Have you ever had an accident in the woods or on a hike in the mountain far away from civilization? Unless you are trained as a Navy Seal or John Rambo (who knows how to stitch up wounds in his arm himself) most of us will probably be at a loss as to what to do.
?A few days ago, I attended a 4-day course on Outdoor Safety and First Aid run by @PlanoAlto, a Swiss organization that specializes on outdoor education, company events and outdoor studies.
We learned how to apply bandages, practices various ways of transporting the wounded and sick, how to stock an outdoor first aid kit and how to react in an emergency situation. We also learned that it’s important to prevent accidents from happening, especially as a guide of a group.
My key take aways from this course are as follows:
- Most outdoor accidents happen because we’re too fast, rushed or overestimate our abilities. Taking a step back and observing the surroundings and reflecting on our fitness can help to avoid accidents.
- As a witness of an emergency or an accident, the first course of action is no action. This might sound counter intuitive, but it is what Swiss paramedics are trained to do. They take a deep breath, count to three and observe the scene, before taking any action . It’s better to help someone with a clear head than to rush into action.
- Even in a high-price country like Switzerland it’s possible to have three meals a day for 4 days for as little as 30 Swiss Francs.
- Sometimes it’s better to call it a day and return than to push on, especially when you’re exhausted. This is extremely important in the high mountains as we are most vulnerable to the elements there.
- Mother nature always has the last say. So, in case she throws bad weather at us, we should seek shelter and wait until the weather gets better.
- Don’t be shy to say you that you need to take some time out when you need to. On day four of the course my mental capacity was saturated and I decided to chill and enjoy the spectacular views form my shelter.
- I will be running an outdoor survival course near Zurich with my friend Nabil on 23rd November 2024. For more details visit: www.survival-skills.ch or send us an e-mail to [email protected]
