June 6, 2015
By Gretchen Waddell Barwick
Imagine: you are on a hike with your friends. During the hike, someone falls and breaks their leg-- what do you do? Thanks to our Eileen McManus, the Thomas Hart Benton Group Outings Chair and Tom Burroughs of Ozark Safety and Rescue Educators-- our Outings Leaders know exactly how to handle that situation! 
Wilderness First Aid is the assessment of and treatment given to an ill or injured person in a remote environment where definitive care by a physician and/or rapid transport is not readily available. This important skill is vital to maintain the safety of all outings participants and all who explore the planet.
The Wilderness First Aid Course taught participants how to treat injuries that could occur if a hike or backpacking trip doesn't go as planned. Lessons included patient assessment and stabilization, emergency treatment of common medical issues and how to keep hikers and rescuers safe if an evacuation is necessary.