It’s the scenario we train for but hope we never have to face. You’re enjoying a beautiful day on the trail when suddenly, you hear someone in distress. For experienced Wilderness First Responder Dylan Cooke, that scenario recently became a reality in the Oakland Hills.
Dylan was hiking when a 10-year-old boy took a serious fall from a tree swing and broke his arm. Coming around the corner, Dylan found the boy’s parents and several bystanders trying to navigate a frightening and incredibly painful situation.
Dylan offered to help, and her training immediately kicked in, bringing a sense of calm and direction to a highly stressful moment. She began with a full-body assessment, checking the boy carefully from head to toe to understand the extent of his injuries beyond the obvious broken arm.
When a child is hurt, a parent’s natural instinct may be to scoop them up and get them to help as quickly as possible. But Dylan recognized the severity of the boy’s pain and was concerned that moving him without first stabilizing the injury could cause additional harm. She advocated for keeping the child still and having paramedics come to them—and found a bystander with cell service to give 911 responders clear directions to their location.
She also remembered a crucial lesson from her training: an obvious, intensely painful injury can distract from other injuries. With that in mind, Dylan conducted a second full-body assessment about 10 minutes after the first, and discovered that the boy’s right hip was also injured. Finding the hip injury only reinforced why waiting for EMS, rather than attempting an improvised carry-out, was the right call. She also stopped well-meaning bystanders from giving the boy food or medication while they waited.
When paramedics arrived, they administered pain relief, splinted the boy’s arm, and helped him walk out, supporting him the whole way.
We are incredibly grateful that Dylan happened to be on that trail at exactly the right moment. She stayed calm, completed a thorough assessment, and helped coordinate the people around her. Her decision to call paramedics rather than attempt to carry the child out without adequate assessment, pain management, or splinting was an excellent application of her Wilderness First Responder training.
It is deeply meaningful for us to see these skills used to care for someone during such a difficult moment. Dylan gave this child and his family capable, reassuring support when they needed it most. Thank you, Dylan, for using your training to help someone else—and for taking the time to share your story with us.
Stories like Dylan’s remind us why we do this work.
Have you used your training in the field?
We love hearing how our students put their skills into action. If you’ve ever used your wilderness medicine training during an emergency, we’d love to hear from you. Email us to share your story.