Baystate Jeepers Wilderness First Aid

Baystate Jeepers held their Wilderness First Aid class on April 30, 2005, at Ron Clapp's place in Windham, NH.  The weather was on our side for the event holding off on the rain until after the material was covered. 

    Mark Courtenay of Waldoboro, ME was the educator for the day.  Mark teaches Hunter safety courses in Maine, and agreed to come show us the basics that would potentially be a problem for those of us in the wheeling community.  He has experience as a teacher, wheeler, Ice climber, and serviceman.  He has seen many things over the years, and brought plenty of examples to share with the group. Mark added a nice mix of humor and seriousness to the topics covered.

    We had a turnout of 14 members show up for the class.  Kurt Klopp was kind enough to be the "victim" for the morning.  He even added a touch of drama by coming with his own bloodied head wound!  Thanks Kurt!  Some of the topics covered were;

Materials to bring; basic first aid tools, a must for all BSJ members
Assessment of victim, things to look for, and simple how to's.
Wound care, broken into subtopics of; burns (chemical, welding, and heat related), puncture wounds, cuts, simple and compound breaks.
Respiratory issues, what to check for and how to quickly remedy.
Drinking and wheeling, not a good mix.  Gives problems in assessing and common sense.
Preparing a person for transport; time is a factor, and getting help to the scene.
Use of materials on hand for quick and effective First Aid; shirts used as padding, slings, and tie downs.  Tree limbs as splinting materials.
Duct tape is your friend, can help hold and support a multitude of things from fingers, to arms, to a punctured lung.

    Mark cautioned everyone on the dangers of using a tourniquet.

        Victim assessment for known and unknown incidents.

    When and how to move an injured person.

                        Materials:  shirts used as padding, slings, and tie downs; tree limbs as splinting materials.

This mini view into Wilderness First Aid should come in handy for folks who use the backcountry as their playground.  Thanks to those Baystate members and guests that attended; Ron Clapp,Jennifer Taylor, Andrew Lawton, Elizabeth and Kurt Klopp, Jon Watson, Paul Maxwell, Cindy Olesen,Dawn Fencer, Nick Carney, Doug and Kelly Stevenson, Jo and Daniele (didn't get last names)!

I would like to give special thanks to;

                           Ron Clapp, for allowing us the use of his property for the Wilderness First Aid.
                           Mark Courtenay, for being our very knowledgeable educator on Wilderness First Aid.
                           Paul Maxwell, for his photography skills.


Thanks for making the day possible folks!

Kelly Stevenson
Director of Events, 2005