Exploring the wilderness can be a rewarding and enriching experience, but it also comes with inherent risks. Accidents can happen at any time, and being in a remote location often means that medical help is not immediately available. Knowing basic first aid procedures is essential for preventing minor injuries from becoming serious and for responding effectively to emergencies. Whether you need to treat cuts and burns, stabilize fractures, or manage environmental hazards like dehydration or hypothermia, preparedness can make all the difference. By understanding fundamental first aid techniques and taking proactive safety measures, outdoor enthusiasts can minimize risks and ensure a safer, more enjoyable adventure.
Wilderness Survival Basics
Surviving in the wilderness requires preparation, awareness, and adaptability. Injuries, harsh weather, and a lack of resources can quickly turn a simple outing into a dangerous situation. Knowing how to respond to medical emergencies, build shelter, find water, and start a fire can mean the difference between life and death. First aid skills can help manage injuries like cuts, burns, and fractures until professional medical help is available. Understanding basic survival techniques and carrying essential supplies can prevent minor setbacks from escalating into life-threatening situations.
How to Find and Purify Water
Water is the most critical resource for survival, but drinking untreated water from natural sources can lead to severe illness from bacteria, parasites, or chemicals. Dehydration can quickly cause fatigue, confusion, and even organ failure. To ensure safe hydration, collect water from clear, flowing sources and purify it by boiling it, filtering it, or using purification tablets. If no natural water sources are available, use techniques such as collecting rainwater or making solar stills. Staying hydrated and consuming clean water is essential for maintaining strength and preventing medical complications in the wild.
- How to Purify Water in the Wild
- Two Ways to Purify Water
- How to Find Clean Water in an Emergency
- Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water
- Purifying Your Drinking Water
The Importance of Building a Shelter
Exposure to extreme temperatures, rain, or wind can cause hypothermia or heatstroke, making shelter a top survival priority. A well-constructed shelter provides protection from the elements, conserves body heat, and reduces the risk of weather-related illnesses. If you’re stranded, look for natural formations like caves or dense tree cover for quick shelter. Use materials like branches, leaves, or tarps to build a sturdy structure. Insulation is key, and adding layers of foliage or dry material can help regulate your body temperature once you’re inside. Knowing how to construct an emergency shelter can keep you safe until rescue or better conditions arise.
- Building a Survival Shelter
- Learn How to Build a Wilderness Survival Shelter
- Surviving the Elements: Building Your First Shelter Like a Pro
- Emergency Survival Shelter
Building a Fire
Fire is essential for warmth, cooking, purifying water, and signaling for help, but improper fire management can lead to serious burns or uncontrolled wildfires. In survival situations, having the ability to start a fire without matches or lighters is crucial. Use dry tinder, kindling, and larger logs to build a sustainable fire, and always keep it contained in a fire pit or surrounded by rocks to prevent it from spreading. If someone suffers a burn, cool the area with clean water (if available) and keep it covered to prevent infection.
- How to Build Your Campfire
- Guide to Building a Campfire
- Key Steps for Building a Successful Campfire
- Rediscovering the Lost Art of Building a Fire
- How to Start a Campfire Even When it’s Wet
How to Make a Stretcher
A well-constructed stretcher can be a lifesaver when seeking medical assistance in the wild. Transporting an injured person in the wilderness can be challenging, but knowing how to make a makeshift stretcher can prevent further injury and help move them to safety. Using sturdy materials such as branches, rope, or a tarp, a stretcher can provide stability for someone with a broken bone, sprain, or serious wound. If materials aren’t available, a fireman’s carry or two-person assist can help move the injured individual. When handling a person with a potential spinal injury, keep them as still as possible and avoid sudden movements.
- How to Make an Improvised Stretcher
- Emergency Duct Tape Field Stretcher
- Making an Improvised Stretcher in a Real Emergency
- Evacuating an Injured Person
Fractures
A broken bone in the wilderness can be debilitating and, if not stabilized, can worsen with movement. Fractures require immediate attention to prevent further damage, internal bleeding, or infection. Immobilize the injured limb using a splint made from sticks, cloth, or a backpack frame, and avoid putting weight on the injury. If a bone is protruding through the skin, cover it with a clean dressing to reduce the infection risk.
- Fractures
- Dealing With Bone Fractures
- Types of Fractures
- Everything You Need to Know About Fractures
- Causes and Treatments for Bone Fractures
Bug and Animal Bites
Bug and animal bites can range from irritating to life-threatening, depending on the species and severity of the bite. Insect bites may cause allergic reactions or transmit diseases like Lyme disease or malaria, while animal bites can lead to infections or rabies exposure. If bitten, clean the wound immediately with water and soap, apply an antiseptic, and bandage it to prevent infection. If the bite is from a venomous snake or spider, keep the affected limb immobilized, stay calm, and seek emergency medical care. Avoid provoking wildlife, and use insect repellent, long clothing, and proper food storage to reduce the risk of bites.
- Useful Tips to Deal With Domestic and Wild Animal Bites
- Signs and Symptoms of Animal Bites
- Summer Safety Series: Bites
- Bites and Stings
How to Build a Kit for Emergencies
A well-prepared first aid kit is a survival essential for any outdoor adventure. If someone is hurt, having the right supplies can help you manage wounds, stabilize injuries, and prevent infections until help arrives. Essential items include bandages, antiseptic wipes, pain relievers, medical tape, tweezers, a tourniquet, water purification tablets, and a whistle for signaling for help. Personalize your kit based on the environment, length of trip, and medical conditions of the group. Regularly check and replace expired items to ensure preparedness.
We recommend these Trauma Kit to sawyers taking the “Developing the Thinking Sawyer” certification classes. They are to be worn on the sawyers body and not stashed in their truck, because if you need them it seconds that make the difference. They are also great for horsemen attached to their saddles.
Amazon have Trauma kits available, a couple of the ones we recommend are:
The Whitebark Pine survives harsh weather conditions and can live over 1,000 years and grow over 90 feet tall. The oldest is over 1,200 years old and is living in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest.
“The Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a marvelous tree – what ecologists call a keystone, or foundation, species,” the Bureau of Land Management notes on its website. “Its roots stabilize rocky soils at the snowy, windswept 6,000- to 12,000-foot elevations where it grows, and its large, high-protein seeds feed several bird and mammal species – nuthatches, squirrels, black bears, grizzly bears, and red foxes.”
In addition to feeding several birds and mammals, the tree provides shelter and nest sites for many animals including deer and elk. It is also key to helping with Idaho’s water supply.
“Tolerant of the harshest conditions, whitebark pine grows at the highest treeline elevations; its canopies shade snowpack and protract snowmelt, thus regulating downstream flows; its roots stabilize soil, which reduces erosion, particularly on steep, rocky slopes,” the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation notes. “Thus, whitebark pine protects watersheds, which is important for both agricultural and drinking water.”
Another interesting fact about the Whitebark Pine is that it relies solely on the bird – the Clark’s nutcracker – to reproduce.
“Carrying the seeds in a pouch under its tongue, the bird buries them in shallow soil caches, sometimes up to 10 km away,” the National Park Service notes on its website. “Nutcrackers are known to cache up to 90,000+ seeds in a good seed crop year!”
These trees are very slow-growing. For example, once the seeds start to sprout, it can take the whitebark pine 25 to 30 years to begin producing cones. At 60 to 80 years, the tree’s peak cone production begins.
While the Whitebark Pine is crucial to Idaho’s ecosystem, its survival has been threatened by several different factors.
“Today, their survival as a species is jeopardized by mountain pine beetle outbreaks, altered fire regimes, climate change, and a fungal infection called white pine blister rust,” BLM notes.
In 2022, the Whitebark Pine was officially listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. To learn more about the efforts to save the Whitebark Pine, head to BLM’s website here.
https://wildernessskillsinstitute.org/nrwsi/sessions/
The 2025 Northern Rockies Wilderness Skills Institute will be held from May 19 – 23, 2025. Sessions will start at 11 AM PT on Monday and conclude at 12 PM PT on Friday. To allow for flexibility in sessions this year you are allowed to register for one session on Monday and Tuesday, and one session on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. You must register for two sessions and stay for the entire week. The exception to this is the Crosscut Saw C- Recertification and Host A/B Course and Advanced Trail Maintenance courses which are week-long.
COST: There is no cost to attend.
FOOD: On your own – no food provided. Participants will handle their own meals. Cooking facilities may be provided – more information will be provided ahead of the event.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY- Registration will close April 1st.
ATTENDANCE PREREQUISITE:
- Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training class “Wilderness Act of 1964” online class – The Wilderness Act of 1964 – Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center (iu.edu)
This online course is recommended to be taken before attending the Northern Rockies Wilderness Skills Institute but is optional. This is a free class, which includes reading short narratives, listening to audio, interactive graphics, and quizzes. The purpose of The Wilderness Act of 1964 course is to acquaint you with the contents of this law and equip you to consider its impact in managing a wilderness area; this is foundational material relevant to everyone working in wilderness stewardship. We have designed the sessions at the Wilderness Skills Institute assuming you have already taken this class and have learned this foundational material. Feedback from past students has shown that most people prefer to take this class on their own before the full session, so that they can go at their own pace and have time to reflect on what they learned. The average time it takes students is 2.5 hours. You can stop and start the class anytime you want – you don’t have to take it all at once. Once at the Wilderness Skills Institute, please be prepared to discuss what you learned from the class, what surprised you, and what was the most important thing you got from the curriculum. 
NRWSI_25_Flyer (PDF)
Read what the study says Reintroduced Wolves
New research has demonstrated the powerful impacts the reintroduction of predators can have on an ecosystem. The presence of wolves in Yellowstone National Park has driven a cascading effect that has literally changed the landscape. The new study used data from previous studies on 25 riparian (streamside) sites collected over a 20-year period – from 2001 to 2020. The results show a 1,500 percent increase in willow crown volume along these streams in northern Yellowstone National Park. The effects were produced by changing behavior among elk adapting to the presence of a large carnivore guild (wolves) reintroduced into the Park in 1995-96, and other factors.
Equine Guelph and the Equine Disease Communication Center Announce the New Biosecurity Risk Calculator 2.0
A new, innovative online healthcare tool to help horse owners better manage and understand biosecurity risks is now available through a partnership between Equine Guelph and the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC).
The Biosecurity Risk Calculator is designed to assess and manage infectious disease risks. The new partnership between Equine Guelph and the EDCC will enhance the tool’s educational resources and outreach.
The Biosecurity Risk Calculator is now available for free at TheHorsePortal.com/BiosecurityTool and on the EDCC biosecurity page. The enhanced tool provides users with easy access to vital information and personalized risk assessments. This tool empowers the equine community to take proactive steps in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. In just ten minutes, you can calculate, manage, and minimize biosecurity threats to keep your equine friends healthy by going through ten categories for your farm or facility’s score.
Key Features of the new Biosecurity Risk Calculator:
- Personalized Risk Assessment: Users can input specific information about their horses and facilities to receive tailored biosecurity recommendations.
- Educational Resources: With EDCC as Equine Guelph’s a new partner, the tool now includes updated educational materials on disease prevention and management.
- New User-Friendly Interface: The tool is designed to be intuitive and easy to navigate, making it accessible for all horse owners and caretakers.
To read more about the upgraded biosecurity risk calculator, please visit https://thehorseportal.ca/2025/02/equine-guelph-launches-biosecurity-risk-calculator-2-0-with-new-partner-equine-disease-communication-center-edcc/
Camping axes are all designed to do one thing: make wood smaller. Whether they do it by felling a tree, delimbing, splitting, or shaping, an ax needs to efficiently break down wood. As someone who cuts and splits wood to heat my house all winter and enjoys practicing bushcraft, camping, and hunting, I’ve spent some time behind an ax. The issue I’ve found is that not every ax you grab at the local hardware store will cut it. But fear not, I’ve made choosing your next camp ax a little easier by putting the best camping axes through a series of rigorous tests and making my top picks for different applications.
- Best Overall: Hults Bruk Kisa
- Best for Splitting: Fiskars X11 Splitting Axe
- Best Budget Hatchet: Husqvarna Hatchet
- Best Value: Council Tool 28-Inch Boy’s Axe
- Most Durable: Estwing Camper’s Axe
- Best for Crafting and Carving: Hults Bruk Almike Hatchet
- Best Lightweight: Gransfors Bruk Wildlife Hatchet
- Best for Throwing: Council Tool Flying Fox
Ryan Ghelfi
Executive Director
Wilderness exists as a line on a map. It’s a line that also exists in reality, though it’s not always apparent when you cross it. Once you traverse the line, rules and feelings change. Change from a chainsaw to a crosscut, from a vehicle to foot, from loud to quiet. Another thing that generally changes when traveling from the front-country to the backcountry is cell phone reception. Of course, cell phones (particularly smartphones enabled with the internet) are a new thing in the last generation, but they are ubiquitous. In many Wilderness areas, a lack of cell service causes phones to become a lot less useful and distracting– until recently.
You can now use a cell phone to send SOS emergency text messages via satellite (which a Garmin In-Reach also does). You can also carry a Starlink in your backpack and take the internet anywhere, even in the deepest canyons and highest peaks of the Selway and the Frank. Traditional cell coverage continues to expand quickly. These changes are happening in real time. This is a big deal, and it will change the way we interact with wilderness.
Soon, it will require a conscious choice to leave the connected world behind, even 20 miles from the nearest road. Many of us now bring our cell phones into the Wilderness to take pictures, use offline maps, and listen to downloaded podcasts. These changes have already been monumental and have, in many ways, eroded the Wilderness experience. I am personally guilty of each of these things. But now, the decision about how to use technology in wilderness will be even more consequential over the coming years. Once there is widespread cheap satellite connectivity to the internet, we will have to actively choose to unplug. Otherwise, emails and texts will never stop pinging at us, even when we are 6,000ft deep in the Middle Fork of the Salmon. READ MORE
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up Utah’s lawsuit aimed at wresting control of more than 18 million acres of public land in the state from the federal government.
In its lawsuit, filed in August, the state of Utah argued it was unconstitutional for the federal government to retain ownership of “unappropriated” lands, meaning those not set aside as a national park or for some other specific purpose. And it asked the court to effectively hand over 18.5 million acres of Bureau of Land Management lands to the state.
The conservative-led high court rejected the case outright, with no explanation. It’s a stunning defeat for Republican officials in Utah, who said they brought the case after “decades of legal analysis” and spent millions of taxpayer dollars promoting the legal effort.
“We’re grateful the Supreme Court swiftly rejected the State of Utah’s misguided land grab lawsuit,” Steve Bloch, legal director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, said in a statement. “For more than 100 years, the Supreme Court has affirmed the power of the federal government to hold and manage public lands on behalf of all Americans.” READ STORY / Salt Lake Tribune
A Utah conservation group has sued the governor and attorney general over the state’s U.S. Supreme Court public lands lawsuit.
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, in a lawsuit filed in 3rd District Court Wednesday, argues that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Attorney General Sean Reyes violated Utah’s state constitution by taking their challenge of federal lands to the nation’s high court.
The group wants to stop the state from “dismantling a core part of Utah’s identity: public lands,” said Steve Bloch, SUWA’s legal director, in a statement.
“Utahns love their public lands,” Bloch said in a news conference Wednesday morning. “They’re not about to simply see them sold off or given up without a fight.”
Description:
A sawyer suffered burns when the chainsaw he was operating ignited. He had just refueled. It appears the quarter-turn “toolless” fuel cap was not fully aligned, seated, and sealed when he flipped the saw to carry it over his shoulder. Fuel poured out of the tank and was ignited by open flame. Snag Fire Sawyer Burn Injuries RLS.pdf (532.5 KB)
Hello,
First, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I have been contemplating how I can be of assistance to all of you, since all of you are well seasoned, experienced backcountry horsemen. So, I thought one of the main challenges we all have in BCH nationwide is low membership. Do you think this could be one of our “missions” as education chairmen is finding an avenue to share the extensive knowledge BCH chapters have with the public, showing them what we do and who we are? Possibly, this opportunity may encourage them to join our organization or at least educate them with how to use the backcountry responsibly.
I am sure many of you have conducted public events, I would love to hear about your programs and how was the response. Do you feel this would be a good avenue to pursue or possibly you may have other suggestions?
Also included in this email the new Light on the Land BCHA education publication from the BCHA website and thought it may be of interest to you.
Appreciate you taking the time to reply to my questions and offer any suggestions.
Sincerely,
Karen Bailey Education Chair education@bchi.org
Read the text of the bill HERE.
The National Park Foundation, National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Montana Outfitters and Guides Association, Friends of Acadia, Boone and Crockett, and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation are among many groups supporting the legislation. Click HERE for a full list of statements of support.
America-the-Beautiful-Act (PDF)
Bad ideas die hard: The effort to hand over America’s public lands to individual states
We in the West know what state or private ownership means for forests. Stumps, and lots of them, writes guest columnist Craig Gehrke.
Deep in Idaho’s Clearwater Mountains, along the beautiful Lochsa River, is a stand of ancient cedar trees. These trees stand hundreds of feet tall and are hundreds of years old. They have seen a lot of American and Idaho history.
They were standing long before Europeans arrived in these mountains, back when the Nez Perce traveled through the Clearwater Mountains along what they called the Road to the Buffalo, the route they used to travel from their Idaho home to the buffalo hunting grounds in Montana. They were standing when explorers Lewis and Clark passed by less than mile away on their 1805-06 historic trek across North America to the Pacific Ocean. These trees were standing in 1877 when Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce were fleeing the U.S. Cavalry in their heartbreaking effort to reach the safety of Canada. Conservation historian Bernard DeVoto camped under these trees in the late 1940s while working on his editing of the Lewis and Clark journals. After DeVoto’s death, this grove of cedar trees was named the DeVoto Memorial Cedar Grove, and his ashes were spread on this site.
It’s no accident that these old cedar trees are still standing. They remain standing because they are on public lands. Public lands, in which every American has a stake. Surrounding forests, not on public lands, tell a far different story.
A few miles to east of the DeVoto Cedar Grove are lands that once belonged to a railroad company. In the 1860s, railroad companies were given vast tracks of lands in the West to facilitate settlement efforts and ease the way for possible cross country railroad routes. Only a few such routes panned out, so the railroads eventually sold much of their timber lands to private timber companies. These companies, out to maximize profits for shareholders, ravaged these forests, brutally logging these landscapes and leaving behind eroded hillsides, polluted streams, and miles and miles of stumps. Even today these denuded lands continue to dump sediment into the headwaters of the Lochsa River.
A few miles to the west of the DeVoto Cedar Grove are forest lands that ended up owned by another entity, this time the state of Idaho. Forests owned by the state are mandated to be managed to produce the maximum revenue for the school system. This means logging. Lots of logging. The state lands west of the DeVoto Cedar Grove are a jumbled maze of logging roads and clearcuts. Any old trees once there are long gone.
Besides his work on the Lewis and Clark journals, Bernard DeVoto is best known for his conservation advocacy in Harpers Magazine in the 1940s. It was here that DeVoto blew the whistle on the efforts by the national livestock associations to turn all of America’s public lands over to individual states and eventually private ownership. DeVoto’s writing galvanized opposition that helped defeat that effort at that time.
But bad ideas die hard. There’s always remained smoldering efforts by private entities and the politicians in their pocket to somehow get their hands on public lands. The effort is back again. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador a filed a friend of the court brief supporting Utah’s effort to dispose of public land to state ownership. While purportedly focused on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which provide unmatched wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities to all Americans, Utah’s lawsuit raises the question of whether the federal government can hold lands in perpetuity at all. If this effort were to succeed, you can bet the national forests would be next on the politician’s wish list.
Idaho sold off about one third of the land it received from the federal government upon statehood. Had Idaho gotten more land, it would have simply sold more of it. It has generally been a short step from state ownership to private ownership. And private ownership has meant, for stands of old forests like the DeVoto Grove on the Lochsa, a quick trip to the nearest sawmill and money in the owner’s pocket. Millions of acres of old growth forest, and the wildlife, clean water, and recreation opportunities supported by these forests, are gone forever by this route.
We in the West know what state or private ownership means for forests. Stumps, and lots of them. Both entities manage forests to maximize dollars generated. In contrast, public lands mean trees hundreds of years old, superb wildlife habitat, clear, clean water, and unmatched recreation opportunities. And our heritage. You would be hard pressed to find many areas owned by states or private corporations where short term monetary gains are sidelined for the sake of protecting a place of history like the DeVoto Cedar Grove.
The Garmin inReach Messenger Plus delivers “almost flawless communication from the field via voice, text, and images,” she wrote in her review.
Key Takeaways:
-
Garmin brings its inReach connectivity to “a whole new level” with the capacity to send voice messages, images, and a huge leap in text length.
- Though the price is a bit steeper than its predecessors, it’s worth every penny to those who appreciate the new perks, Schrute.
Read the full story here.
What is the Recreation Fund Council?
The Idaho Outdoor Recreation Fund Advisory Council was created by Gov. Brad Little and the Idaho Legislature to recommend projects to expand outdoor recreation or access to it in Idaho. Examples could include expansion of recreational facilities (parks, trails, boating, etc.) or agreements to gain entry to new areas for public recreation.
The Legislature in early 2023 provided $5 million in initial funding for the council’s work. In the 2024 session, the Legislature provided a second, $5 million installment for distribution.
New Projects Needed
The Council recently solicited candidate projects for 2024, asking for applications for be submitted by September 30, 2024. Please send applications to Skylar Jeff, ORFAC coordinator, at skylarjett13@gmail.com.
Funding for this round of projects comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, which carries firm timelines for any funds to be obligated and spent. The Council seeks projects that can be under contract by the end of 2024 and completed before the end of 2026.
Gov. Little’s executive order creating the council targets “opportunities for camping, fishing, hunting, accessing trails and other outdoor pursuits” for potential projects. IDPR, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the Idaho Department of Lands are charged to work cooperatively to propose projects, manage under-utilized resources and monetize outdoor recreation for long-term sustainability.
About the Council
Council members are:
- Tom Schultz, Council Chair
- Susan Buxton, Director, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
- Jim Fredericks, Director, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Dustin Miller, Director, Idaho Department of Lands
- James Petzke, Representative, Idaho Legislature, District 21, Seat A
- Gretchen Hyde, Director, Rangeland Resources Commission
- Mark Pratt, Idaho Cattle Association
- Kari Kostka, The Nature Conservancy
- Benn Brocksome, Idaho Sportsmen
- Dave Lent, Senator, Idaho Legislature, District 33
- Laurel Sayer, President, Perpetua Resources
- Sandra Mitchell, Idaho State Snowmobile Association
- Seth Griggs, Idaho Association of Counties
For more information about the Council and its work, contact ORFAC Coordinator Skylar Jett at skylarjett13@gmail.com or at 208-599-3264.
VISIT WEB PAGE FOR MORE INFO AND DOCUMENTS
Dr. Robin Knight lives in Nampa, ID with her spouse Dr. Pete Knox and two children. Dr. Knight attended undergrad and vet school at Colorado State University and completed a large animal internal medicine residency at Texas A&M. We are excited to have Dr. Knight here at IEH to partner with Dr. Jamie Higgins (board certified in internal medicine and emergency/critical care) to expand access to specialized medical care and consultation for all of our in-house veterinarians as well as referring veterinarians. The advanced training that Dr. Knight brings to the table as an internal medicine specialists is a huge asset to our practice and our patients well being. Dr. Knights interests include neonatal care, respiratory disease, neurological issues, gastrointestinal disease and all types of infectious disease. Dr. Knight will provide advice on testing, advanced diagnostic procedures, and treatment plans for a wide range of ailments that are not amenable to surgical correction.
Backcountry horsemen handout-September 2024
SAMPLE:
- Beyond Band-Aids: Unveiling Your Ultimate Wilderness Medical Arsenal: Thursday, June 6, 1:00-1:50 pm ET
- Recording: https://youtu.be/1_FG0NA1XBY
- Description:
Essential Med Kit Items, Top 3 Must-Haves, Head-to-Toe Safety, Wildlife Wisdom, and Multi-Purpose Marvels for Trauma and Emergency Mastery - Presenter:
- Connie Jacobs, Colorado Conservation Lands Program Lead, Bureau of Land Management
- References:
- First Aid Kits – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf6y2g7Pmvo
- Backpacking First Aid Kit – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkdFtXyKodg
- Doctors Explains First Aid Kits for Camping, Travel, & Hiking – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P8eGiX5Y_0
- Blister Care: Doctor Reveals Surprising Blister Prevention Techniques – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWSr90jpk3k
- Common wilderness Injuries and prevention tips:
https://www.elevatedtrips.com/blog/six-wilderness-injuries/ - Improvising supplies for emergencies (lots of ads to skip, material is good):
- Improvising First Aid: Addressing Wounds When Kits Aren’t Enough | Unified Survival – https://unifiedsurvival.com/improvising-first-aid-addressing-wounds-when-kits-arent-enough/
- Useful First Aid Kit Tips & Hacks | First Aid Blog | Medical Gear Outfitters – https://medicalgearoutfitters.com/blogs/firstaid/how-to-first-aid-kit-tips-tricks-hacks
- Safety Tips While traveling and in the back country:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH6aAqzczfA - Backpacking gear for beginners (budget items will get you by):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-N-GJjywLA - Snakes:
- How to deal with snakes on the trail (general, good info)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGpe6muQs8s - Discussion with an ER doc who specializes in snake bites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaq0WVtsKZE - Video above goes/pairs with video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaq0WVtsKZE
Disclaimer: Please note: at 2:15 Dr. Erickson misspoke and generally recommends placing the arm at the level of the heart (to manage local swelling but not encourage systemic absorption). That said, in settings where neurotoxicity from envenomation is likely (and local tissue swelling is of secondary concern), keeping the bite below the level of the heart may slow lymphatic venom absorption. See Dr. Erickson speak at the upcoming National CME Conference on Wilderness Medicine: https://wilderness-medicine.com/cme-conferences/santa-fe/
- How to deal with snakes on the trail (general, good info)
- Consider putting your 1st Aid kit (and meals!) together with latex allergies in mind!
- 8-17% of health care workers and Less than 1% of the general population in the U.S. (about 3 million people)
- Statistics | American Latex Allergy Association – https://latexallergyresources.org/statistics
- https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-treatments/allergies/anaphylaxis
- Head to Toe Assessment Demo: NOLS Head to Toe Assessment – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXQAmx2AYIk
Aug 6, 2024
The Forest Service Intermountain Region Saw Program works closely with partners to certify “sawyers”, which are those authorized to operate a saw on National Forest System lands. Certified sawyers are needed across all major areas of land management, especially for maintaining trails for recreational use and clearing hazardous trees for wildland fire and fire prevention.
The Stanley Workshop located in Stanley, Idaho in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area is an example of a partner-led training within the Saw Program. It is an opportunity for new sawyers from partner organizations to become certified in both crosscut and chainsaw, and for existing sawyers to get recertified to maintain their qualifications.
To read the full article about sawyers and how the Saw Program collaborates with partners, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r4/new…
Learn More about the Stanley Sawyer Workshop coming May 2025
Massachusetts erected the first lighthouse in what would become the United States on a small island in Boston Harbor in 1716. The following year a cannon was put on the island to be fired in fog and storms. Boston Light became both the first lighthouse and the first fog signal in the country.
Following ratification of the Constitution of the United States, Congress met for the first time beginning on March 4th 1789. Of course the major concerns for the new country centered on forming the government and paying the extensive debt accrued during their fight for independence. However, realizing the importance of navigation to the growing country, Congress, as the ninth law passed an act for the establishment and support of lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and public piers on August 7th, 1789.
7 August is a great day to celebrate Coast Guard Day because on 7 August 1789 “President Washington approved the Act of Congress which gave the Federal Government responsibility for maintenance, and repair of all lighthouse beacons and buoys and launched the national government upon its course of guarding the coast in interest of safety and security afloat. With this the Lighthouse service, first of several Coast Guard agencies, emerged into public usefulness and esteem.
The act directed expenses that shall accrue from and after the 15th day of August, 1789, in the necessary support, maintenance and repairs of all lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and public piers erected, placed, or sunk before the passing of this act, at the entrance of, or within any bay, inlet, harbor, or port of the United States, for rendering the navigation thereof easy and safe, shall be defrayed out of the treasury of the United States.
The act further stated that it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to provide contracts for building a lighthouse near the entrance of Chesapeake Bay, and for building when necessary, and keeping in good repair, the lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and public piers in the several states, and for furnishing the same with all necessary supplies; and also to agree for the salaries, wages, or hire of person or persons appointed by the President, for the superintendence and care of the same.
The Lighthouse Service was born.
Almost a year later Congress would authorize the building of Revenue Cutters on August 4th 1790.
CDR W. Christian Adams
DCO-ES
Deputy Commandant for Operations
Executive Support, Chief
HQ: 3J15-17
Supplementary Saw Accident and Near Miss Sharing:
National USFS Saw Accident / Near Miss Reporting Form (office.com)
Other opportunities to share:
- Wildfire Lessons Learned Center, Rapid Lesson Sharing (RLS) portal: https://lessons.wildfire.gov/submit-a-lesson.
- National Wildfire Coordinating Group, Fuel Geysering Incident Reporting Form: https://www.nwcg.gov/committees/equipment-technology-committee/national-fuel-geyser-awareness.
If you have any more information that you would like to share regarding your incident, please email your Regional Saw Program Manager.
- R1 – Adam Washebek, adam.j.washebek@usda.gov
- R2 – Brian Teets, brian.teets@usda.gov
- R3 – Kerry Wood (PoC), kerry.wood@usda.gov
- R4 – Brian Burbridge, brian.burbridge@usda.gov
- R5 – Mitch Hokanson, mitchell.hokanson@usda.gov
- R6- Aaron Pedersen, aaron.pedersen@usda.gov
- R8- Patrick Scott, patrick.scott2@usda.gov
- R9 – Shawn Maijala (detailed), shawn.maijala@usda.gov
- R10 – Austin O’Brien, austin.obrien1@usda.gov
National SPM – Dan McLaughlin (detailed), daniel.mclaughlin@usda.gov
By Melanie Vining, ITA Executive Director
I wouldn’t put myself in the “wing it” category, but if there is spectrum I’d not be at the “well-prepared” end either. Maybe somewhere in the middle. I’ve taken off on ten-mile day hikes with running shoes and a peanut butter sandwich, but I’ve also done weeklong backpacking trips and checked all the boxes: proper food, first aid kit, clothing for bad weather, etc. I’m…semi-prepared. But a recent event has underscored, for me, the importance of planning for the worst.
If you read my last blog post, you know I was injured in a horseback riding accident in May. In this case, I was prepared: I went for a short ride from my house, alone, but made sure I had my phone in my pocket and not in my saddle bag so in the off chance I should end up on the ground (where are these odds when I play the lotto?!), I’d have communication. In this case, a phone= preparedness. I was riding a good horse, one that had done hundreds of miles on trails and leading pack strings with me the summer before. I was leading a mule that had gone on most of those trips. Our skill set matched our journey. But, as they say, stuff happens.
So back to preparedness. People approach this topic differently, but I’ve had a lot of time to think about it in the last month (a LOT), and I feel like there is a “recipe” for being prepared for an outdoor adventure.
adventure.
- The first ingredient is sort of internal: fitness level and skill set. If you are embarking on a hike or other adventure more challenging or complex than you’ve attempted before, preparedness might look like training hikes and practicing certain skills ahead of time. Never tested the water filter? Maybe try that sucker out before it clogs, you don’t know how to troubleshoot, and you find yourself staring at a stagnant pond, choosing between imminent gastrointestinal malady or being really freaking thirsty.
- The second ingredient is gear: are you out for a few hours? A day? Weeks? What could you possibly encounter in that time? Weather, physical obstacles, wildlife…a list helps. Maybe bear spray isn’t important hiking in the Boise Foothills for the afternoon, but for the same 3-mile hike in the Selkirk Mountains, it’s essential. The three-season tent is dead weight on a July Priest River hike but it’s a life saver on an October trek in the high Sawtooths.
- Next in the recipe: communication. Does someone know where you’re going and plan to return? Do you have a way to call for help should you need it? Back to my horse wreck. I was ¼ mile from my house and less than that from our neighbors, but in a field that was totally out of sight from both. I hadn’t told anyone where I was going, since it was “just out the back door” and my husband and kids were at work and school. Had I not had my phone, I would have been stuck, surrounded by my unconcerned and equally invisible animals, for several hours before anyone missed me. But I’d planned ahead enough so I was able to call for help right away. Bring the phone where it works, invest in the satellite communication device. You can still “unplug” and not text for fun, but it could literally save your life. Tell someone where you’re going, too. Give them a map if they aren’t familiar with the area you’ll be in. Technology can fail, and a human back up plan is essential.
- Maybe most important is medical. Ideally, everyone should have basic first aid training and a basic first aid kit in their pack, vehicle, saddlebags, always. There are many resources for training and information; take advantage of them (or become an ITA crew leader and get Wilderness First Aid Training for free!). Sadly, there are injuries the best of the backpack first aid kits and even surgeon-level education and training can’t fix on the trail. Enter Life Flight membership. Last I checked (five minutes ago), the membership was 85.00/year. Average Life Flight bill: I’ve not done that math but our son’s bill- had we not had Life Flight coverage- when he was injured 6 years ago and flew from the Arco area to Twin Falls was over 25,000 dollars. I’m still awaiting my bill, unexcitedly, because even if you’re covered, seeing five figures on a paper that says BILL at the top makes the heart pound. And this is all before the patient enters the hospital for treatment. Certainly worth the membership, especially for us outdoor adventurers. You don’t need it til you…need it. Our family has flown this way more than we’d like, and we aren’t exactly kamikazes in the woods. Note: some insurance plans cover Life Flight- my husband’s does-so check yours as it may, and you can skip the membership.
- Last, and maybe this goes without saying for the active choir I’m preaching to but stay fit! I can’t count how many times everyone from my surgeon to nurses to physical therapists remarked that my good bone density (solid anchor for the screws and plates they had to “install”), and fitness would speed my recovery. My upper body strength has allowed me to get around on a walker vs a wheelchair, push myself up from chairs using only my good leg, and just be more self-sufficient in general (my husband still must put my socks on, sigh). The best way to be prepared for an injury we hope not to happen is to be as healthy and fit as possible.
- So, there it is. Risk management from my armchair here in rural Idaho. Plan, learn, practice, communicate. Get the 7.00/month Life Flight membership. But keep hiking and adventuring!
Do You Have a Lemonade Mindset? (What happed to Mel)
Idaho has an abundance of hiking trails to explore during the summer months, but being prepared when exposed to wildlife and areas with no cell service will help you have a good time. Hiking in the Boise Foothills and beyond can be exciting but requires preparation before venturing into the wilderness. There are 12 snake species in Idaho, including the Western rattlesnake and prairie rattlesnake, Idaho’s two venomous snakes.
It’s possible you could end up in the Idaho wilderness without cell phone service and surrounded by potentially dangerous snakes. So what will you do if you get bitten? Below, you’ll find tips on how to avoid the snake in the first place, how to prepare for your hike — and then what to do if the worst happens:
AVOIDING A SNAKE BITE In the U.S., roughly 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes yearly. To prevent a snake bite from happening when you’re out on a hike, below are some tips to consider from the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Prepare for your hike Wear over-the-ankle boots, thick socks, and loose-fitting long pants Don’t go barefoot or use sandals While on your trip Stick to well-used trails when exploring Avoid walking through tall grass and weeds Watch where you step Avoid wandering in the dark When going over fallen trees or large rocks, inspect the surrounding areas to make sure there are no snakes Be cautious when climbing rocks or gathering firewood Shake out sleeping bags before using them and inspect logs before sitting down
PREPARING FOR YOUR IDAHO HIKE Hiking on a new trail can be exciting, making it easy to get lost or hurt in a no-cell service area. It is essential to stay vigilant on designated trails. Below are some tips from the National Park Service to prevent getting lost: Review your route before you get on the trail Pack a compass or handheld GPS Be aware of trail junctions Watch out for information signs Keep an eye out for landmarks throughout the trail Call 911 if you have an emergency, like a rattlesnake bite. Remember, you don’t need a cell phone provider to use emergency services.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU DON’T HAVE A CELL SIGNAL Worst case scenario, you find yourself in a remote area with no cell service and potentially even hurt. Below are some tips for finding help if you’re in this situation:
Calling for help Many satellite emergency communicators can send text messages and have an SOS feature to send coordinates. Some iPhone users can make an SOS call through the lock screen. The call will automatically call a local emergency number and share your location information, according to Apple. One thing to consider is that iPhone 14 phone models and those after can use the emergency SOS feature with only satellite and not cellular data or WiFi coverage.
Self-rescue Calling for help when you’re deep in the Idaho mountains is determined on a case-by-case basis. Below are some general tips on finding help if you’re lost: Try getting back to a cell service area to call for help. If you feel lost, use a handheld GPS, compass or map to help get you back, according to the National Park Service.
If you’re lost and have no way to get help, following a drainage or stream downhill can be used as a last resort, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
When waiting for help, follow these tips, according to the Department of Agriculture: Immediately call dispatch or 911 and stay calm. A higher heart rate will pump the venom through your bloodstream faster.
Wash the bite gently with soap and water, and remove any tight clothing or jewelry around areas that may swell. If possible, keep the bite below heart level. This will prevent the venom from reaching your heart as quickly.
Do not restrict blood flow by applying a tourniquet or icing the wound. Many amputations from rattlesnake bites occur because the wound is iced or blood flow is restricted.
Do not try to suck the poison out with your mouth. The poison could possibly enter another cut in your mouth or be swallowed.
Dan working with Brian Burbridge and Mark Ottman on his “C” Bucker Certification
Dan evaluating at the Stanley Sawyer Workshop
