Fake blood, simulated heart attacks and being lost in the woods are some of the potential pitfalls awaiting participants of Wilderness First Responder, a summer class that ran May 4-12.
While most students might not be able to treat a poisonous snake bite, the nine-day class tested students’ decision-making abilities and increases students’ confidence in critical situations, said Joe Arvai, program coordinator and MSU associate professor who teaches risk, values and decision making.
“It’s not really a class where students have to memorize a long list of protocol,” Arvai said.
The class, with its headquarters at the Natural Resources Building, took students to numerous outdoor locations across campus and provided situations where participants had to overcome limited resources and simulated hardships, Arvai said.
The class does not offer MSU credits and is hosted by the Wilderness Medicine Institute, a Wyoming-based wilderness education organization.
Arvai said he considered adding another class in addition to the May 4-12 session that was at capacity.
The cost to participate was $530 for MSU students, and those that pass receive a course certificate that shines on résumés and job applications, Arvai said.
“I think it’s an excellent and thorough first-aid course for people who want to handle emergency situations and for everyday people in town with their families,” said Tod Schimelpfenig, curriculum director for the Wilderness Medicine Institute.
Contrary to common belief, surviving in the back country requires knowledge, not equipment, said David Westcott, outdoor educator and managing editor for the Bulletin of Primitive Technology, an outdoor publication.
“People go from their super-heated cars to their super-heated office, and they don’t know how to survive if their utilities fail,” Westcott said.
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