When I got
to Joe, his arms and legs were twisted behind him. Red was seeping out
from under his helmet, and his skin was white as paste.
Joe! Joe! What happened?" I asked.
There was no response. This, I thought, is not good.
Jeff stabilized his neck while I did a primary survey, and we confirmed
that his airway was open and he was breathing. I started taking a pulse.
We were worried about circulation, since it looked like he was losing
a lot of blood. Jeff was able to apply direct pressure to his forehead,
but there was a lot of work left to be done. This, I thought, is really
not good.
To break the tension, I joked to Jeff that I wished Joe was always this
quiet. Suddenly, a hint of a smile crept into our patient's face, and
we were reminded that this was no routine emergency . . . and Joe was
no routine patient. The red below Joe's helmet wasn't blood after all,
and his pasty color had more to do with Max Factor than it did with poor
circulation. No, this wasn't a cruel practical joke; it was a carefully
constructed simulation designed to teach us about first aid in the backcountry.
It was late February, and Joe, Jeff, and I had joined twenty-one other
outdoor enthusiasts for a weekend course in Wilderness First Aid.
Unlike standard first aid courses, the Wilderness First Aid curriculum
focuses on the unique challenges the wilderness environment poses to the
first-aider. Help can be hours or days away, and medical supplies are
limited. This course is designed to teach first aid skills under such
circumstances, and without the use of fancy gadgets most of us are unlikely
to carry in the backcountry.
We responded to a variety of simulated emergencies, ranging from soft
tissue injuries to lightning strikes. The format was classroom lecture
followed by simulations. Our performance as first-aiders was then critiqued
by both patients and instructors. This approach provided valuable feedback,
it also permitted us to make mistakes in a controlled setting where the
most dangerous consequence was constructive criticism.
As our instructors noted, a typical backcountry venue is overflowing with
good splinting materials, and even a small paddling or hiking group has
a tremendous amount of equipment at hand. After just a few simulations,
even the least mechanically inclined members of the group were able to
effectively improvise systems to care for patients.
The course content was excellent, the instructors were well-prepared,
and the simulations were very effective teaching tools. It's hard to fall
asleep in class when you are looking down at someone in whitewater gear
who appears unconscious and bleeding.
I hope I never need any of these skills, but things do occasionally happen
. . . and I'd encourage any active outdoorsperson to learn as much as
possible about first aid. It's certainly to my advantage - after all,
I have a vested interest - you've seen me paddle.
