More jaw-dropping was the injury at the top of the list.
NOLS is an outdoor education organization specializing in leadership development. They operate globally in some of the world’s most desolate environments.
Using wilderness expedition-style trips as their classroom of choice, participants range from Naval Academy cadets to corporate executives and from professional guides to individuals.
It becomes easy to slip into a habit of brushing off the present to prepare for what’s next. To skip over the acknowledgement of what’s happening around us would be a mistake.
Whether good or bad, not writing down or accounting for what happened is a missed opportunity — a really massive one.
The process of documenting is what helps us create understanding. By focusing on the facts of what happened, we can then spot patterns, trends, and opportunities.
That’s what NOLS does to mitigate risk on their expeditions.
Actually, it’s what they’ve been exceptional at doing since 1965.
Rattlesnake bite? Attacked by a large predator? Frostbitten extremities?
No, no, and no.
The most staggering recurring injury:
Burns.
More specifically, burned feet.
When using the portable, whisperlite stoves synonymous with backpacking, people would sit next to them while boiling water.
They tip, they burn.
“How could you possibly know that?”.
Easy.
Any time medical attention is required during a NOLS course, it gets written down. Even, and especially, when they person is ok and doesn’t require treatment.
Documentation was able to expose a pattern: the most common injury requiring evacuation from the desolate corners of the earth was self-inflicted.
So what’s the solution? Pack more bandages?
Or…
Don’t sit when using the stove.
Bingo — hence the protocol to stand or crouch when using stoves. This would provide maximum dexterity to react if needed.
Having data that pointed to the statistical improbability of those fears was a powerful talking point.
So was the evidence that we’d improved that which we could control to minimize risk.
This approach to preparation is baked into the fabric of the NOLS leadership curriculum.
NOLS teaches risk management by applying leadership and wilderness skills and facilitating experiences to develop judgment. Students will be able to:
Identify and assess hazards and understand risks in the wilderness
Use technical skills, leadership, judgment, and situational awareness to manage risks
Use risk management terminology and models to assess and communicate decisions and actions
Create and implement contingency plans
Initially founded to teach outdoor skills, NOLS was uniquely positioned to educate their participants in wilderness medicine and advanced rescue techniques as a way to insure student safety.
Turns out there’s a pretty big market for that.
The NOLS Wilderness Medicine curriculum is now considered the industry standard in many respects for search and rescue professionals, guides, first responders and many others around the world.
Own it.
Treat the cause not the symptom.
Use it.
By tracking the stats, you gain evidence for your message.
Grow it.
Solving what’s in your control often unlocks opportunities to teach others to do the same.
After-all, no one prevents missed details like the department of redundancy department.
Give it a shot. Or not.
Up to you.
onward.
-dm