Wilderness rescue no walk in the woods
Members of a Radford University outdoor club learn to treat wilderness accident victims.
By Hart Fowler
Special to T he Roanoke Times
RADFORD -- A couple is enjoying a leisurely bike ride on a scenic path through the wilderness. Approaching the couple is a downhill mountain biker barreling down an intersecting path.
The guy rolling quickly downhill hits a jump and leaves the ground at the point where his path meets that of the other two riders. There is a violent collision between the two unsuspecting cyclists. The front tire of the airborne bike nails the victim in the face.
Both riders are thrown. One of the bikes careens into the third rider, who is thrown to the ground.
All three have been severely injured. One is lying on the ground unconscious, tire marks lining his face. A large dark spot on the downhill biker's exposed belly may be a sign of internal bleeding and it appears he is having an asthma attack. The third cyclist is bleeding from the multiple lacerations she was left with after she fell to the ground.
Later, a group of eight backpackers happens upon the grim scene. The closest hospital is more than two miles away.
How do they react?
That was the setup for a recent wilderness first responder course simulation conducted by the Wilderness Medical Associates organizations at Radford University's Selu Conservancy. The backpackers and the bikers were played by the 11 students enrolled in the course.
Wounds were applied with realistic-looking fake blood, makeup, and wax in order to prepare the students for the real thing.
"This is more experiential education instead of classroom work," said instructor Chris Perry, a physician's assistant and paramedic who traveled from Portland, Maine, to teach the eight-day course with assistant and fellow paramedic Scott McQuilkin. "It's good to know theory, but medicine is a hands-on experience."
Perry videotaped the participants' reactions to the scene, documenting how they utilized the treatment protocols they had studied throughout the week. The course teaches students how to assess and treat patients when there is no quick access to a hospital. Students are forced to improvise with whatever they have at hand. Sleeping bags were cut up and used to pad a splint; foam from a sleeping pad was used to cushion a makeshift stretcher. Climbing ropes were used to strap down patients and tie splints.
"The realism of the scenario is one of the key points that made this course so valuable for me," said Bryan Simon, a Radford University nursing student and outdoor enthusiast. "You don't get the opportunity to practice that often."
Like Simon, about half of the participants are Radford University students. Chambree McClure, who played the part of the wounded woman, studies outdoor recreation and is using the course to prepare her for an upcoming class that involves a month-long wilderness excursion.
"You definitely learn how other people respond to a situation," said McClure as she wiped fake blood off her leg after she'd been treated. "You learn what it is like to be the victim, just without the pain."
Other participants are taking the course to earn certification that will qualify them to lead backpacking, canoeing, climbing, and/or caving trips. Phil Bohannon leads backpacking trips for Blue Ridge Mountain Sports in North Carolina, and is taking the course again to become re-certified as a wilderness first responder.
"I've learned stuff in this program that wasn't around five years ago," Bohannon said. "The fact that the instructors works at a hospital is also nice because they can teach us how to communicate with the ambulance when we get the patients to the trailhead."
Though Bohannon said he mainly "patches a lot of blisters" as a trail leader, he does believe his training was essential when he had to perform CPR on a hiker in cardiac arrest.
"It was amazing how everything clicked back in," Bohannon said. "When I performed CPR it was almost instinctual."
David Goodman is the director for RU Outdoors, a student-led outdoor club that sponsored the wilderness rescue program. Students must complete a similar course to lead outdoor trips for the club. Goodman believes the realistic and situational method of teaching is a key part of dealing with catastrophic events.
"Those are severe situations because it is so chaotic, and there is so much going on," Goodman said. "Much of it is dealing with that stress factor, what I'm going to do under fire?"
The students seemed to handle their simulation with a collective calm as they used the rescue protocols studied during the week. After breaking into groups and treating the three victims, all gathered to aid the fallen rider who suffered the brunt of the impact. "Watch your backs and lift on three," Perry said to the group before they lifted the improvised stretcher that held the patient. They then carefully carried the stretcher down to what would be the trailhead where the patient would be treated by paramedics.
"If we didn't do these realistic exercises, responders wouldn't be as effective," said Perry before he played the tape for his debriefing session. "We teach them troubleshooting methods, how to improvise, and how to communicate as a group."
He continued: "It's about being confident and calm in stressful situations. It teaches them not to be queasy around the sight of blood. Sometimes students don't know until they take the class."
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