Wilderness First Aid Isn't What You Think It Is

How would you describe wilderness? Is it defined by human impact? Whether you have cell phone signal? How remote it is?

Ok, now what about 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 first aid? What makes it different from regular first aid?

Did you know that in emergency medicine, we consider anything 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 from higher medical care a wilderness scenario? I bet you've been in wilderness settings more times than you realized -maybe more times than you can count.

Highway 40 through the Mojave Desert in California

Surprising places qualify as wilderness in a medical emergency- common places- like highway 64 on the way to Manteo, Asheville after Hurricane Helene, a 6 hour flight to LA, or even on the side of the trail in Umstead State Park in the middle of Raleigh.

Wilderness First Aid isn't just for adventure seekers, its for anyone who lives in rural areas, drives cross country, or lives where hurricanes, floods or tornadoes can cut off access to care.

So what is the difference between regular first aid and wilderness first aid? It comes down to three key elements:

1. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 + 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - you may have to manage injuries for hours or even days before reaching advanced care. This means you need to make treatment decisions that account for extended care, changing conditions, and potentially evacuation. It requires a pro-active approach to care.

2. 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 - In wilderness first aid, you become the primary decision-maker: Do we evacuate or stay put? Can this person walk out or do we need a rescue? You're assessing, treating, and making judgment calls that in a normal setting would be left to EMTs and doctors.

3. 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧- You'll have to improvise what you need with limited resources—turning a sleeping pad into a splint, using clothing for wound dressing, or creating a litter from trekking poles and jackets.

𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘈𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴.

𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞.

𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

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