By Nicola Wallace (Palmerston North Tramping & Mountaineering Club) June 2024

I admit that at first, I wasn’t keen on doing another first aid course – I’ve done many throughout my life.  However, I was told that as an occasional trip leader I should do it, and so I signed up. I can say that I’m really glad I did it, as it was more interesting, comprehensive and very unlike any other course I’ve done.

Ten Palmerston North Tramping & Mountaineering Club (PNTMC) members met at Pohangina Hall on a clear and frosty morning. We met our instructor for the day, Russ (Russel Garlick) of Peak Safety & Emergency Management and straight away, we headed outside for introductions – who were we, what was the next adventure we were looking forward to, and what was one thing we wanted to learn from the course? With different answers all round, we headed inside.

Russ informed us that there would be plenty of brain work throughout the day, and of course he was right. Having split into small groups, we were each presented with an emergency scenario, complete with a photo to make it real. My group was in a canyoning accident with a patient injured down the bottom of the canyon.  Immediately the emphasis was on assessing the scene and its dangers (slippery, rocky ground) and keeping other participants safe before proceeding with an attempt at verbal patient contact.  

A problem with outdoor accidents is that the patient may be inaccessible, so we looked at ways to seek urgent help. We proceeded to learn primary and secondary patient assessment, then practiced splinting and bandaging skills before heading outside to practice our tramping accident scenarios.

With an emphasis on introducing ourselves to the ‘patient’ and asking their permission before assessing their condition, we then conducted a head-to-toe search to look and feel for hidden injuries. More splinting and bandaging followed inside. We had the use of a brilliant new type of flexible splint which could be carried in a First Aid kit, but also learned improvisation (e.g. using a tree branch to splint a broken leg).

We viewed slides of patient injuries (real life stuff, alright) and discussed first aid treatment. The one I remember was of a MTB brake lever through the rider’s hand.  These slides were not compulsory viewing, and we could take time out if the photos were too graphic.

From there, we proceeded to illnesses and a very sensible suggestion from Russ for all trip leaders:  We should check with our trip participants if they have any medical conditions that we should know about, as well as about any medication they may need (e.g. Epipen for allergies to prevent anaphylactic shock).

Before lunch we covered shock (loss of effective blood circulation) in detail, as this could be a problem arising from a tramping accident. We then moved on to heart conditions and CPR, practicing on the ubiquitous “CPR Family” (sadly minus a female)!

During the morning, we were each issued with a First Aid Guide – a small pamphlet printed on waterproof and rip-proof paper. This can easily be carried in your first aid kit and contains reminders of the accident site and patient assessment, as well as various first aid treatments. I used it throughout the day and it now lives in my pack emergency bag, accompanying me on every tramp, whether it be day or overnight.

Most of the afternoon was given over to practicing all that we’d learned in group emergency scenarios on the lawn in front of Pohangina Hall. These scenarios involved tramping accidents, a road crash, a climbing accident with a succession of injured climbers roped together, and a tramper with a medical condition sustaining a fall and losing consciousness before I could find out about his medical condition. 

Patient assessment skills came to the fore, along with the recording of details that can prove invaluable. Russ wrapped Janet up in a sleeping bag and tarp to demonstrate how a hypothermic patient can be warmed up without shelter.  There was much questioning, head-to-toe injury searching, splinting, bandaging, and reporting patient condition to the roving recorder.

Russ had delivered a lot of information over the eight hours of the course, and the hands-on practice was really valuable. At the end of the day we were each issued with an Outdoor First Aid manual, but not a certificate. These came a few days later, by email. Receiving the manual was essential for me, as I couldn’t remember all that I’d been told, so in the two days following the course I read the manual from start to finish. It was a great memory prompt as well as being a valuable reference.

Everyone with an interest in any outdoor activity should go on this course – it really is tailored to outdoor emergency situations and how often do we actually practice first aid in the backcountry? I highly recommend this course and look forward to renewing my certificate in two years’ time.

The Palmerston North Tramping and Mountaineering Club was awarded a FMC Training Grant: a cash grant to support the club to access this professional training. To learn more about the Training Grant, or to apply, please visit the FMC website.