This week's CHS blog entry comes to us from alumnus Tom Davis:
Hi everyone, this is Tom Davis from last year’s CHS class. I just signed up to lead CHS hikes this season, so you will be seeing a little more of me in the near future.
I recently took the Mountaineers AFA (Alpine First Aid) Wilderness First Aid Class. Remote Medical International, a leader in wilderness medical training, teaches this class for the Seattle Mountaineers. For the general edification of the group, I thought I’d briefly pass along some of the things I learned in this class.
In an urban setting, an emergency response to a medical emergency can be provided in minutes and transfer, if necessary, to a highly competent hospital trauma center can occur very quickly. However, in the wilderness, this type of treatment can be hours or days away. Of critical importance is the “golden hour”, the period of time shortly after a traumatic injury, during which the patient’s chances of survival are greatly increased by prompt and competent medical care.
Not coincidentally, “wilderness” is defined as “one hour or more from definitive medical care”. “Definitive care” is further defined as care in a hospital setting, specifically one with an emergency department. On Mountaineer hikes, we are regularly, of course, more than an hour from definitive care.
The Mountaineers WFA (Wilderness First Aid) class provides 16 hours of instruction and can be taken over a two-day weekend. Also required is a four-hour practice session, usually conducted on a weekday evening. In a WFA class, you will learn techniques that will help you protect yourself and prevent further injury to your patient. You will also learn to quickly address life-threatening injuries, evaluate the patient’s health status and communicate this information to rescue personnel. You will also learn techniques necessary to treat non-life threatening injuries.
Note that most of you have undoubtedly heard Mountaineers make reference to “MOFA” or Mountain Oriented First Aid. MOFA was developed over many years by the club and, until recently, it was the standard first aid class offered to Seattle Mountaineers. The Seattle branch now offers WFA.
Thousands of Mountaineers have been trained in MOFA and it is still offered by some Mountaineer branches. Both MOFA and WFA use a similar set of techniques for achieving the same purpose: providing first aid in a wilderness setting. However, not all of the terms used in WFA and MOFA are interchangeable.
Injuries are not uncommon in the outdoors. If you have not done so, please consider taking the WFA class . If you have taken a first aid class, make sure your skills are up to date and that you are familiar with the new WFA terminology and procedures. To remain current, the class must be retaken every 2 years because skills get rusty and first aid procedures change.
