Wilderness First Aid Class by Greg

After grumbling about the First Aid class I took from the Red Cross I have nothing but praise for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Wilderness Medicine Institute (WMI) class I attended for two days in Corvallis last weekend.

The class was held at the county fairgrounds ostensibly in the Carriage House but we spent more time outdoors under high shade with the temperatures in the 90’s. Twenty eight people were there with three instructors. The class included 6 Woofers, Wilderness First Responders, seeking re-certification of that 10 day eighty hour course. The rest were much like me, several about my age, six women in their twenties. The class was well paced with about half in classroom instruction and half in role playing scenarios. The scenarios made plentiful use of make up for realistic appearing victims. Great fun and the weather was perfect.

The second day we had to compete with a vintage motorcycle show with over a hundred bikes on display. I got a chance to roam around on my lunch hour. Sorry I didn’t get any photos.

With a lot of folks around for the motorcycles we were more limited in our ability to spread out for the scenarios and always had an audience but that sort of added to the fun.

I brushed up on a lot of half remembered skills and would love to take either the next level 5 day course or even the two week one. These things tend to make you realize how much you don’t know as well as give you some basic skills.

The scenario victims would be nine of the 28 going away and being told what their injury was, make up applied to enhance the realism, then to sit or lay in the sun or shade. The remainder would break up into teams of two or three and go to the aid of the “victims.” Then into the first aid protocols to play detective on the extent and method of injury.

The difference between “Urban” and “Wilderness” first aid is that definitive medical care is not available for an hour or more. Hence in an urban disaster it is possible the wilderness protocols would apply.

The instructors, all young males in great physical shape and possessed of a certain intensity, did a fine job. We got lots of hands on practice under their close eye and coaching. My only complaint is cost and even that is not so bad. The classes all run about a hundred dollars a day. I happened to get a chance to ask the three instructors about the career opportunities offered by the training. It was not very encouraging. The lead guy was making a hundred thirty five a day. He.., you can make that much umpiring slow pitch soft ball. But many guided trips require that the guides have the certification so it is a minimum qualification for a lot of other $15 an hour jobs.

When I was guiding back in the late seventies I took an advanced first aid card as it was then called. I was taught by the Deschutes County Search and Rescue instructors in a 40 hour course spread over about a month. I think it may have cost $50. Much of that training did come back during this training.

One thing I found interesting is how little time they spend on what should be in your first aid kit. They of course sold kits but spent very little time on the discussion. Being resourceful with the materials on hand was a key part of the concept. Their wound protocol is quite cool though. They use those little strips to close a typical wound and then cover it with the clear plastic bandages like I used for all my leg and hip surgeries. That kit sells for four bucks to close up what might usually be covered with a band aid or two. Looked cool though.

Greg