Guest speakers included
Danny Sommer, USFS, speaking on the "Leave No Trace" program
Jerry
Asher, BLM, describing invasive weeds in wilderness
Bruce Hamilton,
Sierra Club Conservation Chair, speaking on Club issues of special
concern
Tony Rango, Outing Dept., discussed new development in his
department
Jim Watters, Acting Committee Chair, stopped by to
chat
Major subcommitee issues discussed were
the debate on
Workers' Compensation
the financial status of the Outing Dept
the need for
thoughtful marketing of service trips
the importance of staying
within trip budgets
low impact cooking
sensitivity
to sexual harassment issues
The prerequisites for the Emergency Care Course are CPR, First Aid, reading the 600-page Ski Patrol Emergency manual, and passing the pre-course test prepared by our chief instructor, Dr. Bart Hobson. This course focuses on practice in assessment of the sick, injured, or unconscious patients. In the wilderness, delays of hours or days elapse before the patient can receive definitive medical care. Several scenarios each day stressed various severe trauma problems with multiple patients and mild to fatal injuries. Representative scenes were a group of seven who climbed a dead tree that collapsed, a group struck by lightning, followed by a fire that complicated rescue, and a group that fell off a collapsing trail several feet with various injuries.
Meanwhile, the kindly cooks prepared shopping lists, bought groceries in nearby Orinda, and prepared our meals. Typoical fare was salad, an entree, and dessert. A stove maintenance course was given.
The Briones ranch was donated as a large, regional park years ago, and is typical hilly grassland with pockets of trees. Coyotes and owls were heard nightly, and one large coyote was seen crossing a distant field. We saw several hawks, and on two occasions, snakes were clutched in their talons as they flew.
Other presentations and items discussed were a "Dealing with the Agency" guide sheet, "Ten Essentials for Wilderness Survival", and a Workman's Comp Survey. Service awards were given to those who had served on trips three years.
Transportation is better flying into Oakland (OAK), as San Francisco (SFO) is congested and takes a long trip to reach. The Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART) is convenient and easy to use. Trip staff are to attend the Seminar at least every two years, but the National nature of the Subcommittee (all the trip staff) poses problems for annual attendence. The key is to plan ahead, thus saving money on airfare.
Especially enjoyable was the fellowship of seeing other service trip staff and comparing notes. This event provides excellent comradeship for those serving our trip participants. The organizers did an excellent job in planning and coordinating this event.