Hi guys,

In lectures I have been giving on aquarium first aid (for humans) I have recommended everyone fill out an Emergency Medical Sheet in case of an injury which renders you unable to communicate with your caregivers. For those who think "wow, that will never happen to me, I can't get THAT sick", I will tell you I was bitten by an animal (a reptile in my case) and was in an ambulace within 20 minutes, completely delerious, and my doctors didn't know I had been bitten. At thour e time no one around me had enough background to know what to tell the doctors, which slowed down my care. If I had an Emergency Medical Sheet, the Emergency Room docs would have had a head start in treatment.

The purpose of the form is twofold. First, it will give your vital information and that of your contact person (spouse, parent, etc). I'd recommend adding the name and telephone number of an aquarist as well--that person may be able to help (if you PM me I'd be glad to give you my contact info). There is space for you to write down any chronic health conditions you have, and any allergies. Second, there is space for you to write down all the different animals you keep. Wherever you can, make an effort to include scientific names of the organisms (the docs will get more out of "Zoanthid" than they will "Atomic Gorilla Nipples" ) . Don't forget the benthic and refugium organisms--things hiding behind rocks and within the strands of Chaetomorpha are just as likely to be problematic.

Print the form, fill it out, and keep a few copies where you and your family or friends can find them--the glove box of the car and in an envelope taped to the wall in your fishroom are good places. This way, in the event you are injured badly, you can grab the form and go. If the injury or illness IS caused by something in your tank, it will give them a head start and some clues as to what the offending organisms may be. Click the thumbnail below for a printable jpg.