Should I be an EMT?
There are three levels of medical responder for KC SAR. Every "Field" SAR volunteer is required to be Basic First Aid qualified, staying current in their basic first aid and CPR skills. MOFA and WFA are considered to be basic first aid classes. The second level is Advanced First Aid, and includes options such as WFR and OEC. The third and highest level are independent licensed practioners, which include EMTs, Nurses, and Physicians.
Basic First Aid Options:
Mountain Oriented First Aid (MOFA)
Mountaineering Oriented First Aid (MOFA) is 24-hour first aid course for wilderness travelers who often find themselves in an area where outside medical assistance is hours or days away. In addition to first aid skills (bandaging, splinting, etc.) the course teaches students techniques of emergency rescue, backcountry patient care, and leadership skills necessary for managing incidents involving multiple patients. The Seven Steps of Accident Response is at the core of MOFA training. Scenario-based practice is the hallmark of the MOFA program.
The MOFA Refresher (MOFAR) Course is a 16 hour class for those people with current MOFA nearing the end of their 3 year certification. The course consists of three four-hour sessions two evenings a week, or a weekend (Saturday/Sunday- half day) and meets the requirements for ARC Standard First Aid as well as MOFA.
Wilderness First Aid (WFA)
Wilderness First Aid is a 16 hour introduction to general medical concepts and Basic Life Support skills. Its targeted to the outdoor enthusiast on day trips or short adventures.
Students are prepared for emergency situations that involve prolonged patient care, severe environments and improvised equipment. This option includes eight hours of core curriculum and eight hours of elective topics that can be tailored to the audience. Topics can include patient assessment, bodily systems, fractures, stable injuries, splints, hypothermia, hyperthermia and heat illness, and wounds and burns. Adult CPR is included in this course.
Advanced First Aid Options:
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
The 80 hour Wilderness First Responder certification is a combination of lecture, skill labs, and practical scenarios to provide participants with the decision-making, hands-on skills and theoretical knowledge necessary to function in remote areas, as well as extended care situations. Topics include but are not limited to: wound management and infection, realigning fractures and dislocations, improvised splinting techniques, patient monitoring and long term management problems, up-to-date information on all environmental emergencies, plus advice on drug therapies. WFR is used by professionals working as guides, outdoor educators, as well as recreational expedition medical personnel in remote areas. The WMI Adult & Child CPR is included in this course.
Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC)
A sequenced, competency-based education program - typically between 80 and 100 hours - that prepares ski patrollers and other outdoor rescuers without previous first aid or EMT training to handle the emergency care problems encountered in the nonurban setting. The knowledge and skills learned are oriented toward the wilderness environment, with special emphasis on ski and snowboard injuries, high-altitude and cold-weather illness, wilderness extrications, and the special equipment needed for emergency care and transportation in the outdoor environment. Students are required to participate in comprehensive lessons with skill and scenario application, complete various workbook exercises, take a final written exam, and demonstrate their skills and knowledge in final scenarios. Challenge students and course students are required to demonstrate all the skill performances and complete the same final written exam and practical scenario evaluation. OEC Technicians must complete annual refreshers and maintain a professional level CPR certification to remain certified. Annual OEC refresher consisting of 1/3 of the total curriculum (skill competency is verified by instructor of record).
Independent Licensed Practioners:
Emergency Medical Technician - Basic (EMT-B)
An EMT-B is trained in practical emergency medical knowledge and skills that can be deployed within a rapid time frame. Patient treatment guidelines are described in protocols following both national guidelines and local medical policies. The goal of EMT intervention is to rapidly evaluate a patient's condition and to maintain a patient's airway, breathing and circulation by CPR and defibrillation. In addition, EMT-B intervention aims to control external bleeding, prevent shock, and prevent further injury or disability by immobilizing potential spinal or other bone fractures, while expediting the safe and timely transport of the patient to a hospital emergency department for definitive medical care.
EMT-B courses generally cover 120+ hours of didactic and practical education, with 10 hours of hospital observation time.
Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT)
This 180 hour, intensive program combines wilderness medicine with urban medical care practices, including time at a hospital and in an ambulance. After four weeks of classroom education, practical skills, scenarios and full-scale mock rescues, you will be ready to handle medical emergencies, in the wilderness or right in town. Successful completion of the course and both written and practical examinations will certify the student as a National Registry of EMT's Basic EMT and as a Wilderness EMT. Note: Healthcare Provider level CPR is a prerequisite for this course. Because some of the WEMT courses do not provide you with an EMT license recognized by the state of Washington, it is strongly suggested that you discuss this option with Lt. Paul Davison pdavison@bellevuewa.gov, the KCSO Medical Advisory Committee Chairperson, well in advance. It is also important to note that although WEMT class might offer training in some areas additional to the EMT-B course, your ability to provide medical treatment will be limited to King County approved protocols and procedures. Both the EMT-B and the WEMT are expected to adhere to the same set of guidelines as laid out in the 2010 Patient Protocols book (blue book) issued by the King County Department of Health.
Last updated on May 12, 2010.