As with any career, it takes time spent in the outdoors leading trips, hiking trails, riding up and down mountains and kayaking rivers to feel comfortable about the responsibility.
As an Experiential Learning Manager, I’ve studied youth development, analysed maps, immersed in wellbeing strategies, tested recipes, mucked around with knots, learned about all the technical aspects of gear to help me prepare for outdoor adventures.
On every course and through every qualification, I found myself undertaking a variety of roles and making fast decisions in new and exciting environments. I wanted to be prepared for what our group was doing and where the adventure was going. But I’ve recently come to realise that there are two qualifications that cross all those roles, prepare me better than any other and give me confidence for whatever direction the adventure heads.
Over the last 12 months, I’ve refreshed two qualifications I think are critical for any outdoor leader. The first - Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and the one I’ve just completed - Wilderness First Aid (WFA) with Survive First Aid.
I’ve put some thoughts and reflections together on this course and why it is so important.
Outdoor Leadership begins with Risk Management
No matter the group, situation, circumstances or activity, as an outdoor leader, my priority never changes...
Do everything I can to continually manage, support and empower the physical and psychological safety of every member of the group.
WFA incorporates both elements of physical and psychological care for when a group might find themselves more than an hour from definitive medical care (Medical Centre/Hospital), where the environment is in its natural state, where human impact is minimal, when access and communications are limited, and when as the leader-in-charge, I may have to help coordinate the emergency response
To explain WFA further, it is designed to provide me with advanced skills and knowledge required to provide the best care to a patient, in the above description, whilst waiting for an extended period of time for help to arrive. As such, not only is appropriate First Aid care critical but also the ability to coordinate the response.
It’s important to note that WFA is the immediate care given to an injured or suddenly ill person. It does not take the place of definitive medical care. It consists only of giving assistance until a more advanced level of medical care arrives or until the chance for recovery without medical care is apparent. It involves responding to, assessing, managing and keeping a patient safe but doesn’t involve diagnosis, treatment or promises that can’t be kept.
Wilderness First Aid has a distinct focus because:
Injuries and illnesses occur outdoors, often in adverse conditions that affect both patients and responders.
Definitive medical care may be delayed for hours or days; by a difficult location, bad weather, lack of transportation or communications.
Certain injuries and illnesses are more common in wilderness areas.
Medical care beyond urban first aid may be needed.
First Aid supplies and equipment are limited.
Simply put, the wilderness is not a controlled environment. Being an effective outdoor leader with sound medical knowledge not only provides a wonderful course experience but also ensures that the physical and psychological health and safety of each group member are top of mind and supported with sound medical knowledge.
Applying Wilderness First Aid in Outdoor Adventures
Gaining and maintaining WFA qualifications is a crucial step in being an outdoor professional. With the increased interest in the outdoors, I know there is an increased need for the knowledge of how to manage new risks associated with it.
Across the outdoor industry, WFA is becoming a credible and recognised standard for any person who is in a position of responsibility and/or has a duty of care for others.
It’s relevant to a range of roles including (but not limited to):
Outdoor Educators
Tour Guides
Emergency Services
Recreational Club Leaders
Search & Rescue
Farmers/Station Managers
Being the First Responder in Outdoor Environments
While having a few bandaids on me is helpful, being trained in WFA equips me to match my level of training and preparedness to the intensity of the environment around me when leading teams.
Outdoor leaders need to have a solid understanding of how the body and mind works in order to undertake an adventure. They also need to learn how to take care of the body and mind and how to approach first aid in the outdoors.
First Aid response in the outdoors is much more than keeping a person breathing, reducing their pain or minimising the consequences of injury or sudden illness until an ambulance arrives. It also involves:
People management - whether you need their help, you need to calm them down, you need to remove them from the scene of trauma and many more possibilities
Adapting with changing and/or challenging environmental conditions
Ongoing care and coordination when professional help could be hours away
Thinking on your feet with the limited or restricted items that you have at your disposal.
Throughout the WFA course, you’ll learn how to respond to:
Unresponsive and/or non-breathing (DRSABCDEFG incl. CPR & Defibrillator)
Anaphylaxis (Allergic Reactions & Administering EpiPen)
Asthma (Administering Ventolin)
Mental Health
Spinal & Head (Concussion)
Diabetes (Hypoglycaemia & Hyperglycaemia)
Choking
Seizures (Epilepsy)
Wounds, Blisters & Burns
Fractures, Sprains & Strains
Bites & Stings
Shock
Stroke
Hypothermia & Hyperthermia
Chest & Abdominal Pain
Dehydration & Water Treatment
Drowning
Lightning
Evacuations (Stretchers & Helicopters)
WFA also trains you beyond an immediate response to then equip you to conduct preliminary, ongoing and extensive assessments, where you are recording and monitoring key information until professional medical help arrives and a handover can be made.
In my course, content from the below recognised organisations was referred to:
Australian Resuscitation Council
Wilderness Medical Society
Asthma Australia
Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia
Stroke Foundation Australia
The Heart Foundation
The Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI)
The Black Dog Institute
Wilderness Medicine Society
The Australian Venom Research Unit
Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy Ltd (ASCIA)
Outdoor Environments require Outdoor First Aid Kits
No matter what kind of adventure you’re taking, it’s imperative to have a first aid kit on hand. Having my first aid kit fully packed ensures the quality of our trip, and makes the bumps along the way a little more enjoyable.
Experience has taught me that it is imperative that you assess your first aid kit before any adventure to ensure the quality, quantity and life-span of your kit’s contents. Every group and location will be different, meaning that it’s very likely that you’ll need additional or alternative items - first aid kit research and preparation should be part of planning for every adventure. It’s also important to know and understand the contents of your first aid kits which is equally consequential to having a first aid kit in the first place.
What I include in my first aid kit depends upon:
Group size
Pre-existing conditions of the group
Trip length
What environment we’re heading into
The activities we’ll be doing
Whether items are still in-date and/or high quality
This crucial knowledge is another reason why WFA training is vital to your leadership in the outdoors. Throughout the training, you’re put through a diversity of scenarios which are not only training your ability to respond, but also what practical actions you can take with a first aid kit at your disposal. It’s a hands on experience, with actual resources - you won’t just be asked to describe what you need to do, you’ll have the chance to do it... whether it be immobilising a bitten limb with a pressure bandage, issuing a (practice) EpiPen, splinting a lower arm fracture, treating a hypothermic patient and much more.
During the WFA course you’re also given the opportunity to discuss how outdoor gear that you would commonly carry can be repurposed as first aid resources... including using a sleeping mat as a moon boot, a water bladder as a splint, a hiking pole to traction a broken femur or a tarp to secure a fractured pelvis.
There are many ‘pre-made’ first aid kits on the market... over the years I’ve tried and tested a few and have come to the realisation that no pre-made kit will have everything you’re after, so you will need to add some extra bits yourself.
I’ve recently settled on the Travel First Aid Kit option from Survival First Aid Kits as my ‘starting point’. Being in Australia... I then supplement this kit with a Snake Bit Kit.
I then add a range of bits and pieces not included to the kit. One of the main reasons I have come to love the Survive First Aid Kits is that they are designed to be adapted. They come organised really well, but also allow space for extra bits to be included.
You'll be able to read about my ‘Go To First Aid Kit’ for when I’m leading Outdoor Adventures in an upcoming blog post.
You should also consider how waterproof your First Aid Kit is... some will choose to store it in a dry bag and others choose to wrap the bits at risk of moisture damage in zip lock bags or similar.
Who should do a Wilderness First Aid Course?
Without sounding dramatic, but when a situation is potentially life and death, you want to ensure you have people in roles of responsibility who are trained to respond.
If you’re leading a group and have a duty of care for that groups physical and/or psychological safety, and just one of the below criteria might apply to you, then I highly recommend you complete the course.
The group might find themselves more than an hour from definitive medical care (Medical Centre/Hospital)
The environment is in its natural state (Wilderness)
Human impact is minimal (Remote)
Vehicle access and/or communications are limited
May have to help coordinate the emergency response
Every first aid incident in the outdoors benefits from having at least two trained people responding - one to deal directly with the patient, administer first aid and monitor their vitals and another person to record details, send/call for help, coordinate others and manage environmental factors.
WFA responders should expect to be able to work with others who have a duty of care for others and therefore who know what to do in responding to WFA scenarios.
Learning from Others
Selecting a WFA course from a credible training provider will make a huge difference to your learning experience. Beyond this, the opportunity to learn from others shouldn’t be underestimated.
In a hands-on course where collaboration, teamwork and communication is critical, there is undoubtedly value in the opportunity to learn from others from across the outdoors industry. Whether it be tips and tricks, past experiences, interpretations of school and/or education policies and much more, this added level of professional development and networking is priceless.
WFA courses, like all First Aid courses should be retaken at least every 3 years to maintain both currency of understanding and demonstration of skills.
I’ve undertaken every one of my WFA courses with Survive First Aid and highly recommend them. As paramedics, the trainers are both incredibly knowledgeable and experienced from their extensive time in outdoor environments (many double as outdoor instructors or similar).
What a Wilderness First Aid Course doesn’t cover
There isn’t much that the Wilderness First Aid course doesn’t cover. But if you do feel like you haven’t learnt everything you wanted to, it might be worth considering whether in fact you want to become the Paramedic who responds to your call for help.
It’s also important to note that this course doesn’t teach activity specific safety techniques, notably rescues - that’s learnt when undertaking your Bushwalking, mountain biking, paddling or other adventurous activity qualifications.
The WFA training scenarios throughout the course do however incorporate adventurous activity elements. For example - a ‘student’ has gone over the handlebars of their mountain bike and knocked themselves unconscious and their breathing is shallow... what’s next?
Wilderness First Aid is the Training Asset You Want In the Outdoors
Having WFA is an asset in responding to difficult situations. WFA training will help any leader overcome the initial fear and shock of responding to an emergency, which in turn benefits everyone under their duty of care.
I’ve also found that when both I and the team around me know how to help someone and they have the tools to do so, both my self-confidence and our collective confidence increases. Simultaneously, these feelings create the opportunity for positive problem-solving and assistance to occur.
Training helps create positive outcomes in unforeseen circumstances and gaining a Wilderness First Aid certificate is a step in that direction.