Wilderness First Responder: Why You Should Take an Outdoor Survival Course

For National Preparedness Month, enhance your emergency plan and supply kit by learning how to stabilize, evaluate, and evacuate injured recreationists in dire need.

Following the surge of outdoor recreation, now’s a vital time to learn how to manage medical emergencies in remote environments. Especially if the recent uptick of search-and-rescue responses and avalanche safety course attendance is any indication of need.

If we consider the ongoing rise of natural disasters triggered by climate change, from Utah’s emergency flash floods to California’s KNP Complex wildfire and Hurricane Nicholas in Texas, the need for everyday emergency responders seems even more essential.

As a lifelong, year-round backcountry recreationist in my 30s, I’ve been lucky. My expedition partners and I have stumbled across a few remote tragedies but were not needed on scene. Honestly, I wouldn’t have known how to help.

This month, I finally attended a 10-day Wilderness First Responder (WFR; pronounced woof-er) course, which teaches folks how to assess, safely stabilize, examine, and create an evacuation plan for injured persons.

The course covers the most common medical concerns in wilderness settings, which range from musculoskeletal to neurological, physiological, and mental. Being a WFR is about having a treatment plan, and helping in those crucial hours between an accident or injury.

Ultimately, the volume of information was intense, and I can’t think of one detail that wasn’t valuable.

Wilderness First Responder: What Does the Curriculum Cover?

For 10 days, our 23-student pod was absorbed in lessons on human anatomy and backcountry ailments. We practiced countless rescue scenarios, including nighttime drills.

Two of the most important skills that we learned, in my opinion, were how to stabilize patients and to effectively communicate the situation to emergency responders, who might be traveling by foot for 12 hours to reach the patient. They need to know what essentials to bring.

That said, this curriculum was incredibly comprehensive. As responders, we learned how to assess the scene for safety, and then legally and safely stabilize a patient.

Then, we efficiently examined that person for life-threatening injuries — like a lung-collapsing wound from a hunting accident or an ATV crash. After treating immediate health issues, we performed a thorough physical exam, documented vitals, and recorded in-depth health history.

To determine severe concerns, like a spine injury or stroke, we used step-by-step assessments. With the collected information, we created a plan. That stage includes psychological first aid, treatment — like realigning a dislocated joint or fracture — monitoring vitals, and calling front-country crews for an evacuation or supplies.

Here’s a list of the prevalent trauma, environmental, and medical issues within the WFR scope of practice, which students learn to identify and treat, or stabilize for an evacuation. (Note: this list is not comprehensive.)