I was offered the chance to try out the role of a casualty in a simulated first aid scenario at the ZDrSem experiential course.

After getting to the location we were briefed on the scenario: we were a group of six hikers in the Alps. Two had separated to light a fire — the gas cartridge exploded and both are in shock, one with burns on their hands, the other severely hypothermic. Four others (including me) had continued ahead and decided to cut the path to the mountain hut short by climbing over a rock face. As tends to happen — the first person climbed, fell, and there's suspicion of a spinal injury (that was me). The colleague belaying the climber suffered a knee injury caused by a very large rock and an arterial bleed on the hand. A third climber slipped and badly grazed their face, hands, and leg on the rock. The last member of the group hit their head and is wandering around in confusion... And in the middle of the rescue, a couple appears where the man feels chest pain and the woman is lethargic.

I found myself a fairly uneven spot where I could feel every stone and twig, which made my rescuers' subsequent handling of me considerably harder. Then we just waited for the rescue group to approach and started acting. Before I knew it I had a rescue worker (Eva) above me. After calling to me (I didn't respond) she immediately immobilised my head and started assessing what else was threatening me. I gradually began to come around — they started asking me questions, finding out how many of us there were, where everyone was, what happened, what was hurting... Meanwhile they wrapped me in an isothermal foil and other warming materials. A makeshift neck brace and transport to a rigid stretcher began to be sorted out. From there I would be carried all the way to the helicopter. Seven people were involved in moving me to the stretcher, where I was wrapped up again. The transport itself was fairly comfortable — for me. The rescuers weren't quite as thrilled after the exercise. It was definitely an interesting experience to see things from the other side. To realise the enormous number of small details a person providing first aid has to manage. An experiential first aid course is something I definitely want to try — not just as a casualty.