WFA and WFR

[johnmbowen]

The best ARC courses for being in the outdoors on Scout type outings: ie, 0-4 miles from the car for a bit more than a day would be the "When help is delayed", or "Wilderness First Aid." For those who go on multiday backpacks, multiday river rafting (on your own...since the professsional guides are required to have these courses), or other trips when an accident would mean anywhere from several hours to several days away from EMS, then Wilderness First Responder is the course to take. Both WFA and WFR include "Scenarios" where the students practice on simulated events.

 

WFA (and especially WFR) take the ARC "When Help is Delayed" to the specifics of outdoor injuries, and how to handle them (and how not to, such as the SM that sewed a Scout's scalp wound closed with dental floss on a backpack trip and continued for a few more days). However, much of what is offered outside of technical trauma care and how to maintain a patient yourself is just common since planning ahead for problems that could conceivably arise, being prepaired for them, and tailoring your first aid kit to match.

 

The most important part of Wilderness First Aid, is 1. Plan how not to need it, and 2. Have a plan if #1 fails. This simple action plan has worked for our Troop for years. For instance: Drill the Scouts on avoiding potentially dangerous things when in a position where help can be delayed, like not allowing scrambling on rocks when three days down the trail on a backpack, or allowing swimming on rivers with no PFDs.

 

If you cannot find a likely course, even reading one of the several great books will help: Go to www.amazon.com and search under Wilderness First Aid, and the good ones pop up. Be sure to remember that leagally you are OK if you don't do anything that you are NOT trained for.

 

Unfortunately, these courses are pretty rare. Check with your local ARC chapter, and see what resourses they have. The Transylvania NC ARC Chapter, Albany WY Chapter both have it and I am going to try (its taken a year to try to lay the groundwork) to teach a WFA in the Oklahoma City area especially designed for Scouters and older Scouts. We will also be teaching WFA throughout the summer in Laramie, WY, (this is a great place to come and try some cool backpack, climbing and rafting trips to make up for the class work). Respond back privately if you are interested.

 

If you are a ARC instructor, investigate how to provide WFA at least. The Scouts are a super place to start, as we continually take kids into the outdoors.

[mk9750]

I am not that active in the outdoor program of our Troop, but we do a lot of backpacking, kayaking, and repelling. Out SM and a couple of ASMs are trying to hook themselves into this exact training, as they have heard exactly what you describe: That these are tremendously valuable for high venture activities. They think they have found a course running in Columbus, Ohio early in the summer. I don't know the details, but if anyone would like me to get more info for you, I'll ask our SM.

 

As far a ARC training and Scouts go, we have found some reservation on the part of the ARC when it comes to working directly with Scout units on training (at least kayaking). They seem to have a perception that we want things done for us or our way, and they have developed a program that isn't very flexible (their observation, not ours). When we finally worked it out to do whitewater training for first four adults, then seven of our boys, both groups came to understand the other better. But there certainly was an initial trepidation on the part of ARC regarding BSA.

 

Good Luck!

 

Mark

[johnmbowen]

HI MK9750

 

Well, Ohio is pretty far from WY, but if you can't find the WFA course there we would be glad to have you, and I would suggest a backpack trip or something while you are in WY, if you have the time.

 

One suggestion is that I have found that WFA (about 16 hours) and the much longer WFR courses (up to 110 hours long and worth it)are sometimes found around Universities that have outdoor programs. Ok St U offers some, and I remember seeing on in VT I think while looking on the web.

 

ARC vs BSA

My experience with not only ARC but many other organizations have this same prejudice in regards to BSA. In fact when negotiating with ARC in the Oklahoma City area they really wanted to shirk the duty of finding students for my WFA (which indeed hasn't come out yet...probably in Fall 2003). I told them I wanted to aim it at BSA and they said "...sure" (leaving the impression of "don't call us, we'll call you"). ARC does extract money from all students so one wonders what the problem is. You can get the "official" ARC WFA student manual(and if you are an ARC instructor, you can get the instructor manual from the Transylvania Chapter ARC in North Carolina), but it is not as complete as the curriculum that we are used to teaching in WY.

 

As for kayak and rafting (swiftwater) safety, if you would like to come to WY sometime in the summer, I would be really pleased to help if you can send me your email address privately. We do our training on a forgiving river with rapids etc.

 

JB

[BSA470Firstaider]

Does anyone know a good source for first aid manuals other than Outward Bound?

 

-Jeff

[johnmbowen]

HI Jeff,

 

Get on www.amazon.com and search under 'wilderness first aid' and all the good stuff comes up. We have used a couple of Forgey's books.

 

One thing that the manuals don't seem to emphasize is 'staying out of trouble' and 'planning what to do if you do get into trouble at any point on the trail'.

 

Here are a few selections copied from Amazon.

 

Wilderness Medical Society Practice Guidelines for Wilderness Emergency Care

by William W. , M.D. Forgey (Editor), et al

 

Basic Essentials: Wilderness First Aid, 2nd Edition (Basic Essentials)

by Williamw., M.D. Forgey, William Forgey

 

Wilderness First Aid: Emergency Care for Remote Locations

by National Safety Council (Editor), et al

 

Wilderness Medical Associates Field Guide

by Jim Morrissey

 

The Wilderness First Responder: A Text for the Recognition, Treatment and Prevention of Wilderness Emergencies

by Buck Tilton, Frank Hubbell

 

Medicine: For Mountaineering & Other Wilderness Activities

by James A. Wilkerson (Editor)

 

Wilderness 911: A Step-By-Step Guide for Medical Emergencies and Improvised Care in the Backcountry

by Eric A. Weiss

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob White]

What a great opportunity we have for a shift in how we view the gap between red Cross and the BSA program. The Boy Scouts of America and the RED Cross have signed a cooperative agreement to share services, training and resources that will benefit both agencies. See the press release at www.scouting.org.

 

This is no longer and them vs. us issue. Both organizations have for decades been concerned about the ability of the general public to respond to the emergency medical needs of the public. We have always had more in common than we had in differences. Even the Red Cross Lifeguard training program was written by the same person who authored the BSA lifeguard, Swimming MB, and the BSA water safety policies.

 

Details on how the two programs will be teamed up are still being prepared and volunteers in both organizations will need to cooperate with these new concepts in order for the community to fully benefit. But we need to end this Them vs. Us attitude.

 

Bob White

 

[johnmbowen]

Good for you Bob.

 

This will be great. It is basically what our Troop has been doing for several years. (well we really need to do it to keep up with what we do).

 

I have in the past been berated by scouters for teaching WFA etc rather than adhering to the BSA party line. Maybe this will now change.

 

JB

[mk9750]

Bob's post prompts me to clarify my original post.

 

I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Red Cross and all of its missions. I am glad the BSA and the ARC are trying to develop a working partnership. I think it will be a big benefit to the BSA, and hopefully just as beneficial to ARC.

 

It is just that so far, in our attempt to work with our local chapter, ARC hasn't been very cooperative. We acknowledge that on the Troop level (which is the level we are dealing with them), we can't bring much to them except numbers of new participants, and for various reasons, those have been in the 6 - 10 range. But we are trying, and with two specific exceptions, we have been getting little reciprical consideration.

 

I hope this changes as the relationship is defined and evolves. But so far, or experience has been very one sided.

 

Mark

[johnmbowen]

Well, same here and from both directions. I had a lot of flak from the BSA side when trying to teach ARC Wilderness First Aid to Scouting Adults and Youth.

 

Things will have to improve with time. Dont stop trying...too much "we're better than them" amongst both sides.

 

JB

[mk9750]

We in our little Troop don't THINK we had that "better than thou" attitude when working with ARC. Matter of fact, we know that the things we are trying to use them for they do much better than BSA. I hope we didn't come off as having an attitude on our end.

 

If there is a negative attitude on the part of the BSA, it comes from higher up than we are. And I can't understand why BSA would have a problem. For 80% of those who need first aid training, the BSA info is probably sufficient. But it would be foolish if the BSA thought that what it teaches in 1st Aid MB is everything there is to know about 1st aid, especially for some of the situations more active (ie - high venture) Troops find themselves.

 

Mark

[johnmbowen]

Hi Mark

 

My sentiments exactly! The Scouter in question was an older type who was high in the District Committee, and probably hadn't been camping for half a century (an exhaspirated exaggeration of course). The Scouters, parents and Scouts that we taught were grateful for the information, and we passed off the MB anyway as an extra because all the ground was covered.

 

This attitude of doing it the Scout way only is a problem that we have had with all aspects of high adventure, and anything technical that has to do with the outdoors. I have finally just gone to ignoring these guys, and teaching and working with the Scouters on the ground. This "Scout Way" attitude is often reflected back in the appalled attitude of USFS Rangers, Park Rangers, and even competetant non-Scout outdoorsmen in regards to our capabilities!

 

One ASM that did expedition quality mountaineering and vertical caving with his group (they have a super video out) and all the safety that goes along with these things told me outright that he just didn't tell the 'brass' what they were doing at all.

 

What we are doing is building the quality from the ground up, it will take time till all the 'brass' are either convenced, or retire out.

 

JB

[fotoscout]

As part of the High Adventure Basic Backpacking Course this year, our council offered the 20 hour National Safety Council Wilderness First Aid Course. It was time well spent, but I felt that it was more like an advanced first aid course rather than a wilderness first aid course.

 

Regardless of which course you take, be sure to find out if it will concentrate on the topics that are of interest to you. Dont go by the course title alone!(This message has been edited by fotoscout)