Happy Thaksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for the ability to spend time with those that I love.   I'm out on the east coast spending Thanksgiving with my family.  It's really amazing to me just how simple they can make life.  Are you happy? "no" Well, why the hell not? I guess it's easy to be happy around those that make it this simple.

What's in your patrol pack?

As a member of search and rescue and a local ski patrol I spend a lot of time thinking about what's in my pack.  Here's what I generally carry in my patrol pack.  My patrol pack is geared towards medical and customer service things - this is what I do most of the time when I'm patrolling.

Items in bold I use constantly.

• PPE / Safety
• Non-latex exam gloves (easily accessible, in myparka)
• Mask
• CPR pocket mask
• Antiseptic towelettes (septisol)
• Eye protection (ski goggles or wrap around sunglasses will do the trick)
• Whistle
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, compass, tools (for personal use)
• 50ft nylon (Avalanche) cord
• Waterproof matches (several in waterproof contianer)
• Bleeding control
• 4x4 bandages
• Sterile compresses
• Roller gauze
• Band aids
• Trauma dressing
• Splinting
• Sam splint / wire splint / cardboard splint for arm and shoulder injuries
• Cravat x 4
• Roller x 6
• Tongue depressor / popsicle stick (finger splint)
• Donut (stabilizing impaled objects; you can make one out of roller gauze)
• Assessment tools
• Penlight
• Stethoscope & BP cuff (optional)
• Patient & patroller comfort / customer service
• Area trail maps
• Extra 99c hats
• Emergency tarp / sit pad
• Chemical heat packs
• Misc
• Scissors
• Honey / instant glucose packets x 2
• Safety pins
• Tape
• Chewable baby-coated asprin
• Ziplock baggies x 3
• Tweezers
• Cravat puller
• Paperwork (2 copies of each form in ziplock baggies)

First weekend of training: done

Candidate training is brutal.  We ask candidates to come up every weekend for almost two months, after spending two evenings a week, plus, studying medical stuff in their Outdoor Emergency Care class.

This past weekend was the first of those eight weekends and our candidates made a great showing.  They learned the rules of the building, how to use patrol radios, where everything is in the first aid room, and that putting splints on in the snow is a slippery business.

The candidates worked hard this weekend.  So, keep it up, guys, and I'll see you at the end.

First day of training

Tomorrow marks the first day of training for our candidates.  I'm super excited and also nervous at the proposition of training them in everything it means to be a patroller.  Everyone seems to remember their candidate adviser.  Will these candidates remember me positively or negatively?

To help them along with the *ahem* right attitude, I've been going through and doing my best to get things ready for them: equipment lists, equipment sources, streamlining training days, and so on.  I need to figure out a way to get metrics for the future.  I guess that surveys are in order?