The Importance of Wilderness First Responder Training
A shared passion that connects many of us here in Southern Utah is our love for recreating in the outdoors – no matter if that means hiking, biking, off-roading, canyoneering, or something else altogether different. Many of these activities can take us deep into the backcountry. The promise of remoteness and solitude is part of the allure of getting outside; it also means that we are farther from help if things go wrong.
From allergic reactions to heart attacks to sprains and broken bones: because we here at Dreamland Safari Tours host hundreds of guests each month, we know that medical emergencies can happen to any of us, no matter how experienced and careful we may be.
One of our guests’ favorite destinations is White Pocket, an incredible slick rock playground of otherworldly colors and shapes that make you feel like you are walking on an alien planet. Given it takes 2+ hours of (primarily off-road) driving to get there from Kanab, the closest town, for emergency response purposes, you might as well be on an alien planet. While all of our guides carry GPS communication, emergency response is not instant and never guaranteed.
That’s why we encourage our guides to pursue Wilderness First Responder (“WFR”) training which prepares students to provide emergency response where access to definitive care may be delayed. WFR courses provide hands-on training for scenarios that you may encounter in the outdoors: from UTV roll-overs to lightning strikes, from anaphylactic reactions to bee stings to heart attacks.
WFR courses are an integral training tool for outdoor guides (which is why we are amazed to see that there are still many area guide companies operating without WFR training!). That said, Wilderness First Responder training goes far beyond the guiding community: WFR courses are open to the public; you don’t need prior medical training to participate. Ask yourself: what would you do if a friend or loved one was involved in one of the above scenarios while you are hours from definitive care? Participating in a WFR course will give you the knowledge and confidence to be a great partner should the unexpected happen.
If you’d like to be kept in the loop for when we host our next Wilderness First Responder course in Southern Utah, please reach out to hello@dreamlandtours.net, and we’ll make sure you are among the first to know!
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