Customer Reviews

Wilderness 911 (Backpacker Magazine)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are books that might change your life, ... this book could save your life or someone close to you. This is also a great book for anyone who lives in California where an earthquake can delay 911 help by hours or even several days.

Anyone who has studied Wilderness Medicine knows Eric Weiss, M.D. as one of the leading experts. As the Associate Director of Trauma and an emergency physician at Stanford University Medical Center, Board of Directors of the Wilderness Medical Society, consultant to the National Geographic Society, Army Special Forces, American Red Cross, and the medical editor for Backpacker Magazine, he offers practical advice that is easy to understand.

The author has also published A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medicine which is another book that every backpacker should have since it is small enough to have in your backpack or emergency supplies.

These are books that we recommend for persons in the Hiking for Fun and Fitness Class. See hp22f.webjump.com for more details.

This guide is well-written & concise. As a medical professional, I found very helpful suggestions in each chapter's "Backcountry Hints" section. Most procedures explained by Weiss are simple enough for anyone to perform. However, many of them also involve some sort of medication, equipment (bandages, ointment, etc...) and occasionally a little prior healthcare knowledge. It seems to be geared toward treating emergencies until you can get adequate medical care. So, it is not really a "survival guide" in the sense that it does not address long-term illness/care or desperate conditions when there are no supplies at all. This book is ideal for a hiking group with an average first-aid kit on board. It is a good buy: handy, small, packable and would be useful in some First Aid courses.

As I am the air wing commander & president of Malheur County Sheriff Search & Rescue, with M.C.S.O. in Oregon, our service area consists of over 10,000 sq. miles of lakes, rivers deserts & mountians. We have 40 to 50 members & after buying & reading Wilderness 911 by Eric A. Wiess, M.D. I was so thrilled with its easy to read format, its step by step process & its laymen terms & the fact its outline is on "improvised" care in the back country, where we live when we are called out, was a must have item for us. We now have A Wilderness 911 book for every member to carry in there 24hr &48hr back packs as standerd equipment. We also are going to incorperate parts of it in to our monthly training. any hunter or person going anywhere remote needs to take this with them, it may be the most valuable item with you when you need it. Sincerly Danny L. Cone president of Malheur County Sheriff Search & rescue. Vale Oregon.

This is a great first aid book to have around the house, not just in the outdoors. It also has alot of problems that are more specific to the outdoors, like information about the different tick-borne diseases, snake bites, etc. Read it all the way through or just use it as a reference, it s avery helpful book.

I am currently teaching a high school class on first aid and emergency medicine. I found the information in this book to be very helpful. I am a Emergency Medical Tech and thought the author had many good ideas from personal exprience.

"Wilderness 911: A Step-By-Step Guide For Medical Emergencies And Improvised Care In The Backcountry" by Eric A. Weiss, M.D. is a great resource for medical emergencies when you are out in the backcountry and need to address an injury. The author, Eric Weiss, is Associate Director of Trauma and Emergency Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center, medical editor for Backpacker Magazine, and author of "A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medicine." With those credentials, you have a credible source, and I found this book to be full of practical advice that just might save your life when needed.

The first chapter starts out with the Three ABC's. Many people know airway, breathing, and circulation. However, in this book, Weiss gives Three ABC's. The A's are: Assess the scene, Airway (ensure an open airway), and Alert others. The B's are: Barriers (gloves, mask), Breathing (check for breathing and perform rescue breathing if necessary), Bleeding (stop bleeding). The C's are: Circulation (start CPR if the victim has no pulse), Cervical spine (prevent unnecessary movement of the head and neck), Cover and protect the victim from the environment. Excellent short chapter on what to do in an emergency.

After this first chapter, comes part two where Weiss focuses on treatment of specific illnesses and injuries. There are thirty-one chapters covering general topics such as: shock, head injuries, nosebleeds, chest injuries, back pain, fractures, dislocations, sprains and strains, wounds, burns, various bites, poisonous plants, altitude sickness, hypothermia, heat injuries, and plenty more.

The definitions, signs and symptoms, and treatments are written in clear easy to understand language. Reading this book is not going to make you a medical professional, but rather give you the basics to handle an emergency. With a book like this, you have to weigh how much to put in and what to leave out and still make it a book that people can keep with them. I have huge medical references on my shelves, but I'm not going to pack them into the woods with me. The paperback is a little over 200 pages and can be taken with you, or kept in a car or camper. I think Weiss did a good job of selecting what to put in and what to leave out. This book will help with many of the most common situations a person might find themselves in when an emergency happens on the trail or in camp while in the woods.

I think this book is a good reference for the bookshelf at home too. It's a good guide for diagnosing and treating problems on your own. My advice would be to read the book, just to have the general information in the back of your mind. I'm a firm believer in taking first aid classes periodically and reading books like this every so often. Then keep the book handy for when you might need it if an unfortunate emergency arises. Hopefully, you'll never need the information in this book. But if you do, you'll be glad you have it.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks.