Hiking and recreational walking are extremely popular in the United States and nearly every response area has hiking trails. People in your service area undoubtedly take advantage of the amazing recreational and fitness opportunities trails provide. Remember these tips for the unique challenges of accessing and extricating patients from the trails in your community:
1. Be ready
Pre-plan for trail rescue by equipping vehicles with maps of trails in your service area. Mark the access points and make sure you know the limitations of vehicle access.
2. Know the trails
Know the capabilities of trail surfaces to support vehicle traffic. A trailhead wide enough for an ambulance or rescue truck may not stay that wide. Or be able to support the vehicle’s weight.
3. Ask for help
Request additional resources early, like an ATV with a rescue trailer, so it is ready if the ambulance cannot access the patient.
4. BLS care anywhere
Always have the essentials with you for BLS assessment and the treatment of ABC life threats. Patients are invariably much closer or much further from the trailhead than anticipated.
5. Incident notification
Warn other trail users of an on-trail emergency. Ask them to slow down before passing the incident or reroute as needed.
6. Walk-out or carry-out
Follow local protocols for selective spinal immobilization because if applied appropriately this may make patient extrication significantly easier and faster.
7. Bring the ambulance to the patient
Leave at least one person at the ambulance. After finding the patient, you may realize that the safest and easiest extrication point is different than the ambulance location.
Train for trail rescue
National Trails Day is celebrated on the first Saturday of June. Celebrate National Trails Day and the greatness of hiking by scheduling a training exercise to locate, access, and extricate a simulated injured hiker from a trail in your community. Apply those lessons to preplanning for a future incident.
After training take a hike, run, or bike on a trail in your community with your friends and family. Look for me on the Green Circle Trail in Portage County, Wisconsin.
This article, originally published on June 04, 2009, has been updated.
