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NOLS Wilderness First Aid Course

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HighDrag

HighDrag

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Jun 30, 2017
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Location
Mayhill, NM
First Name
Bryan
Last Name
Casinger
I am taking the WFA course through REI this weekend in Helotes because I wanted to be more prepared for emergencies during my rides. Great course! I am the only one of 27 in the class that mentioned anything about motorcycles, so got to wondering how many riders out there - especially adventure/dual sport riders who are not First Responders by profession, have this training or anything similar. I have never heard much mention of it when I go on group rides except for the rally organizers.

By coincidence I just read a Facebook post by Bill Dragoo that he is taking the exact same course this weekend up in Ft. Worth. Wish I had gone up there to talk more motorcycle related stuff.
 
I'd love a course like this. These days, "First Aid" classes are usually all about CPR. An important skill in itself, but doesn't address how to splint an arm or leg, treat a burn, cover a sucking chest wound, etc. I learned that stuff in Scouting but, c'mon, that was over 50 years ago. And the refresher I got in Basic Training was over 40 years ago.
 
tshelfer said:
I'd love a course like this. These days, "First Aid" classes are usually all about CPR. An important skill in itself, but doesn't address how to splint an arm or leg, treat a burn, cover a sucking chest wound, etc. I learned that stuff in Scouting but, c'mon, that was over 50 years ago. And the refresher I got in Basic Training was over 40 years ago.
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I'm in the same boat. Leaned it all in scouting 20 years ago but need a refresher. Great idea.

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I have the next cert up the chain... WAFA. Wilderness advanced first aid. Taking my two year re-cert class in January. In all fairness this is the minimum certification that allows me to work as a river guide. Considering moving up to wilderness first responder on the next renewal.
 
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Brilliant idea and well worth the time. I was once current as an EMT but I let it expire.

Your training, plus a few basic medical items on your bike on the trail/road, and you can be a life saver. I've seen it happen.
 
I've been CERT trained, but again, that's not real extensive and it was more than ten years ago so the WFA sounds interesting.
 
tshelfer said:
I'd love a course like this. These days, "First Aid" classes are usually all about CPR. An important skill in itself, but doesn't address how to splint an arm or leg, treat a burn, cover a sucking chest wound, etc. I learned that stuff in Scouting but, c'mon, that was over 50 years ago.
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+1
 
When I rode Baja with Tim Morton, I asked him about the roll of duct tape he had on the outside of his backpack, hanging there with a carabiner. I thought it an odd thing in an odd place.

He explained that he got the idea from another Baja veteran, who saw and experienced a lot of crashes. “With duct tape in the outback you can fix broken bones to bleeding and pretty much anything in between” he said. “You can make splints, hold bandahes in place, and even strap another rider to your back and ride out. I’ve seen it all”

Which is why my medical kit has duct tape in it to this day.
 
Good point. Duct tape and a baggie will patch a chest wound. Not that anybody's likely to get shot, but one might get jabbed by a handlebar, stick, or Spanish dagger.
 
Finished the course, it was a great time and I learned a bunch. One thing that becomes really obvious is that reading about or thinking about giving first aid is one thing, putting it into practice is another. The play-acting scenarios were a fantastic learning experience - it would be even harder in real life.

Another thing is that even though I carry a first aid kit and have had some training long ago in the military - I really needed the refresher and extended learning with an emphasis on wilderness factors. And I need to take everything out of my kit and learn how to actually use it!
 
HighDrag said:
Finished the course, it was a great time and I learned a bunch. One thing that becomes really obvious is that reading about or thinking about giving first aid is one thing, putting it into practice is another. The play-acting scenarios were a fantastic learning experience - it would be even harder in real life.

Another thing is that even though I carry a first aid kit and have had some training long ago in the military - I really needed the refresher and extended learning with an emphasis on wilderness factors. And I need to take everything out of my kit and learn how to actually use it!
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This is spot on. A lot has changed in first aid. In a wilderness situation the caregiver is in it for extended time periods compared to an urban setting where professional help is minutes away.

That last sentence is perfect too. Knowing what you have, by packing or re-packing yourself is valuable. It calls to mind changing our tires with our trail kit instead of a machine. We know it works because we practice with it.
 
Thanks for posting this, I've been wanting to do this for some time. Just signed up for the January course in Austin.
 
13 Videos of the NOLS Wilderness First Aid Course, which is basically a great way to get the bulk of the information in the actual hands on course. It's important to get the hands-on practical experience but this is a great way for the casual reader here to at least be armed with the knowledge base.

NOLS | Wilderness Medicine Videos
 
I've ridden with Tim a couple times and wondered the same thing !!

tricepilot said:
When I rode Baja with Tim Morton, I asked him about the roll of duct tape he had on the outside of his backpack, hanging there with a carabiner. I thought it an odd thing in an odd place.

He explained that he got the idea from another Baja veteran, who saw and experienced a lot of crashes. “With duct tape in the outback you can fix broken bones to bleeding and pretty much anything in between” he said. “You can make splints, hold bandahes in place, and even strap another rider to your back and ride out. I’ve seen it all”

Which is why my medical kit has duct tape in it to this day.
Click to expand...
 
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