The HEFAT training IWMF provided

The HEFAT training IWMF provided before our trip to Colombia was intense, thorough and left me exhausted at the end of each day. I’m glad we were in such good company in Mexico City’s mountainous suburbs to salve the wounds.

I took some lifeguarding and CPR classes when I was younger and I know that RICE stands for Rest Ice Compress and Elevate but I definitely wouldn’t have known what to do if I’d walked into a blood soaked scene with shattered bones sticking out of flesh.

Would I know how to react to that scene now – after going through HEFAT training? Maybe.

I might not be able to perfectly splint a crushed femur but at least I have the basics and I know I’d be looking for danger first.

Still unclear how I’d react if all of those HEFAT scenarios happened at once though.

#Colombia #IWMFFellows

–Sarah Barrett