Toss off the bowlines and sail off into the sunset, right?
But what happens when things go wrong. What will you do? It’s really not anything most people want to think about when planning their dream vacation. That’s ok. At LTD Sailing school, we’ve got you covered.
This fall our sailing school team sailed off into the sunset with the goal of getting certified as Wilderness First Responders (WFR). I’m not talking simple CPR training – although that was certainly part of it. I’m talking about a professional 80-hour course with an emphasis on pro-active field management of illnesses and injuries.
In partnership with Nadia Kimmel and Jon Totten from Desert Mountain Medicine, we took a week away from WIFI and other distractions to hide away on a deserted beach to concentrate on WFR training. (Never mind that a secluded white sandy beach, crystal blue water, and warm breezes are distracting enough!)
So, why? Why take an entire week to sail off somewhere and study first aid? Why not just go sailing and enjoy the islands. Well, yea, we do that too! Our goal at LTD Sailing is to be the best sailing school in the Caribbean and we are not afraid to admit it! More important, we want our staff to be ready and able to take care of a variety of situations that might arise while on the water without immediate medical help available. In other words: Be Prepared!
What we learned during our 80 hour Wilderness First Responder Course:
- Prevention of environmental illness
- Assist in managing pre-existing conditions in the field
- Patient assessment
- Provide extended care in Austere Environments
- Treatment and stabilization of life-threatening conditions
- Develop skills and protocol to work with medical professionals
- Manage and evacuate during an on the water emergency
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Maybe you are interested in some on the water emergency training but 80 hours is out of the questions. Never fear! We are developing, in conjunction with Desert Mountain Medicine, a 16-hour first aid course for mariners. We understand that living on the water or sailing offshore is just not the same as living on land. We want to offer sailors a course that takes their unique lifestyle into consideration.
Stay tuned…
