable means to obtain first-hand information, how to make scientific researchers more secure?
Gu Lei said that at present, it takes a long time for field surgery examinations to work in no man's land to be equipped with satellite phones.
He suggested increasing the popularity of satellite phones and forming a reporting system to allow scientific expedition team members to report their positions on a regular basis.
Gu Lei believes that in terms of survival in the wild, the outdoor sports industry has rich experience.
"We should communicate with them more."
Beijing News reporter Zhang Lu