wildland division fireline medical support

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Despite a quieter fire season, this year was still an exciting year for the Rescue Division at Adventure Medics!
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We started the season strong and chilly with a Swift Water Technician course with Crux Rescue. February sent our REMS Supervisors up to our Washington Branch, where they put on a multi day class Low Angle Rescue Operations for our WA crews. After several months of continued training and practice, our WA crew now hosts our Patient Access Team to aid local volunteer fire departments in managing rope rescues in Lewis County.
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March rolled in, and it was time for our third (and snowiest) Selection Course. We ended that Selection with a group of fantastic candidates for our REMS and RAT programs. April was non-stop as we hosted our 12-member rescue team for a month of critical training, focusing on vehicle extrication, rope rescue, swift water rescue, wildland fire ops, and medical training. After saying goodbye to our RAT teams, our REMS teams settled in for a long summer of training. We spiced things up by helping staff a few high acuity events and responded to several rescues at @giantloopmoto and medical emergencies at @fairwellfest . Finally August was here and fire season was upon us. Despite a slow start, both REMS teams netted over 60 days in the field— including a rope rescue on the Tyee Complex in Oregon.
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As we slide into winter, most of our rescue technicians have returned home. We’re already hard at work to ensure next season will be even better, and can’t wait to see most of our team return in 2024!

Meet Lauren Dawkins! Lauren joined the Adventure Medics team this spring as a member of our Rescue Program. While she earned her spot as a member of the RAT Team and as a REMS Alternate through her excellent performance at during our Selection Course, Lauren also took several wildland assignments as a member of a UTV team and as a single resource EMTF. “Lauren is exactly the person you want to be working in the woods with” was the general consensus of everyone that got to work with her this summer.
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Lauren has definitely earned that accolade – both as a medical professional and a backcountry expert. She became a CNA right after high school and worked in a memory care facility and as a phlebotomist. In 2013, she expanded her skill set and earned her EMT and has been in love with emergency medicine ever since. She spent three years volunteering at a local fire department’s EMS program, ran 911 for a rural ambulance department, and worked as an ER technician for six years. Determined to make a life in healthcare, Lauren went back to school and graduated as a Respiratory Therapist in 2021. In 2016, Lauren made what she cites as one of the best decisions in her life, and joined the SAR team for Mt. St. Helens, where she was introduced to the world of rope rescue and backcountry medicine.
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When asked what she enjoyed most about working for Adventure Medics, Lauren said, “There aren’t many jobs I can think of where you get paid to explore the woods and play with ropes…You get great training, and you get to work with amazing, highly motivated people in some really unique and challenging environments.” Lauren was an incredible asset to our team this year. Her technical skills and positive attitude made her an absolute no-brainer for our program, and we definitely hope to see her back next year!
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Outside of work, you can find Lauren…well…outside! She loves getting out with friends and family to fly fish, camp, backpack or hike, dabble in amateur photography, pretend to trail run, and is always looking for the next good read. Her ideal vacation involves a long trail and a big pack.

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Last week, members of our Oregon and Washington Transport Teams traveled to Denver, Colorado to train with the experts at @airmethodsascend ! This was an amazing opportunity for our paramedics to start down the pathway towards becoming Critical Care Paramedics. We are lucky to have three exceptional Critical Care and Flight Paramedics currently in our program and are excited to grow the next generation. The combination of their mentorship and the excellent educational opportunities from @airmethods will set our team up for success in the years to come. Our week at Air Methods Ascend included in-depth ventilator training, advanced airway practice, deep dives into physiology and pharmacology, and some amazing high fidelity simulator labs. We are excited to take our new knowledge and skills back to Bend and continue serving our community. We are excited for future training opportunities with our partner, both here and in CO. In the meantime, our medics and EMTs are continuing their studies at home through the online learning platform at Air Methods Ascend. High quality training and high quality providers will always be our biggest priority at Adventure Medics and we are thrilled about this new chapter.