The Trauma in the Hills and Outdoor Medical Training Conference, hosted in Logan by Hocking Valley Search and Rescue and Hocking County EMS, brought together first responders, health care workers and outdoor rescue specialists. The goal: prepare crews to provide urgent care while a patient is still in the field and during a potentially difficult evacuation.

Training scenarios included controlling severe bleeding with tourniquets, managing airways, using ventilators and moving patients over rough terrain with ropes and rescue baskets. Responders may need to locate someone before treatment can start, sometimes with help from a drone.

Sheldon Rose, medical director for Hocking Valley Search and Rescue, said medics can take more than 20 minutes to reach someone deep in the hills, followed by additional travel to a regional hospital. He said responders need to be prepared to care for a patient for as long as 25 minutes before reaching that hospital, including using a ventilator in the field when needed.

Rope rescues bring another challenge: carrying a patient in a basket over uneven ground, potentially for miles. Scott McLinn of the Springfield Fire Department said rescue teams must work with the equipment and personnel available on scene. Asked about the importance of getting the response right the first time, McLinn called it “very critical.”

In remote emergencies, distance and terrain can leave little room for delay. The conference’s hands-on exercises focused on helping crews make lifesaving decisions before a patient reaches hospital care.