Mounted search and rescue

[Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>]

Re Al Hale's question, "Where is a good source to find more
about rescue?", the basic rescue skills that are most relevant
to mounted SAR are CPR, basic first aid, advanced first aid,
wilderness first aid and wilderness advanced first aid (both
pronounced "wafa"), and wilderness first responder ("woofer").

Typical course length is 20 hours for WFA, 80 hours for WFR.

In some places, WRF is considered supplemental professional
training for EMTs, in which case it tends to be expensive.
In this case, an agency having jurisdiction may be prepared
to pay for it.  But WFR may be offered also as an affordable
community college course (at night or during a break week).
WFR emphasizes *improvisation*, a skill set foreign to most
EMT training programs, but extremely appropriate for SAR.

There are many inexpensive paperback books in print about
wilderness first aid, that are useful for SAR responders.
I like the NOLS books.  However, patient assessment, patient
packaging, and transport are hands-on skills, so you need
more than a book:  you also need an instructor and practice
dealing with mock situations.

A few URLs:
http://www.nols.edu/
http://www.wildmed.com/
http://www.wildernessmedicine.com/
http://www.soloschools.com/
http://wfa.net/
http://www.wildernessfirstaid.ca/

Hope this helps,

        Una Smith
        New Mexico