By Antonieta Valenzuela

In May, 2018 the course “Safety in remote areas” was held in the Punta Mazo Nature Reserve, San Quintín, given by Julián Orozco from the organization En-Sar Ensenada.

In this 3-day course, 14 staff members of Terra Peninsular participated, mainly from the Department of Conservation and Communication. We learned the basic techniques to prevent, identify and respond to emergency situations in remote areas.

In Terra Peninsular we protect natural reserves of San Quintín, El Rosario and Sierra de San Pedro Mártir, so it was important that the members had the necessary tools to be prepared during field trips in these sites that are located far from the main medical centers.

Also, after completing the course we took an exam and received a certificate for 2 years endorsed by AOS Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, American Academy of Emergency Medicine and ECSI Emergency Care & Safety Institute.

What did we learn from this course?

-Do not improvise! It is important to be prepared before going out to the field, this means having a good physical condition and the necessary equipment.

-Each one of us has different abilities and when we work as a team we complement each other.

-We are stronger than we think.

-Keep hydrated. Do not wait until you are thirsty!

-Wear appropriate clothing.

-Basic items in the backpack: gray tape, extra clothes, water, food, lamp, matchsticks, knife, cap, sunscreen, etc.

-Have a first aid kit that has bandages, gauzes, latex gloves, hydrogen peroxide, etc.

-Techniques we learned: wound care and bandaging, applying tourniquets and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), etc.

-Rule of 3 in life outdoors: 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food.

-Before helping others, the most important things is that you are not at risk.

In this course we also learned the 7 basic principles “Leave No Trace” to prevent impacts on natural resources:

• Plan Ahead and Prepare.
• Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces.
• Dispose of Waste Properly.
• Leave What You Find.
• Minimize Campfire Impacts.
• Respect Wildfire.
• Be Considerate of Other Visitors.