Saving Lives - All in a Days Work!

Shalane and I attended a Wilderness First Aid course for 2 days recently, thanks to one of our sponsors First Training.  The first day was at a university campus just north of Auckland and we were promised by James, the course Trainer that he would try and prevent any casualties that may suffer from death by PowerPoint and I have to say he did a good job.

The course was relaxed and fun with a lot of interaction from us and the other huge group of younger students who were doing the course as part of there Outdoor Leader course.  We covered the basics on day one and it felt good to have a refresher of it all.  Obviously it wasn't long before the good old CPR dummies came out to help us!

But it was day 2 that really exceeded expectations!  The course was held out of the city around the grounds of the Scout Headquarters for Auckland City.  The grounds consisted of forests and rivers and a gorgeous deserted beach.  The afternoon included role plays that we had briefly discussed in teams the previous day.

The first team went off into the bush to set up their emergency and the other two teams waited at base for the radio call.  When the call came over the radio, we were encouraged, using the theory information we had been taught, to collect location details, situation details and the number of people involved.  We then had to rush in with first aid kits and attend to each casualty as best we could.  Poor pregnant Shalane was involved in a terrible explosion out in the bush when something blew up on her campfire, resulting in her and her camping buddies full of shock and burns and asthma attacks.  There was an after event briefing at the end of each emergency which was really great as we got the chance to learn mistakes or improvements.

Next, Shalane and I were part of an emergency team who saved a large group from a tragic rafting accident down on the rocks by the sea.  There were bodies thrown around everywhere!  Some with Hypothermia, some neck injuries and some unconscious!  Blood and bruising everywhere you looked!  But with hope of the air ambulance on it's way and a shelter being set up while we waited, I think it's safe to say we did out best!

And if all that wasn't traumatic enough for one day, I was involved in a scary incident when a bridge collapsed over a river while walking in the forest.  One of my friends lost his arm in the fall and another got carried down the river in the current, while I laid there on the bank of the river with part of the wooden bridge protruding out of my stomach!  The water levels were rising due to rain further up stream so needless to say, the emergency team had their work cut out but handled the situation very well with 100% survival rate.

All that life saving was exhausting but it was a great afternoon and a great way to learn and know how you would react in an emergency situation.


Shalane and I definitely feel more prepared and just hope we never have to learn our new skills!

There is a video of our experience on it's way!