Outdoor Adventure USA

I was just wondering if anyone on here was certified in anything (EMT, WFR, WFA, WEMT etc…) All the officers in our oc (outdoor club) are certified WFR (except me…and I will be taking the course eventually). It amazes me how useful their knowledge is, even when you’re not stuck out in the woods. Even so many of them haven’t had to use such an extensive amount of knowledge (most things you run into on a hike basic first aid or common since can cure) and I’ve been wondering if perhaps the certification is overkill. So, I was thinking about doing a poll (completely for curiosity sake) Has anyone on here actually ever had to use the knowledge gained from any such courses (things most people wouldn’t know how to do) in a real life situation? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the programming and am looking forward to learning all I can get. As an avid hiker I also understand the whole ‘be prepared’ and ‘better safer then sorry’ slogans…but hay face it I’m a college student I like questioning the authority set by those much older (no doubt wiser) and smarter then me. (No, really…I’m actually very supportive).

TomS is certified, and then some. Tom, what say you?

Hi Justhikingthoughlife ,
I am certified Wilderness First Responder (WFR) thru Wilderness Medical Associates. It is a great course and the best first aid class I ever took. I would not waste my time on the normal first aid courses - you know Red Cross, boy scouts, etc. Go straight for this one or if you can't put the 9 days in a row together get the Wilderness First Aid as a pre req that allows you to finish the WFR with 4 more days at a later date. I tell you, you will be looking for someone to save on the way home from the class.
To answer your question, I have not really had to use it yet. I was at Moab a year ago and a guy rolled his truck right in front of me and about 50 other people. I responded and as I went to stabilize his head and neck another guy beat me to it and said he was an EMT. 2 more people identified themselves as EMT. The ambulance was on there in 10 minutes. Since it was not a wilderness context, I backed off. I came across a 10 or 12 year old who had fallen off his motor cycle last month. He was lying on his side with a gashing wound in his knee. I put my rubber gloves on and got my first aid kit. Just then 2 EMT rangers showed up - no reason for me to stay, just wasted a pair of gloves. Last December, I was teaching a class on the sand dunes and was driving back on the paved road to go to lunch when a Lady driving a quad hit a hole in the sand and rolled 3 times and didn't get up. She was riding in the sand parallel to the road. I immediately turn into the sand and drove over to her. Guess what, I was training ambulance drivers and I had 12 EMT's and paramedics follow me over to her. They put on a c collar and put her on a back board and sent her to the hospital. At least, I understood what they were doing and I was able to provide some equipment and supplies. These guys didn't have there EMT bags with them. The following week, I had 12 new EMT's and another lady crashed her quad in the big dunes. Since they were closest they were dispatched but since they had been on the sand with only 4 hours for training, I had to lead them out thru the dunes picking the safe and easy lines to get the big trucks out there. They called in a helicopter to airlift her out.

So while no one has had to rely on my skills, I must say there have been plenty of reasons why they might have had.
Regards
Tom Severin
KI6FHA

I just completed my EMR certification with San Bernardino County Fire, along with CPR for the Professional Rescuer

Great class, and I am now looking for more classes to take

I am working on my EMT.

I had my EMT for a few years but then stopped renewing it. I had to use it on a number of occasions when I was teaching SCUBA. Thankfully not on any of my students. The one that sticks with me is when one of my dive masters went into cardiac arrest during a a class in 50' of water.

As a member of Verde Search and Rescue I have a red cross cpr cert (renewable every 2 years) and wilderness first aid cert (renewable every 3 years).
I have three first aid kits (including the one in my pack) in my truck most of the time.