Join us for this practical 2 day course that prepares you to recognize and avoid wilderness hazards, and to render first aid with minimal or improvised equipment. The entire course takes place in the wilderness

COURSE CONTENT:

- Cold induced injuries: Hypothermia scenarios.

- Heat induced injuries: Heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke scenarios.

- Lightning avoidance and injuries: How to evaluate and minimize risk when in groups or when you are alone.

- Wilderness wound and burn care: Practical scenarios including the management of massive bleeding.

- Water purification and water-borne illness: Practical water disinfection session and discussion of water-borne illness.

- Animal bites and stings: Practical exercises and discussion.

- Bone and joint injuries: Practical exercise and discussion.

- Eye and facial injuries: Practical exercise and discussion

- Head and spinal injuries: Practical exercise and discussion.

- Chest and abdominal injuries: Practical exercise and discussion

DISCUSSIONS:

- Altitude illness discussion

- Frost bite, frost nip and chilblains

- Solar-induced injuries: Dangers of solar radiation, how to mitigate those risks and how to treat sunburn.

- Plant-induced injuries discussion

- Medical problems in the wilderness discussion

- Exercise associated hyponatremia: What happens when you drink too much water.

- Dehydration: What happens when you drink too little water.

INSTRUCTOR:
The session is being run by Michael Klopper from the Johannesburg Section of Mountain Search and Rescue. Michael is an emergency medical technician, a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine with the University of Utah as well as an Advanced Wilderness Life Support instructor.

LOCATION AND ACCOMMODATION:
The course is run at in the Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA) Tonquani Complex with access through Mountain Sanctuary Park (MSP). Camping at the Cedarberg campsite which is about 1.2 km (20 minutes’ walk) from MSP. For those not keen on roughing it, there are camp sites and chalets at MSP (these must be booked and paid for privately)

COST:
MCSA Member: R350 MCSA Non – Member: R550 For more info or to sign up please visit www.exmed.co.za