2008 Woodie Awards
ODEL stages injuries, rescue as course work
Issue date: 11/16/05 Section: News
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Online Editor
Students rescued two outdoor leadership instructors with head and leg injuries from the lake behind Crusader Court.
ODEL held a mock rescue as part of Wilderness First Responder, a national program that trains and certifies individuals in responding to emergencies in remote settings, on Monday, Nov. 14 as a requirement of the immersion course.
Amy Smallwood and Melinda Karlson, both ODEL instructors, were covered in make-up and fake blood and waited in the lake to be rescued by the trainees.
"Basically we knew we had possibly one victim down by the lake. We ended up having two. One had a head injury and the other had a broken leg. It was intense," said Melissa Campbell, senior outdoor leadership.
Wilderness First Responder is an 80-hour program sponsored by SOLO Wilderness Medicine School and Landmark Learning, specialized training for outdoor professionals. This is the first year that North Greenville has hosted the course. Five NGU students and seven individuals from Georgia, North Carolina and Colorado made up the rescue team.
The NGU students who participated were Campbell, senior Jessica Houston, senior John Correll, junior Abel Odom and senior Whitney Thomas.
"In theory, we can do more in the back country than an EMT can do at the scene of a car accident," said Matt Thompson. Thompson traveled from Athens, Ga. to participate in the program. He is an employee of Second Nature, a wilderness therapy program, out of Clayton, Ga.
"As an employee of Second Nature, I'm required to have my Wilderness First Response in order to lead groups," said Thompson.
The program was also a requirement of the outdoor leadership immersion course.
"In this situation, it was easy to feel like it was real," said Jessica Houston, senior outdoor leadership. "If you want to lead a trip, this a standard that most employers will look for."