News Blip:
Wilderness Medic Trains Others For Emergencies Outdoors
Online Athens Reports On Mark DeJong, A 22-Year Veteran In The Medical Field, Who Teaches People How To Handle Medical Emergencies In The Wild When A Hospital Is Just Too Far Away.
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved through Online Athen's website via Google.
Volunteer workers recently gathered to help spruce up the Hardigree Wildlife Sanct-uary, an 88-acre tract of protected woodlands and meadows on the outskirts of Watkinsville. The volunteers included members of the University of Georgia Circle K Club, who tended to the campground area, while other volunteers cut down damaged trees and tidied up sites such as the outdoor chapel, which will be used for an Easter Sunday sunrise service April 1. Among the volunteers who responded to the call for help from Sanctuary Executive Director Steve Scruggs were experts on surviving in the outdoors and what to do if disaster strikes. Mark DeJong, a 22-year-veteran in the medical field, was one such expert on outdoor and wilderness survival. “I fully support everything that Steve is doing at Hardigree,” DeJong said. “We are only one generation away from a lot of these outdoor skills being lost.”
Wayne Ford from Online Athens relates in his article: "The sanctuary is being used as an educat-ional venue, where adults and children can view wildlife and learn outdoor skills. “I wanted to take the opportunity to help their mission to pass these skills to the younger gener-ation,” said DeJong, who is also a hardened outdoorsman. As program director for Off Grid Medic, a medic-al training and consulting business based in Watkinsville, he teaches people how to handle medical emergencies in the wild, where a hospital could be many hours or days away from an injured person. Off Grid’s goal is to become a leader in the field of wilderness medicine, he said. The entry-level Wilderness First Aid program is a three-day course that begins on a Friday and ends on a Sunday afternoon. The course is taught in the field. “It is absolutely amazing at how much people can digest, learn and implement in that short amount of time,” he said, adding that in February a Boy Scout troop from Cherokee County will arrive for the course. The second level, called the Wilderness First Responder program, “is considered the gold standard for medical training for non-medical practitioners” such as Boy Scout leaders, long distance backpackers, hikers and others who venture into remote areas, said DeJong. DeJong said the most common wilderness injury is caused by fire. Burns can result from several sources — from setting up campfires to cooking. DeJong also provides wilderness instruction at events held at Georgia Bushcraft, an outdoor survival skills organization also based in Oconee County. With assistance in lieu of crises outdoors, be sure to keep supplies and a small first aid kit on hand.
For the complete article visit Online Athens.
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