Since the beginning of first aid training in modern terms, thousands of lives have been saved thanks to the Basic First Aid Training courses provided to citizens around the world. In many incidents such as accidents, injuries, heart attacks, drowning, etc., trained first-aiders have helped patients to hold on to life providing first aid practices and interventions until the paramedics arrive at the scene or the patients are transported to a health institution.

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    The dedicated effort and work of professional EMTs, trauma and emergency medical specialists working in land, sea or air ambulances give life to those who are affected. Land, sea and air ambulances, operating inside or outside of urban areas, quickly arrive at the scene, provide the necessary interventions to the accident victims and rapidly transfer them to trauma centers.

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    Once the emergency centers receive the call for emergency assistance, it usually takes a maximum of 30 minutes for victims to be transported to a trauma center. However, especially in remote urban areas, emergency medical workers, rescue vehicles and staff might be delayed in reaching the victims for a number of reasons. Some of these reasons include, especially, difficult climate conditions, harsh terrain, insufficient means of communication and unsafe environment.

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    First aid applications performed in situations where this delay is longer than 1 hour are called "Prolonged Field Care" (PFC). In some cases, PFC can last for hours or even more than a day. In PFC situations, basic first aid practices are not always sufficient to ensure the survival of victims and additional intervention and effort is required. For instance, a dislocated shoulder or a broken bone alone is not a life-threatening event in urban areas. The casualty can quickly be transported to a trauma center and the necessary intervention is carried out. However, when the same situation is encountered in a prolonged field care, if a dislocated shoulder joint or a broken bone compresses an artery in the limb and it takes more than 2 hours to transport the casualty to a health institution without intervention in the field, the casualty is at risk of losing his/her arm or broken leg. Similarly, if the needs of the injured person, such as nutrition, fluid intake, toilet needs, which are not considered in basic first aid trainings, are not met at high altitudes and in cold climates, the chance of the injured person losing his/her life due to hypothermia will increase.

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    In some cases, the accident scene may be unsafe or it might be necessary to transfer the casualty to a safer and warmer environment. In such cases, it is necessary to know "Casualty Stabilization-Transportation" procedures or how to construct an improvised stretcher and transport a casualty with the available means.

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Wilderness first aid practices differ from basic first aid training because of the following main reasons.

• Time; reaching emergency health assistance in more than 1 hour.

• Resources;

• Human

• Supplies and equipment

• Environmental Conditions;

• Climatic and meteorological conditions

• Terrain structure

• Site safety

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    What would normally be a non-fatal hemorrhage could lead to hypothermia and death due to rainy weather, extreme cold and heavy wind. In prolonged field care situations, victims are often faced with multiple challenges and this is where the problems start.

• Fracture (could be treated alone) + Hypothermia is a problem!

• Bleeding (could be treated alone) + Hypothermia is a problem!

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    It takes more than basic first aid knowledge to ensure the survival of victims in PFC conditions. For this reason; especially those who are engaged in nature and extreme sports, or anyone who lives or organizes activities in areas that are not accessible to emergency health services in a short time for any reason, should receive Wilderness First Aid Training.

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Wilderness First Aid Training includes the following topics with main headings;

• Adult and child CPR

• Use of OED

• Casualty assessment

• Airway problems

• First aid kits and supplies

• Bleedings

• Abdominal injuries and conditions

• Allergies and Anaphylaxis

• High altitude illnesses

• Bone, joint and muscle injuries.  Splints and casualty stabilization.

• Burns

• Chest injuries

• Head (brain), neck and spine injuries

• Heat-related illnesses

• Hypothermia and cold injuries

• Lightning injuries

• Shock and heart attack

• Drowning in water

• Open wounds and infections

• Asthma attacks

• Diabetic emergencies

• Emergency delivery

• Eye, mouth and lip injuries

• Ear, nose and dental problems

• Insect stings and poisonous animal bites

• Poisoning

• Paralysis

• Interventions in confined spaces

• Wound care

• Casualty transportation

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    In our Wilderness First Aid Training program, we, as BÜYÜK AYI, follow the current and evidence-based curriculum created under the leadership of the Wilderness Medicine Society, a US-based physician organization, and supported by the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). We also offer an internationally-recognized “Wilderness First Aid " certificate which is approved by these institutions through our courses.

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    For detailed information please check our upcoming events and previous courses.