After completing the entire OEC course, every year the National Ski Patrol members cover 1/3 of the Outdoor Emergency Medicine Course (equivalent to an EMT with a outdoor/winter environment twist) during a one day refresher. Everyone is expected to be able to handle a series of scenarios and skill stations. The Jr. Ski Patrollers - SPYteam - were patients for the 150 or so patrollers completing these senerios. After getting professionally applied mouloge - complete with squirting blood if necessary, the kids are taught the signs and symptoms they are to exhibit when each group of patrollers happen on their scene. Today the kids had chest pain; pelvic fractures; thermal burns; injured knees; femur fractures requiring re-alignment and ski boot removal; thoracic trauma/back pain after a fall in the bathroom behind the toilet; diabetic hypoglycemia with laceration to back of head and concussion; and laceration to arm with severe bleeding. Three of the kids were practice patients for helmet and boot removal; taking vital signs and securing to a backboard.
He has a pump for the blood coming out his arm wound.
Waiting to find if they have any vitals
Yes, that is a real defibulator.
Removal of a helmet without injuring his neck.
Successful toilet stall removal.
Chest pain. He's hurting.
Guess she won't be skiing any more today.
Chest compressions while going downhill in a sled.
I truly believe by the time the SPYteam members perform as patients for all the ski season patroller training, they too become competent first aiders. They know when a bandage has been securely applied. They see competence or discomfort in the different patrollers performing first aid. And they learn injury and illness symptoms from being a patient. As co-leader of the SPYteam, my job is to oversee the kids. Today this group of SPYteam members made a great start learning to be patrollers.
Patrol trainins was not all I did today. Willy, Cedar and McKenzie were tested on their tracking progress. It was pouring rain the whole time. The dogs were to track where a stranger had walked. During the 20-40 minute between when the tracks were laid and the dogs were put on them, the rain and wind scattered the scent. My dogs performed amazingly. We then set tracks on the uncut grass and weeds on the parking mediums. The dogs had not tracked on grass before. Again they were amazing. I did not know exactly where the track was in the grass but all three followed it dead on - right through rain, weeds, tall grass and blackberry vines.
