OPPORTUNITIES
TO LEARN outdoor skills are very rare here in the Philippines, much
more so in Cebu, as these are confined to alternative schools of
learning, which are very expensive, and from the military, if you
happen to be one. Free learning are even rarer. If you are a
protege of a good teacher or a descendant of one then you are
assured. If not, there is You Tube and other do-good websites.
However, there are some individuals who share their time and
knowledge without monetary considerations.
I
teach a lot of people and I am not alone when it comes to sharing.
We all know that the very respectable and very capable Dr. Ted
Esguerra of the Philippine Everest Expedition Team had been making
the rounds in Metro Manila and Luzon teaching emergency preparedness
and wilderness first aid almost gratis and how everyone in
Cebu would wish that Everest Doc would come down here and share his
knowledge to us.
Much
as we would like it, there is another one though that could do that
part and he is a true-blue Cebuano; a native son of Mandaue carrying
an illustrious surname that is connected with that city. He is no
other than Shio Cortes. A trained paramedic with more than twenty
years of experience. He honed his skills early when he was with the
Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF) and expanded it even more
during his tenure with the Central Visayas Search and Rescue
(CEVSAR).
He
went as far as Guinsaugon, St. Bernard, Leyte with his team of
paramedics and conducted countless rescue and retrieval operations
elsewhere in the Visayas. Presently he is contracted by the United
Nations for water search, rescue and retrieval work and trainings at
the Democratic Republic of Congo. I have met him once during Camp
Red’s EDC Parley in January after showing interest in what we do:
Bushcraft and Survival.
Today,
July 13, 2013, Shio will teach a free class on Wilderness Emergency
Preparedness to fellow Cebuanos. Since it is an outdoors-oriented
activity, I arranged it be held at the Roble homestead in Sapangdaku,
Cebu City. It is a perfect venue since there is a good clearing with
a number of bamboo benches under shady areas. Mango trees growing
there could be utilized for ropeworks demo like single-rope
technique.
All
meet at the parking lot of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at 7:00
AM. When we think that we have a lot of interested participants, we
move out for Napo on board three vehicles each driven by Xerxes
Alcordo, Ramon Corro and Aljew Frasco. A total of twenty-seven
people came aside from Mr. Cortes and this blogger. We walk trails,
cross streams and climb steep ground until all arrive safely at the
Roble homestead.
We
choose a shady place underneath a mango tree with bamboo benches.
All participants take their spots and make themselves comfortable as
possible. After a short introduction and prayer, Mr. Cortes started
the outdoors seminar through the discussion of personal safety, the
proper skills, adequate knowledge, appropriate attitude and equipment
reliability.
He
remind everyone that the responder must utilize whatever material and
supply on hand depending on common sense and practicing this at home
will increase your preparation should you encounter one outdoors.
Legally, a rescuer is always liable and should never take unnecessary
risks or perform any medical procedures unless it is absolutely
necessary.
He
goes on to the next chapter which is the Primary Assessment and
Survey. It is summarized as the 3 ABCs of Emergency where:
A
is Assess (scene assessment), Airway (ensure an open airway) and
Alertness;
B
is Barriers (gloves and masks), Breathing (check breathing) and
Bleeding; and
C
is CPR, Cervical Spine (immobilize) and Cover (maintain temperature).
This
is followed by the Secondary Assessment and Survey and it may
commence once the rescuer sees no immediate life-threatening problems
beginning with a Head-to-Toe Examination to look for signs of
swelling, deformities and pain. Then check SAMPLE which is an
acronym for Signs and Symptoms; Allergies; Medications; Pre-Existing
Medical History; Last Meal Eaten; and Events. Then assign a Team
Leader for an effective Emergency Management.
Mr.
Cortes went on to remind all that the feeling of being in the
outdoors is a trend which is something new to venture and, therefore,
a very dangerous idea. Some find a peer’s story and experience
very compelling and lures them to try the outdoors in an instant
without preparing themselves. Most outdoor accidents happen because
of poor judgment. People often forget what nature can do to them and
fail to anticipate how things can really go wrong out there in the
wild. Obtaining proper training, however, ensure an individual’s
success.
As
part of preparation, you should have a survival kit with you. Some
maintain an EDC Kit or a Bug-out Bag and it should fit to the
individual’s requirement according to the kind of journey or the
type of environment he or she intends to venture out. Adding a
personal utility rope, a personal Prussik set, extra carabiners and a
hasty utility strap would increase functionality and flexibility.
Since
ropes will soon become part of your kit, it is best that you are
knowledgeable about basic knots. These come in either as stopper
knots (overhand, figure-of-8); loop knots (bowline, double
figure-of-8); load knots (Prussik, timber hitch, munter hitch,
Kleimheist); and splice knots (square, sheet bend). For emergency
harnesses, you may have three options to choose: Hasty pelvic diaper,
Hasty chest harness and the Swiss seat.
After
lunchtime, the lecture proceed on to Self Rescue Skills. It is a very
technical discussion that allows proper presence of mind in relation
to the angle of the cliff and the load tension of the rope. Under
such circumstances, self-belay techniques are confined to the
Dulfersitz technique, which require a low to medium angle of not less
than 45 degrees; the carabiner rappel; the munter hitch set up; and
the rope wrap. Also, Prussik friction hitches are used in Single
Rope Climbing or Rapid Haul.
The
last part of the lecture is Patient Packaging. Everyone is reminded
that the patient should be kept as comfortable as possible as he or
she may be still in a state of shock and quite disoriented. The
patient’s body temperature should be preserved and there should be
few disturbance or movement on the affected part.
For
that matter, there are, at least, three ways to carry a patient.
First is the Buddy Rescue which could be done either in Man Under
Technique or Utility Backpack Technique. Then there is the Hasty
Harness Technique which are appropriate with either the Hasty Harness
Belay Set Up (for lowering and raising) or the Hasty Harness Drag.
Then last is the Improvised Litters and Stretchers. This could be
done with apparel or equipment makeshifts, tarpaulins or ground
sheets and with the Daisy-Chain Package.
In
all the discussions, Mr. Cortes was able to explain to the
participants about Wilderness Emergency Preparedness with such
versatility and authority and have unselfishly used his experience
and his equipment, particularly his supply of sanitized medical
apparatus, for that matter. This blog, being one of the organizers,
together with Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild, appreciates very
much for the time that Mr. Cortes had given to his fellow outdoorsmen
and, for that, we are quite indebted.
Special
thanks to Maria Iza Mahinay for becoming a willing “patient” and
getting wrapped up and packaged. Another thank you each to Mr.
Alcordo, Mr. Corro and Mr. Frasco for providing vehicles for this
activity. Lastly, our thank yous to the Roble family for generously
giving us the space to conduct our lectures, firewood for our cooking
and the green coconuts which made the place a natural resting area of
local and foreign backpackers.
This
outdoors lesson has equipped the participants the needed knowledge to
make all their outdoors activity a much safer endeavor. I may
someday meet some of them along the trail and that would make me feel
secure knowing they are around.
Document
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