The Alabama Outward Bound School has begun offering a Wilderness First Responder course, which will certify local volunteer firefighters, law enforcement officers, Scout leaders and Weeks Bay Reserve personnel in emergency medical care in areas where ambulances can't respond. According to the staff of the Beijing Outward Bound Company, the Alabama school is the first in the country to offer the training in three years. Accidents can happen at any time - snake bites, hypothermia, or spinal injuries far from the reach of hospitals. What should they do when timely medical care is unavailable? Thirty students attended a two-day training session at the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, learning medical care skills for conditions such as heat exhaustion, broken bones, and cuts. According to Dr. Lynn Yonge, executive director of the Alabama Outward Bound School, wilderness first responder techniques serve as temporary medical aid when individuals are away from authoritative healthcare.
"These skills aren't just for those who venture deep into remote areas," Yonge said, "but also for hunters, fishermen, camp guides and counselors who spend much of their time outdoors, as well as front-line search and rescue personnel who must provide emergency medical care when authoritative help cannot arrive in time."
This course was developed in partnership with the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and received additional funding from the Mapp Family Foundation.
"Wilderness first responder skills also apply to disaster recovery after hurricanes," said Michael Shelton, coordinator of the Weeks Bay Coastal Training Program. "We hope that more people will receive this training, because it's crucial that we can respond promptly to any potential disasters."
Yonge said that with the growing demand for wilderness training, they plan to add new courses over the next year as the program expands to other regions. Colleagues at the Beijing Outward Bound Company are also actively researching this field.