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Wilderness First Aid

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OldRag Rocks · · Rockville, MD · Joined Apr 2007 · Points: 195

I'd like to take a Wilderness First Aid course.

I'm mainly interested in learning skills that will help me and my partners should we sustain injury in remote areas. Ideally I'd like to take a course that I could do over a long weekend but I'd be open to other ideas.

Any recommendations for a good organization or particular certification I should consider?

I'm located in the DC area.

Thanks!

Eric Hardester · · Provo, Utah · Joined May 2013 · Points: 111

If you get EMT certified, you could join the local Search and Rescue team if you wanted, too. That would be longer than a weekend class, though. Probably a 6 week course. I think that would be more comprehensive, and then you could learn some wilderness specifics on the side. That's what I plan to do once I start my new job and can afford an EMT class.

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276

I've taken the WFA course twice from WMI and thought it quite good.

Here is a webpage that shows their upcoming WFA courses. Use the dropdown list to select the area you want (didn't see DC there, neighboring states are)

nols.edu/portal/wmi/courses…

john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

NOLS and SOLO are the big organizations..many locations.

For a weekend wilderness first aid is the way to go, other stuff like first responder and WEMT are much more extensive.

You MIGHT find a local guide o individual that offer small group as well.

tenpins · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 30

#1 - get training to a level you can afford and are interested in. WFA is a great start. hell, if you've never had a real first aid course, even a red cross first aid and CPR course is better than nothing.

EMT is great. Sure. But you wont be carrying most of the equipment and drugs you need to function as an EMT.

Fact is in the backcountry - any climbing area with a moderate approach where even on call ambulance or fire dept medics cant get to you in 10 minutes is pretty black and white. The injury is going to kill you within an hour (The Golden Hour) or it wont. A common joke in mountain rescue is that most subjects are 'medically stable' by the time we get to them. Means if they are going to die, they die before we got there.

NOLS is a gold standard for anything wilderness related. Any chance you are a veteran, I know of one group that has WFA courses from time to time.

Biggest obstacle for backcountry is the longer than usual time you will have to tend for a subject. Hours, maybe a day or two. And transport. Can you get someone out on your own, or do you have to shelter in place and wait for the cavalry

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276

Note: WMI (Wilderness Medicine Institute) is a division of NOLS.

Scott O · · Anchorage · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 70

If you can at all swing the time investment, I'd recommend taking a WFR rather than a WFA course. There's a reason WFR is the standard for the outdoor adventure industry.

-If someone doesn't have a pulse, do CPR
-If someone isn't breathing, give rescue breaths until they are or they become pulseless (in which case, do CPR).
-If something is bleeding, apply direct pressure to it
-If someone might have jacked up their spine, don't move them unless they are in imminent danger in their current location.
-If someone isn't behaving appropriately, you should evacuate them or call for help. Consider that they may be dehydrated and rehydrate with electrolyte containing solutions (in case they are actually hyponatremic). They may be suffering from altitude illness, heat stroke, or hypothermia, in which case you should correct the environmental exposure by descending or active cooling/warming.
-If an extremity is injured and painful when moved, put a splint on it. Sticks are good for this application.
-A headache, confusion, or trouble breathing at altitude mean you should go down
-Cover severe burn injuries with the most sterile or clean dressing you can find. Put mild burn injuries in cool water soon after exposure.
-Remember to keep your patients warm, dry, and protected from environmental hazards.
-If someone is bitten by a venomous snake, leave the bite the fuck alone and get the person to the hospital.

Congratulations, you now know wilderness first aid. Now go take a WFR course.

john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

Not to be picky Scott..but #1 rule is nobody else gets hurt.. Assess the situation first

Scott O · · Anchorage · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 70
john strand wrote:Not to be picky Scott..but #1 rule is nobody else gets hurt.. Assess the situation first
I thought that was part of the introductory common sense course.
OldRag Rocks · · Rockville, MD · Joined Apr 2007 · Points: 195

Wilderness First Responder courses sound like a good option if I can find the time - both the NOLS and the Center for Wilderness safety offer courses in my area over the next few months.

Tenpins makes a good point about gear and equipment limitations when in remote areas.

I'll continue to mull it over and see what's the best fit.

Many thanks for your thoughtful replies.

William Kramer · · Kemmerer, WY · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 935

Go for a Wilderness First Responder class, and then go further from there if you like it. EMT classes are long, and you have to have a doc sign for you every recertification cycle, one really has to run on an ambulance to keep up. Another option would be BEC or EMR, but if out in the hills is were you think you will use it, then go with the WFR. Also look into joining local search and rescue volunteer groups, just having a cert is not enough, got to practice and train to keep it up, and you meet awesome friends and learn other aspects of rescue that you probably never thought of.

John Duston · · Colorado · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 15

+1 for WFR. WFA is great to teach you how to dial 911 and not do more harm; WFR teaches more about what to do.

As a now current WEMT, I see a huge difference between each level. Plus the WFR class was one of the best (fun) courses I've ever taken!

Gavin W · · NW WA · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 181

I took my WFR through WMI (NOLS) last year and loved it. It is a big investment though ($700 and 10 days when I took it), so if that's not an option, a WFA is certainly a lot better than nothing. If I was going to be spending multiple days in the backcountry with a group, I would want at least one member of the group to at least have a WFA so that they could care for me in an emergency; I will be having my fiancè take one before we go on any extended backcountry trips.

TDoyle · · Milford, MA · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 140

NOLS WMI has some amazing instructors.
WFA will cover the patient assessment and some very basic first aid (a great course if you have little or no previous experience).
WFR tends to be the standard for most guides and outdoor school instructors.
WEMT is really just EMT-B + WFR. Its an awesome course if you want to be an EMT and you spend time in the backcountry. In the backcountry, though, an EMT typically can't do any more than a WFR. NOLS instructors are only required to be WFR for that reason.

Kent Richards · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 81

I was an EMT first, then Wilderness EMT, then WFR.

My experience was as the poster above said: EMT training assumes you are in the front-country, with "paraphernalia" (equipment), medical control, and Advanced Life Support nearby (i.e., an ambulance and a relatively quick trip to the hospital). I got the Wilderness EMT because the normal EMT mostly taught us to "load and go" -- not very useful for backcountry care or improvising. I got the WFR because WFR covers pretty much the Wilderness part of W-EMT covers, and I didn't want to put in the continuing ed to keep my EMT current.

Since then, I've done 5 or more WFR re-certifications, some of which were simply WFA courses. They cover mostly the same material, but you get much more practice and in-depth learning with WFR.

I echo what others say: Go for WFR if you have the money / time, and WFA if not.

Either way, get the textbook ahead of time and read it cover-to-cover twice. It's a lot of material to cover in 9 days, and a helluva lot of material to cover in 2-3 days (such is with a WFA course). The more you can preload your brain, the easier it will be to understand what the instructor is throwing at you.

Craig T · · Chicago, IL · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 0

I took Red Cross WFA. They mostly tell you that you are useless and you need to get someone with actual expertise and equipment to do a rescue. It all boiled down to 1) don't move their head, 2) get relevant history before they pass out, 3) get someone to run their ass down the trail to get a real medic. The course may be different outside of a big city where everyone in the course was a boy scout troop leader prepping to go canoeing.

Rogerlarock Mix · · Nedsterdam, Colorado · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 5

First, Bravo to you for wanting to get this training. It is amazing to me just how few people have no first aid knowledge.
WFA sounds like the course you're after. WFR will certainly give you more skills, but will cost more and may be more than you need.
EMT level training is certainly more expensive and time consuming. And unless you're looking at a career in EMS is probably WAY more than you need.

Good Luck, and again good decision to get some training.

Hiro Protagonist · · Colorado · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 290

+1 Kent

It's (NOLS WFR) the only first aid course I've taken which I thought was useful (WFR is my highest level attained/attempted). I have attempted non-NOLS WFR, which blew chunks and I stopped attending class.

Spencer BB · · Pasadena, CA · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 23

Does anybody have experience/opinions about the wilderness first aid course offered by awls.org/bwls?

Gunkiemike · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 3,492
Scott O wrote:If you can at all swing the time investment, I'd recommend taking a WFR rather than a WFA course. There's a reason WFR is the standard for the outdoor adventure industry. -If someone doesn't have a pulse, do CPR -If someone isn't breathing, give rescue breaths until they are or they become pulseless (in which case, do CPR).
These first points re. CPR do not agree with what I've been taught in my last 2 courses. Your training may be out of date.
Scott O · · Anchorage · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 70
Gunkiemike wrote: These first points re. CPR do not agree with what I've been taught in my last 2 courses. Your training may be out of date.
No, you're definitely wrong. If someone doesn't have a pulse, do CPR. If someone is apneic, but does have a pulse, provide respirations.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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