Veterans Day Weekend

Last 2013 Weekend For ORMS

Looking Forward to ORMS in 2013 

 

 

 Thanks to all the VETS for their service.

 

 

I love helping my fellow outdoors-persons.     I enjoy doing outdoor outreach, education, and training.

 

That said,  I sometimes get a little exasperated with newbies and the mistakes they make.  The good news is that my exasperation is blown away like an early morning mist on a bright sunny day whenever I see a newbie develop a passion, curiosity, wonder, and love for the outdoors.  

 

BAD STUFF HAPPENS

It is inevitable that if you are  spending large amounts of time in the backcountry that sooner or later bad stuff is going to happen to someone.   So while ORMS's primary mission is to  provide outreach, backcountry skills training, and interpretation we also prepare to provide good Samaritan first response.

BEING PREPARED FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS

If you enjoy traveling in the backcountry or wilderness and engaging in activities that have potential risks such as: hiking, climbing, skiing, surfing, trail running, bird watching, hunting, fishing, car touring of remote areas you should find it easy to understand that bad stuff happens.  

 

If you live in a comfortable house or apartment and never do anything adventuresome, it is easier to live in denial that bad stuff happens..... 

 

Natural disasters often turn whole cities into primitive backcountry.    Ask any folks who have lived without electrical power for two weeks after an ice storm, earthquake, or hurricane.

 

Prepare  for the unthinkable as though it were inevitable.    Stuff happens.  If you deny that bad stuff may happen it can hurt you twice.   It will hurt you at a moment of truth when you are not prepared  to help respond to a critical need.    It will hurt you  again when you feel bad/guilty that your denial caused you not to invest in a reasonable amount of preparedness.

 

Those that expect that some day they may have to act as a good Samaritans have mostly gotten past denial that bad stuff perhaps even unthinkably bad stuff will happen.    Those that volunteer as first responders have also mostly(it is all a matter of degree) gotten past denial.      As such they;

• Plan, Plan, Plan,
• Train, Train, Train,
• Prepare, Prepare, Prepare.  

 

ORMS members set up camp for a final weekend of training for 2012.

 

ORMS members engaged in training.



Training/Evolutions

At night because "Stuff Happens" round the clock, in all types of conditions, and in every imaginable location/environment.



Training Training Training



 

 

 

So we are prepared to help ourselves and others should the need arise.
 

 

As it did this weekend when we needed to help a non-ambulatory hiker get safely out of the backcountry.