When You Need To Act
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ometimes, even when you’ve done everything right, you’ll need to help someone out. “Regardless of how much care you take, you are going to run into unprepared people,” says Sawyer. “It’s a good thing to be confident in taking care of whoever you come upon.” When 911 is not an option, your brain is the best piece of equipment you have, so stay calm. In addition to training, the most important thing you can bring to a wilderness emergency is common sense, a clear head, and knowledge of the resources available to you. It will also help to follow these key steps to effectively handle any emergency: 1. Make sure the scene is safe. You don’t want to complicate matters or make a bad situation worse by creating another victim, so look and listen before approaching anyone. 2. Assess the situation. Decide if you can handle it on your own or not. Sawyer explains, “One of the biggest decisions in the woods is: “I know I can’t fix this, I need to go.” 3. Act accordingly. Do what you can, given your training and the resources available. Treat any life-threatening conditions if you know how. If you are in over your head, the best thing you can do is set things in motion to get outside help. Although we always hear about the big accidents in the news, Sawyer says that more often than not, we will encounter illness in the backcountry. “This is where training comes in. It’s easy to recognize when someone is broken, but hard to recognize when someone is sick. Minor injuries or illness can get worse if not treated appropriately, so early identification and action is important. If you don’t have the proper training, you need to get it.”
A Note on First Aid Kits We asked the experts what basics should be in every first aid kit. But, rather than list a few essentials, they told us to follow these basic principles in designing first aid kits. • Build a different kit for each activity. “Your first aid kit should be as specific as the type of shoes you wear for a particular sport,” says Sawyer. • Consider what you’re doing, where you’re going, who you’re going with, and how long you will be out. • Remove anything you don’t know how to use. • Re-pack your kit every time you re-pack your pack.
“This is where training comes in. It’s easy to recognize when someone is broken, but hard to recognize when someone is sick.”
Adventure Medical Kits Ultra Light— Watertight.7 kit. $27; adventuremedicalkits.com
Take a Class Wilderness medicine classes last anywhere from three days to a month depending on the level of training you desire. Sign up for a class with one of the following top providers: • Wilderness Medical Associates; wildmed.com • Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS; nols.edu/wmi • Stonehearth Learning Opportunities (SOLO); soloschools.com
The Bottom Line.
Although it may sound silly or seem unlikely, you could end up making a huge difference in someone’s life by using your wilderness first aid skills. “So many people underestimate the importance of first aid,” explains Sawyer. “If you are the first person on the scene and you do basic first aid, you could tremendously increase your patient’s quality of life. Your actions could mean the difference between a person ending up in a wheelchair or not remembering her kid’s names for the rest of her life and making a full recovery.” WAM • SUMMER | 2012
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