This week while attending the my first Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC) in Portland Oregon, I was lucky to be one of a handful of Alaskans to see our friend and mentor Deb Ajango receive the ever Charles (Reb) Gregg Wilderness Risk Management Award.
Deb has made outstanding contributions to the field of risk management, mentoring organizations like ours and authoring two books on the subject, which are now required reading for our staff. Each of our full-time staff members--myself, Tom and Nick--have taken the 80-hour Wilderness First Responder from Deb, which are widely considered to be some of the most diverse, practical, and challenging WFR classes you can find. Deb's wilderness medicine classes and in fact her entire risk philosophy are rooted in her experience as a guide on Mt. McKinley, as a one-time director of a large outdoor program which experienced a multiple casualty incident, and as a bear attack survivor where her husband was seriously mauled. Deb has dealt with more adversity, tragedy, and the painful healing process than anyone I know in the outdoors profession. It is thrilling and inspiring to see her not just remain in the outdoors profession, but to witness her rise to a level of national prominence in risk management and to receive this prestigious award.
Deb has a visit to Kodiak planned for December of 2012 to teach another Wilderness First Aid course. I highly recommend this course for anyone spending a lot of time outdoors or at sea.
http://www.safetyed.net/
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