First Responder Training For Worst-Case Scenarios In The Wilderness

DULUTH, Minn. — An important training took place at the College of St. Scholastica Monday, preparing those who spend a lot of time outdoors for worst-case scenarios.

Longleaf Wilderness Medicine is hosting an 80-hour first responder course preparing people for back-country travel. Those who participated are emergency medical providers, guides, and recreators that wanted additional knowledge. On Monday they focused on a realistic trauma scenario giving a person fake wounds and blood as if they were truly hurt. Participants assessed the patient, identified injuries, and provided treatment. The training starts with low-stress scenarios and adds higher stress situations to test emotional response.

“The reality of spending time in remote environments is that access to help is pretty delayed. And so, being able to respond to those emergencies and knowing what to do in the first minutes or hours before additional resources can get to you. Or before you could solve the problem yourself and get the patient out of the woods ends up being very important in the case of an accident,” said Jason Luthy, owner of Longleaf Wilderness Medicine.

Organizers hope participants feel prepared and are self-reliant in case an accident happens. Classes are provided every year around this time at St. Scholastica.