Why You Should Take A Wilderness First Aid Course
(FYI—Everyone pictured in our first Locals Wilderness First Aid class walked out alive!)
Did you know that if someone is having an asthma attack and doesn’t have medicine, caffeine can be used as a substitute? Or that keeping your phone in your shirt pocket can accidentally injure someone you’re trying to help?
We learned a lot in Wilderness First Aid, and we can think of a few reasons you should take it too! Especially if you’re a Yervana Local, there are tips that are helpful for every Adventure or activity, from hiking and mountain biking to skiing and snowboarding.
Wilderness First Aid Instructor Kieran Hartle
Kieran Hartle, owner of the Coast Wilderness Medical Training located in Vancouver BC, led our first Locals Wilderness First Aid course last month, and it went so well, we can’t wait for our next one.
Kieran is a paramedic with no shortage of first-hand rescue stories and helpful information and tips, like do you know why people should use a breathing mask for performing CPR? Think of puke going from one mouth to another and then potentially puking it again (gross!) Or that keeping a phone in your breast pocket can accidentally harm a patient if you’re laying them down—the last thing an injured person needs is a phone falling on them too, yikes!
7 Reasons You Should Take Wilderness First Aid
- This first one is obvious, you’ll gain confidence in how to treat a wounded person in the outdoors.
- It’s easy to freeze up and not know what to do in an emergency situation, WFA is a fun and safe environment to learn the steps.
- They not only show you how to treat an injured person, but also how to prepare for emergency crews to take over.
- Do you secretly love to be centre stage? In WFA you get to act out real life scenarios, complete with fake scars, blood, and makeup. You recreate hands-on scenarios to learn how to make medical decisions.
Pro Tip! If you offer to be the patient, bring wet wipes or makeup remover so can take off the fake blood and not scare anyone leaving the class. - You learn what gear you need to prepare for any scenario.
- In addition to first aid, you learn basic survival skills as well, like how to prevent and treat hypothermia, build stretchers, make splints, treat spinal injuries, and allergic reactions.
- Test your strength! If you ever wanted to try carrying someone in a makeshift backpack or lifting someone a half a foot taller than you, this is your chance.
The Class
The course took three days to complete, and our class included a crew of our finest Yervana Locals, like Professional Mountain Biker Geoff Gulevich, Founding Local Nicky Graham, as well as Tristan Slade, Jessica Reddit, Janelle Visser, Kurtis Smeaton, and Mari Mathews.
Questions are always welcome in the course and it was a safe environment to ask anything. But remember when you’re getting ready, no matter how warm you think the weather will be, you’re going to be outdoors for a while so bring a couple of extra layers, especially a toque and gloves that you don’t mind getting dirty!
“I have asthma and learned the caffeine thing (didn’t know about it). I have an EpiPen and I didn’t realize it’s fine to take an expired one in emergency situations. You’ll find answers to questions you were too afraid to ask, answers to “stupid questions,” and answers to questions you never thought of asking.” — Derek Gee, Locals WFA course participant
You’re eligible to receive 15% on a WFA course when you become a Yervana Local! Learn more about Wilderness First Aid Training.
