Qualified Medical Training for Forestry Volunteers

On the 21'st of April, 2007, a large number of forestry volunteers and other interested individuals acquired their Wilderness First Aid medical training at the Environmental Education Center across from the Rincon Fire Station in the Angeles National Forest.

Such training and certification is required for some individuals who work within or volunteer within the Angeles National Forest since safety is always the U. S. Forest Service's number one priority, and having medically qualified people on work crews, fire mitigation projects, tree plantings, and other activities is a good and inexpensive way to improve safety and reduce risk.

Today we had none other than the nationally recognized professional Clive Souter providing us with our Wilderness / Delayed Response First Aid training. And Mr. Souter's well respected reputation for offering high quality, focused, directed training for wilderness and delayed response First Aid was once again proven to be wel deserved.

The San Gabriel Mountains Trailbuilders (including myself!) learned a great many things about what to do and (just as important!) what not to do in a variety of situations which are considered the most common types of medical emergencies in forests and deserts.

The SGMTBs volunteers who maintain their medical certifications and who routinely study and reinforce their (admittedly limited) skills do so not only to improve safety in and among their own team, but also to provide an added measure of skills which might be utilized in the event we encounter injuries among hikers, bikers, campers, picknickers, and motorists in the mountains -- at least long enough for highly skilled medical people to appear.

Since this was a professional training class taking place across two days, I did not take photographs during the class.

Anyone wishing to acquire such medical certifications and training from the American Red Cross or from Southern California's most experienced medical trainer may send me an inauiry via email and I will forward contact information for Mr. Clive Souter to you.