The Sierra Club is preparing adventurers of all kinds to safely explore the Shenandoah Valley through their “Wilderness First Aid” certification course. WMRA’s Olivia DeWan reports.
[sound of rushing water]
The Sierra Club wants to help those who brave the Shenandoah Valley’s rugged mountains and rushing rivers be prepared to handle medical situations in remote areas where doctors and ambulances struggle to reach. Their Wilderness First Aid certification course, to be held on November 7, at the Ivy Creek Natural Area in Charlottesville, teaches adventurers first aid skills that could potentially save lives. Mateo Rosefsky, a Wilderness EMT and organizer of the course, emphasized the importance of preparation.
MATEO ROSEFSKY: We wish to empower everyone with the knowledge and muscle memory of how to provide first aid anywhere or any time professional help is not immediately available.
The course includes classroom presentations and hands-on scenarios. It prepares students to stabilize patients and treat sprains, fractures and other injuries. Participants can register for the course through Sierra Club’s website.
ROSEFSKY: I hope that they come away with a comfort level that enables them to make deeper exploration into the wilderness.
Rosefsky said that wilderness first aid skills can be lifesaving not only in remote areas, but also on the rural back roads of the Shenandoah Valley, where emergency medical personnel may have difficulty reaching people quickly.
ROSEFSKY: We just hope that many more people get trained. Everybody who graduates from the course is now a “safety bubble.” Wherever you are, people don’t realize it, but all those people around you are now much safer.
When help is miles away and cell service is nowhere to be found, the course prepares participants to step in when every second counts.
