Wilderness has paired with Wanaka Search and Rescue for a four-part series reviewing basic backcountry skills. Part 3 looks at first aid kits and getting fit for your summer objectives. By Carrie Miller
With spring warming the air, our thoughts turn to adventure, dreaming of epic summer missions, perhaps extending our backcountry legs a little further than we did last year. It is the ideal time of year to get prepared, to stock the first-aid kit, review your skill-set and increase your fitness level so you’re mentally and physically confident for whatever task you’re setting yourself. First aid readiness Now is the time to review your first-aid readiness, from refreshing your training to updating and replenishing your first aid kit. “Any injury you can imagine, you can obtain in the outdoors,” says Brent Hollow, who has spent a lifetime in first aid and is trained in advanced cardiac life support with a degree in paramedicine and a postgraduate diploma in emergency management. He’s been involved with Search and Rescue (SAR) since 1990 and also works as a hunting guide, first aid course instructor and medical director for major events like Challenge Wanaka and Red Bull Defiance. “People often get fixed on broken bones or major haemorrhages in the backcountry, but more common injuries are hypothermia, strains and sprains, and medical problems like heart attack, diabetes and stroke,” Hollow says. Basic first aid skills Brent describes basic first aid training as knowing what to look for and how to manage things that go wrong. “Every person involved in the outdoors should at least do an outdoor first aid course,” Hollow says. “Let’s say you’re hiking on a scree slide beyond the Ahuriri. It’s getting dark, someone breaks a leg, there’s weather coming in and you’ll have to manage the situation for two or three days. Do you have the training to cope?” The bare minimum skill-set Hollow recommends is:- Be able to evaluate your situation. “Before I do something, I run through a quick mental checklist,” he says. “If I run across this snow chute, is there a risk? If there is, what is the risk and what are my options? Doing that has kept me safe in the backcountry for 35 years.”
- Know your DRSABC – Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, CPR.
- Know how to check responsiveness and open and maintain an airway/breathing (if necessary).
- Be able to stop severe haemorrhage and understand when you can or can’t move a patient.
- Know how to manage exposure, fractures, strains, sprains, diarrhoea, vomiting, headaches and hypothermia.
- “Most of first aid is having a structure to apply to what you might encounter so you don’t miss something,” Hollow says. “Can you manage your issues, can you manage your mate’s issues, can they manage yours?”

- Non-latex rubber gloves and a face shield (for mouth-to-mouth). “Everyone who’s bleeding is infected until proven otherwise,” he says. “Protect yourself. But there are a lot of latex allergies out there, so make sure the gloves are non-latex.”
- Emergency trauma bandage.
- Survival bag or thermal blanket. “I prefer a survival bag – it’s tougher and more effective,” Hollow says.
- One roll of good quality fabric strapping tape. “It’s the most commonly used thing in my kit,” says Hollow. “You can do so much with this, from closing wound edges to managing blisters. Remember to always tape the hot spot before it becomes a blister.”
- Fabric dressing tape.
- A small pair of scissors or rescue shears.
- A handful of first aid plasters.
- Poly-amp or saline for irrigating wounds or eyes. “This is a must for mountain bikers,” Hollow says. “If you lose your vision because of dust or grit in your eye, it can quickly get you into more trouble.”
- A card of paracetamol. “Ibuprofen or anti-inflammatories can impair renal function, so paracetamol is better.”
- Personal medication. “Make sure everyone in your group knows what you take and where you carry it – this is essential if you have a personal issue you’re managing, like food allergies or diabetes. Don’t wait until you’re in trouble to tell them how to help you.”
- A small first aid guide and/or laminated first aid card. “Every paramedic carries one,” Hollow says. “We use it as a checklist so we don’t forget things.”
- A personal locator beacon (PLB) and mobile phone. “These are mandatory.They take the ‘search’ out of search and rescue.”

- Oro-pharyngeal airway, which keeps the airway open and acts as a bite shield.
- Smaller dressings including waterproof stereo-strips.
- Another roll of the quality fabric tape.
- Tampons. “These are great for puncture wounds or nasal bleeds,” Brent says.
- Burn cream sachets.
- Lip balm for chapped lips (it also burns well and can be used as a firelighter).
- Heartburn medication.
- Antiseptic cream.
- Saline irrigation.
- Small lightweight splint for minor fractures.
- Clothing shears.
- Forceps for removing splinters.
- Notepad and pen.
- Rehydration solution.
- Energy gels for hypoglycaemia or hypothermia. “If someone is conscious and shivering, they will go through their energy stores really fast. Energy gels help prevent or push off the onset of severe hypothermia. And remember: if someone is cold and shivering, they’re cold. If they’re cold and not shivering, they’re really cold,” Brent says.
- Lighter and fire-starter.
- Compass, whistle, and heliograph (signal mirror) – “It’s a great way of getting a helicopter’s attention.”
- Adrenaline amps, antihistamines and more severe painkillers. “Remember that if you’re giving someone anything besides paracetamol, you need to have a practising authority,” Brent says. “But you can carry it so they can give it to themselves.”

- Set goals and find someone experienced to bounce ideas off. “Have a trainer or guide to talk to if you’re not experienced enough to know what you need to do.”
- Gradually build endurance. “I always encourage strength training two to three times every week to make those advancements – that’s what the body needs.”
- Flexibility is key. “You need to know how to stretch and recover, and you need to practise it.” Recovery is huge: “It’s as important as the workout itself.”
- Set milestones. “Knocking off two or three milestones before your final test gives you confidence, knowing that all your ducks are in line.”
- Be prepared to re-set your goals. “You need to listen to your body. Are you carrying any injuries or niggles that could be detrimental in a challenging situation? Would you be better prepared if you pushed your goal out by six months or even a year? It’s a difficult line, learning what you need to battle through and what you need to listen to, but that’s where having someone to bounce ideas off can be helpful.”