Officially Certified! Wilderness First Aid – March 2024
Earlier this year, I decided to take a Wilderness First Aid class from EMT Utah after a few recommendations I saw online. I felt like this would be a good opportunity to brush up on my first aid skills, but also have them tailored to things I might run across in the outdoors.
The class was 1 week – 4 hours a night, for 4 days – and was led by EMT professionals in Utah. A great bonus was that our trainers also had significant experience in outdoor environments and had a lot of interesting stories about things they’ve seen or experienced. Additionally, most of the other students were there to pick up certifications for their outdoor jobs (ski instructor, canoe guide, etc) – so there were a lot of interesting conversations! There is also a Wilderness First Responder class which is a bit longer and dives deeper into emergency situations – but I felt like the Wilderness First Aid (WFA) class was a great place to start.
Each night we covered different topics – CPR, heatstroke, frostbite, bites and stings, bone dislocations and breaks, documentation, and much more. It was a great overview to common things that can happen in the wilderness. Additionally, there was a lot of great hands on experience with bandaging up our fellow classmates, learning how to create a gurney out of material we may find in the woods, and practicing observations and health checks.
Overall, the WFA class was a great investment. Fortunately, I haven’t had to use any of the learned material (yet), and I hope to never have to! But, in the case that I do someday, I know I’ll be prepared!
