Garhwal Post Bureau
Mussoorie, 28 May: In a significant initiative aimed at strengthening adventure tourism and disaster management in Mussoorie, a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) training programme is being organised at the Himalayan Adventure Institute, Kempty Falls, from 28 to 30 May.
Conducted in collaboration with the US School of Survival, this 16-hour residential certification course is providing participants with training in critical techniques for saving lives in challenging situations. The training is being conducted under the guidance of renowned former US Marine Corps instructor, John Dobbins. John Dobbins has previously trained students from prestigious institutions such as Yale, Dartmouth, and Columbia University.
This training programme has been specifically designed with the mountainous and disaster-prone regions of Uttarakhand in mind—areas where professional medical assistance often faces delays in reaching the scene during accidents or disasters. During the training, participants are being instructed on how to administer first aid to injured individuals in forests, mountains, and remote areas; make critical decisions during emergencies; safely transport injured persons to secure locations; and implement lifesaving measures using limited resources. The instructors noted that such skills prove invaluable in activities such as trekking, camping, adventure sports, and disaster relief operations.
The Rotary Club of Mussoorie also extended its support to this initiative by providing financial assistance to five students. Club President Deepak Agarwal, Coordinator Rajat Agarwal, and Director Suvigya Sabharwal stated that engaging the youth in such training programmes is the need of the hour. They stated that, in the future, such trained youth could play a significant role in the fields of disaster management and tourism safety in Mussoorie and Uttarakhand. Payal Negi, Aman Negi, Varnika Mittal, Arnav Bansal, and Asmita Nautiyal from Mussoorie are participating in this training programme. The participants remarked that this training is a new experience for them and will equip them with the ability to face emergency situations with confidence. Experts believe that in a hilly state like Uttarakhand, this type of Wilderness First Aid training will prove instrumental in making the youth self-reliant, while also helping to make tourism and adventure activities safer.
