Petersburg medical officials flew up two Wilderness First Aid instructors to teach locals how to help an injured person in the field. The trainees spent the first half of the day in the classroom, learning how to treat everything from burns to hypothermia. But they spent the last half testing their knowledge in a simulated outdoor emergency.
KFSK’s Shelby Herbert has this story from the scene of the “accident.”
It was a clear spring day at Petersburg’s Sandy Beach on Sunday, March 24. Waves lazily lapped at the shore, and seagulls wheeled around in the rare, cloudless sky. And six volunteer victims were lying around, smeared with fake blood and bruises, and crying out in pain.
At a nearby pavilion, another group of trainees prepared to jump in and rescue them.
They huddled around a fire as their instructors explained the situation. The trainees were each out hiking with their best friend, who slipped and fell off the trail. Then they had to use what they learned in class to assess and treat their friends’ wounds so they could get them to a hospital.
The “victims” all bore a particularly gruesome wound on one hand, with a twig erupting from a flap of fake skin, mimicking a complete impalement. It was instructor Janet Peterson handiwork. Her technique is pretty straightforward.
“Lots of blood,” said Peterson. “It makes it look better!”
The “rescuers” calmly walk into the chaotic scene on the beach to find their own wounded friend. Oscar season might be over, but some of the victims are giving the performance of a lifetime.
Eddie Loyo was lying on the rocks, clutching his “impaled” hand to his chest while his training partner, Kaili Watkins, assessed his condition. Loyo’s contusions may be fake, but his discomfort was very real. He was curled up on the cold, wet ground, as a chilly wind cut through his jacket. Watkins did her best to keep him comfortable with a sleeping pad and a blanket. But one can tell they were both having a little fun with it.
a stick impaled through one of their hands. (Photo by Shelby Herbert/KFSK)
Loyo says he chose to spend half of his sunny Sunday in the classroom — and then, the other half lying on the ground covered in fake blood — because he wants to help keep his community safe. He started working at one of Petersburg’s canneries when he was 18, and he says he says he saw a lot of accidents throughout his time there. These days, Loyo is volunteering with the local fire department, where he’s been exposed to even more danger.
“Danger is everywhere,” said Loyo. “And all these courses make you better for certain conditions, you know? It’s really fun. It’s really dynamic. I mean, having this group of people from varied paths of life — that’s really cool.”
And Loyo’s right. Not all the Wilderness First Aid trainees in the class are first responders like him. Linda Slaght volunteers with the local Girl Scouts — Troop 4065. She said she signed up because her scouts love to go camping, and she wants to help keep them safe out in the wild this summer.
“This [class] gives me a little bit of extra knowledge to deal with the unexpected emergencies that might happen out there,” said Slaght. “You know, when we can’t rely on EMS to get to us as quickly.”
There was one person in the class who was there for an entirely different reason. Wilderness First Aid is old hat for Aaron Hankins, director of Petersburg Fire and EMS. But he’s not certified to teach it — yet. That means Petersburg Medical Center and the Volunteer Fire Department had to fly up instructors from out of state.
“I got a little bit more stuff to do on the instructor side,” said Hankins. “But this would allow me to teach Wilderness First Aid. And if all goes well, I’d be able to teach a Wilderness First Responder as well.”
As the class wrapped up, instructor Janet Peterson offered her top outdoor safety tip:
“Be prepared to be out there,” said Peterson. “Know your weather, know where you’re going, tell somebody you’re gone.”
And as the sun dipped behind the mountains, the newly-minted Wilderness First Aid certificate holders wiped off the fake blood, tore the sticks out of their hands, and headed home.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story misattributed a quote to Wilderness First Aid instructor Angela Henderson. Henderson’s co-instructor, Janet Peterson, is the name of the instructor featured in the story.
