News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
One of the guiding principles that I try to live by is that I want to be an asset when things go sideways - not the guy who's standing around waiting for someone else to take action.
In that spirit, I signed up for a recent, two-day Wilderness First Aid course through Sisters-based Northwest Precision Medical Training. I've taken CPR and basic first aid classes, and read up on wilderness first aid - but I have never buckled down to a full-on, multi-hour course.
Founder and principal Tracy Trotter knows his stuff. He has deep background as a 21-year firefighter/paramedic. He spent five years in Norway, working in one of the most demanding ski patrol and mountain rescue environments in the world. He has been a field training officer for the Mayo Clinic. He launched Northwest Precision Emergency Medical Training in the Eugene-Springfield area, where he has provided medical support for veterans' Honor Flights to Washington, D.C.
Tracy Trotter of Northwest Precision Medical Training engages with participants in a two-day Wilderness First Aid course at Big Lake Youth Camp. The course included live-action simulation scenarios that tested and enhanced classroom learning.
He is seeking to build a base of well-prepared citizens in Sisters, who know how to react when an emergency presents itself.
Trotter's outlook on his work aligns with what I wanted to get out of it - a base of knowledge and preparedness that enables me, as a civilian, to take appropriate action if and when I encounter injury or illness out in Sisters' woods, deserts, and mountains. It should be noted that you don't necessarily have to be a trekker to benefit from a wilderness first aid course. The same principles apply to a car-camper roaming the highways, and whatever you can apply in the wilderness environment can also be applied in your own neighborhood.
Responding to an emergency may mean performing CPR, applying a tourniquet to stop bleeding, or splinting an injury. Northwest Precision Medical Training teaches all of these things. But my strongest takeaway from the session is that assessing an injury or illness and relaying good information is at least 80 percent of the task at hand. Simply knowing when to call 9-1-1 is a critical skill and can mean the difference between life and death.
Trotter was the main presenter and instructor, assisted by Firefighter/ EMT, Eric Hulse, Dr. Bradley Rethwill, DC, and Trotter's wife, Dr. Inger Lied, who is working as a primary care physician at St. Charles Health Clinic in Sisters. Dr. Lied is Medical Director for Northwest Precision Medical Training.
Most of the first day's work involved learning how to perform a thorough and effective assessment - what questions to ask of a victim and his or her companions to determine what is going on. Trotter and Hulse emphasized an often-overlooked aspect of first aid response - assessing the scene. It is critical to take a good look around at the scene of an accident to make sure that there are no other dangers posed - lest the rescuer get injured and require rescuing, which only complicates things for emergency responders.
We role-played and practiced the assessment skills in the afternoon.
The course attendees were mostly employees of Hoodoo and staff from Big Lake Youth Camp. They are far from the headquarters of Sisters Country's emergency responders, so it pays to have knowledge to act when they encounter a problem. Under such circumstances it is important that we know how to relay solid and thorough information to dispatch so that they can spin up the right resources immediately. With a response time of a half-hour (or much longer) to the backcountry, they need to know from the start what resources are needed. Any delay in mobilizing resources threatens the outcome.
Will emergency responders need ropes to reach an injured person, and a basket to lift them out? Should air assets be mobilized immediately? Those decisions depend in large part on the information we are able to assess and provide on the scene.
I went into the program focused on response to injury, and recognized early on that illness is just as big an issue - and may be more common. In fact, upon reflection, I realized that almost all of the medical issues I've encountered in the wilderness - thankfully none rising to the level of an "emergency" - have been more medical in nature than injury-related. Altitude sickness, digestive issues, cramps, etc.
We got a thorough grounding in the vast variety of ailments and injuries that can present themselves on the trail, how to identify them, and understanding which ones can be dealt with through first aid and maybe hiking out to the trailhead, and which require immediate emergency response.
The second day of the course featured scenario-based hands-on application of what we'd learned in the "classroom." This is, of course, the most fun part of the deal - especially for those of us who enjoy a bit of role-playing. But this is where gaps in action make themselves apparent. In one scenario, we did a good scene assessment, found all the victims of a landslide on a trail, assessed injuries, splinted injuries - but we got caught up in what we were doing and were late in making the determination to call 9-1-1 for the most serious injuries.
And that is why you train.
Skills and a willingness to take action are the most important part of wilderness first aid response, but kit does matter. We got a good run-down of the essentials - and how to avoid paying way more than necessary for a good kit. My own kit was already in pretty good shape, but I am adding in SAM splints, based on the remarkable versatility and effectiveness demonstrated in our skills sessions.
The full 16-hour Wilderness First Aid course is not your only option. A Comprehensive CPR, First Aid, and AED Training course is a half-day course designed to equip participants with the essential skills required to provide immediate assistance and support to individuals experiencing medical emergencies. It's geared toward anyone, from a concerned citizen, a healthcare professional, a teacher, a coach, or anyone who wants to be prepared to respond in critical situations. There is a more advanced option for health care providers. There's also a basic Child & Babysitter Safety fundamentals course.
If, like me, you can't stand the idea of being a bump on a log when people need your help, you'd be well served to get educated and trained with a quality local outfit that is invested in the community. And, let's be honest, it's also a lot of fun.
For more information visit https://northwestprecisionmedical.com/contact or call/text 541-735-5434, or email [email protected].
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)