Picture an afternoon trail. The Club climbs the ridge, the air cools, and suddenly a Pathfinder stops. He is breathing fast, there is a thin wheeze in his chest, and he cannot finish his sentence. This is an asthma attack. And yes, it can happen in the middle of a campout, far from any hospital.
The good news is that you do not need to be a doctor to help. You need to recognize the signs, stay calm, and know the first steps. A quick, calm response makes a huge difference while help is on the way.
This guide is for you, a Pathfinder aged 10 to 15, and also for Counselors, Directors, and parents. It teaches you to act at the right moment. But note: this is awareness, and it does not replace a first aid course or professional care. In an emergency, call your local emergency number (in Brazil, SAMU 192).
How to recognize an asthma attack
In asthma, the airways that carry air to the lungs become swollen and tight. Air gets in, but struggles to get out. That is why the most classic symptom is wheezing, that thin whistle in the chest when the person breathes. Sometimes you hear it before they even complain.
Watch for four signs together. Shortness of breath, with short, rapid breathing. A dry, persistent cough that will not go away. Tightness in the chest, as if something were squeezing from inside. And a very practical sign: difficulty speaking full sentences. If the Pathfinder can only say two or three words before stopping to breathe, the attack is serious.
In the day-to-day of the Club it shows up like this: a member who was running in a Unity game sits down hunched over, goes quiet, and brings a hand to the chest. Another, around the campfire, starts coughing without stopping. Do not treat it as fussing or ordinary tiredness. Ask calmly: 'Do you have asthma? Are you short of breath?' Very often the person already knows what is happening.
Stay calm and use the right position
The first thing you control is your own nervousness. Someone in the middle of an attack feels fear, and fear tightens the breathing even more. Speak slowly, look them in the eyes, and say that you are there. Your calm calms the person.
Position makes a real difference. Help the Pathfinder sit with the back straight or leaning slightly forward, resting the hands on the knees or on a table. This position opens the chest and helps air circulate. Never lay the person down, because lying flat makes breathing worse. Loosen any tight clothing around the neck and chest.
Ask them to breathe slowly along with you. Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth, without rushing. Give space: send the other members back and avoid a circle of people crowding around, which increases the distress. A good Counselor organizes the group while caring for the person who is unwell; if you want to go deeper into that role, see the guide on how to be a good Counselor.
The inhaler and the spacer: how to help
Almost every person with asthma carries an inhaler, the quick-relief medication (a bronchodilator). It relaxes the airways of the lungs and eases breathing within minutes. Your role is to help the person use their own inhaler, not to medicate on your own. The medication is individual and comes with the prescription from the Pathfinder's doctor.
The spacer is that plastic tube that attaches to the inhaler. It helps the medication reach the lungs better, instead of getting stuck in the mouth. If the Pathfinder has one, use it. The correct technique, according to the Ministry of Health, is this: shake the inhaler, attach it to the spacer, have the person sit with the torso upright and breathe out. Then they put the mouthpiece in the mouth, you press one puff, and they breathe in slowly and deeply. They hold the breath for about 10 seconds and release.
If the prescription calls for more than one puff, wait about 30 seconds and repeat. An important detail: research shows that most people get the inhaler technique wrong. That is why practicing it beforehand, at the Club meeting, with someone who already uses one, is worth far more than learning in the scare of a campout.
Read alsoFractures and immobilization: first aidRemove the triggers at camp
Many attacks have a trigger. Removing that trigger is part of the first aid. At camp, the champion is campfire smoke. If someone with asthma started getting worse near the fire, take them away, to an airy spot with clean air, upwind of the smoke.
Other common triggers are dust kicked up on dry trails, mold from tents stored damp, the cold early-morning air on the ridge, and intense physical effort, like running in the heat or the cold. Contact with animals and the pollen of certain plants also set off attacks in some people.
In practice: if the attack came after a hike, stop the activity and let the person rest. If it came in the cold of night, warm them up and protect the nose and mouth with a scarf or collar, so the air comes in less freezing. Recognizing the trigger even helps prevent the next attack on the same campout.
When to call your emergency number
Not every attack eases with the inhaler, and that is when you need to act fast. Call your local emergency number (in Brazil, SAMU 192) — or take the person to the nearest hospital if that is faster — at any sign of severity. Do not wait to see if it improves.
Call for help if: the lips, face, or nails turn bluish or grayish (a sign of lack of oxygen); the person cannot speak even short words; the inhaler has no effect or the attack comes right back; the breathing is very fast and labored, with the skin sinking in between the ribs or at the neck; or if the person becomes drowsy, confused, or very agitated. A first-ever attack, in someone who has never had asthma, also calls for medical evaluation.
When you call, report calmly: where you are (give a landmark of the campsite), that it is an asthma attack, the person's age, and what has already been done. While help is coming, keep the Pathfinder sitting up, give the inhaler again if the dispatcher advises, and do not leave them alone. If you have already taken the CPR course, be ready: in rare, extreme cases breathing can stop.
Prevention: the medical form saves lives
The best time to deal with an attack is before it happens. Every Club should have a medical form for each member, filled out by the parents, updated every year, and taken to every activity and campout. It must clearly state whether the Pathfinder has asthma.
Parents and guardians: always report it. Write down which inhaler your child uses, the dose the doctor prescribed, the known triggers, and whether they have ever had a severe attack. Send the inhaler (and the spacer) in the backpack, within its expiration date, and tell the Counselor where it is kept. An inhaler left at home is a huge risk on a trail far from town.
Directors and Counselors: know who in your Unit has asthma before heading into the field. Agree on who carries the list, who has first aid knowledge, and how to call for help at that location (cell signal, nearest road). Planning is not bureaucracy: it is care for the life of each Pathfinder.
The body is a temple: caring for it is an act of praise
For Adventists, caring for one's health has a spiritual meaning. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV): 'Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.' Learning first aid is a concrete way to honor this gift that is life.
The very act of breathing is remembered as praise. Psalm 150:6 (NIV) closes the book of Psalms this way: 'Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.' When you help a friend breathe in peace again, you take part in this care that God has for each person. This is a belief we share with joy, without imposing it on anyone: at the Club there is room for everyone.
In the end, first aid is love in action. You learn to recognize, to stay calm, to act, and to call for help. No Pathfinder should go through an attack alone when the group is prepared. Practice, talk with those who have asthma in your Unit, and take the medical form seriously. It is simple, and it saves lives.