High Sierra Topix

With OR having his recent issue with his heart got me thinking about, how many folks
here really have any training in wilderness first aid, something like this: http://www.nols.edu/wmi/courses/wildfirstaid.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or similar?
Do you know how to diagnose, and treat a burn, hypothermia, heart attack, animal
bite, or a break/sprain? If not, are you expecting someones help (SAR), or are you
just winging it, and you'll just deal with it when it happens (hope not)?
Do you know what to do if your out with your fishing buddies, and one of them gets hit
by lightening, every second counts? What about if you son falls into a river in the
backcountry, and you have to resuscitate him, SPOT ain't gonna be fast enough in
either cause, and if no one is near by with the knowledge, then what?
Being able to diagnose and treat at least some of the basic issues that may arise sometime
in our backbacking careers, or to a loved one, or friend who may be with us, is something
all of us should know!
Personally it would be even worse if a family member or good friend was with me and
got injured or died because I did not take the time to educate myself or take a course
(which I have), it really could be the difference between life or death for you or them!
Should we not all take on the personal responsibility to learn the basic's of wilderness
first aid before embarking on our wild adventures?

Test you knowledge by clicking on the link, than on the green start button, and answer the
16 questions.
http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/sto ... Aid-Test-1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There was this little thread with some pointers on the topic as well:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=518&hilit=wildernes ... g+medicine" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yeah saw that Russ, that was back at the end of 2005, lots of new members since then.

Just didn't want to lose the knowledge there as this thread moves forward.

Yeap, understood. Only 7 member including the OP chimed in, thought that this is an
important enough subject to rehash, and hopefully get more member feedback/involvement
this time around, especially with the backpacking season just around the corner.

I've had first aid certification and a wilderness first aid course. It underlined for me the reality of how little you can do for someone having a cardiac event. Do I really want to start CPR when I know that it will take someone 24 hours to hike out, get in a car, get to cell reception, and call for help that may take another unknown amount of time to get there? You are not going to be able to treat serious injuries, just stabilize them until help arrives. Provide food and water. You should never expect any first aid class to allow you to TREAT medical issues.

What wilderness first aid WILL do is educate you more thoroughly on risk - what risks you take on yourself when that far from EMS and some of the things you need to do to mitigate it.

I've also learned that if you come upon someone who's been crushed and stuck under a large object that cut off circulation to an extremity for more than an hour, you do not move the object no matter what. That's a death sentence. Medical personnel with adequate supplies to deal with the situation and a helicopter need to be on site and ready to whisk the person away immediately, and even then, it's a pretty slim chance - no matter what the person will lose the limb.

Hypothermia - you do NOT move a person who is severely hypothermic. Someone who is mumbling and fumbling, you stop and re-warm him. Someone who is beyond movement and speech, you absolutely do not carry him anywhere, anyhow, not on horseback or a stretcher or anything, you bundle him up and slowly, carefully rewarm him, and send for help ASAP. If in doubt, stop and rewarm. Huge risk of cardiac arrest if you jar someone who is that far gone.

You do want to slowly walk a snakebite victim out of the wilderness, if there is any doubt about the snake's identity. Current rattlesnake protocol is to not use suction devices or to attempt to extract the poison.

AlmostThere wrote:
You are not going to be able to treat serious injuries, just stabilize them until help
arrives. Provide food and water. You should never expect any first aid class to allow
you to TREAT medical issues.

If you mean by stabilizing, bringing them back from death or the brink like in the
case of a drowned victim, lightening victim, or someone who is injured, going into
shock, and would die, than sure stabilize. Otherwise in these cases, if the initial
treatment is not administered, there will not be a victim to stabilize.
Certainly you cannot carry a triage unit worth of stuff with you, but being knowledgeable
in these cases and others sure beats guessing, and most likely making the situation worse.

I picked up my wilderness first aid class a few years ago via the Boy Scout Council when I was an assistant Scoutmaster. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the course, which was taught by Steve Donelan, instead of by scouters. I would highly recommend the course for anyone that is out there.

Last summer on the last few miles out from Ansel Adams, going down the Rush Creek trail toward the trailhead, I ran into several families with small children, dayhiking. It was hot, midday, and all were short of water. There was no shade and if you don't know the slope, its all rock. The common factor seemed to be a Type A father that was determined to make it to Agnew Lake. I fully expected to find a group by the trail with a member or two in full heat stroke. I guess that is where the training comes in.

I took the test.. then it wanted to make me sign in for the results. (i sign in to this place and work stuff only). The test did want me to buy a VW though This was not the intended target for this thread. The test, although a nice touch, was not the first thought.

As for the test, I missed 2. None of which would have helped a cardiac patient. So..

Just saying, be careful, be aware, and know how you feel, and have someone or something near you that can help.

I took my tests with the boy scouts in the 70's, and then again for fun with the wife in the mid 90's.. If it's obvious, you'll be fine.. If it's not, you'll be dead, maybe.. It really depends on where you are and what is really wrong.

Russ

I took the test too. Missed two, but I disagree with the first answer. Although the current teaching may be 2 breaths for 30 compressions (I don't know). When I was a CPR instructor in the '80's, it was 2/15 for single rescuer CPR and just because some teachings have changed, doesn't mean 15 or even 10 compressions between breaths suddenly becomes ineffective. Nowadays, they're pushing no inflation. Does that mean I am negligent if I give breaths? No. Anyway, I digress from my personal rant. I like the subject. It's been years since I've had any first aid courses. My focus back then was around water as a Divemaster. I should probably find something focused on wilderness.