Respond to a Wilderness Emergency It’s day three of a week-long backpacking trip in New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness. You’re having an incredible journey through this remote and pristine landscape, but then your hiking partner trips, hits her head on a rock, and tweaks her leg so badly that you can see bone. You are hours, probably days away from the nearest road and you haven’t seen anyone since you started your hike. What would you do? No one likes to dwell on the possibility of a situation like this actually occurring, but the reality is that accidents do happen. If you spend enough time playing outside, at some point you’ll find yourself wishing you had the skills to handle a wilderness emergency. We don’t want to scare you, but we do want to prepare you, so here’s a primer on how to stay cool when trouble strikes in the backcountry.
WAM • SUMMER | 2012
Know Before You Go—Get Certified
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deally, if you spend any amount of time recreating in the outdoors, you’ve taken a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or First Responder (WFR) class. “People learn about first aid from their friends, grandmothers, blogs, and ridiculous television shows, but none of it is verifiable truth,” explains Sawyer Alberi, a lead instructor for Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA) and a flight medic with the Vermont Army National Guard, who served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Taking a class erases the uncertainty and gives individuals the confidence to do the right thing at the right time, and that’s huge.”
Providers across the nation offer a variety of classes and, because no backcountry situation is the same, these courses not only provide you with concrete skills but also help you develop critical thinking skills so you can make smart decisions. “Backcountry medicine—where definitive care is delayed— is very different than street medicine,” says Sawyer. “We teach you to quickly assess: Is this person sick, not sick, or really sick? Are they going to get worse or not? Can I fix it here or do I have to evacuate? This is the critical thinking piece that allows you to solve the problem, not just go through the motions.”
An Ounce of Prevention... More often than not, planning and common sense can prevent accidents in the backcountry. Here are some basic things you can do before leaving your doorstep to ensure that you and your friends return home unscathed.
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Smarts: Choose a route and terrain that Once you’re on the trail, is suitable for your skills and comfort what can you do to make level. sure your first aid kit stays buried in your pack? “Good Navigation Know-how: Learn how communication with your to read a map and use a compass. hiking, riding, and climbing The Right Stuff: Pack gear you have partners is key,” explains tested, you know works, and will suit Sawyer. “If you don’t talk the conditions. about an issue, then it beBack-Up: Tell someone your itinerary. comes worse and can turn Discuss what they should do if you miss into a problem.” A few other the agreed upon check-in time. ways to head off trouble:
• Stay well hydrated, fed, and rested. • Build in more time than you think you’ll need for your activity. • Use common sense. • Stick to your itinerary.
womensadventuremagazine.com
ALL PHOTOS COUrTeSy WILDerneSS MeDICAL ASSOCIATeS
By Chris Kassar
Wilderness First Aid
m Skills