Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Philmont 2009 - Wilderness Aid required, HAT course available

National Council has implemented rules for its national High Adventure bases (including Philmont) which in 2009 required one member who has taken Wilderness First Aid Basic. The simple version:

  1. Staff members working in High Adventure Camps who go on treks with units must be trained in Wilderness First Aid.
  2. Any unit going on a trek from a High Adventure Camp must have one person trained in Wilderness First Aid. You need to schedule a course for a crew member ASAP to avoid the crisis that some crews faced when the courses were not available in summer.

Besides the Red Cross, the HAT teams for several councils have offered Wilderness First Aid Basic for many years.

Make sure the course you are taking is a sixteen-hour course. Be careful because there are other courses offered by the Red Cross and HAT teams with a similar name (Wilderness Aid versus Wilderness First Aid) which do not qualify and do not fulfill the requirement. When you speak to or e-mail the course director or the inspector, make sure that you are taking the 16-hour course.

Verdugo Hills HAT will offer the course on January 31 and February 7, 2009. Contact Marlene Lugg, (818) 413-1578 (pager), (818) 375-3078 or (818) 882-4526. (Note: As of this writing, the Verdugo Hills Council website still lists the 2008 course dates.)

The Wilderness Aid course offered by San Gabriel HAT in March does not qualify for Philmont.

When the WLACC HAT team learns about other HAT courses, we will get the word out.

Be Prepared!

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