Req 15d — EMS as a Lifestyle

Not everyone who earns First Aid merit badge will become an EMT or paramedic. But the knowledge you’ve built in this badge doesn’t have to stay on a shelf until a career decides. This option asks you to think about how EMS skills fit into the life you’re already living or planning to live.

Ways EMS Knowledge Enriches Everyday Life

Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder

Scouts who love backcountry hiking, backpacking, climbing, or paddling have a natural entry into wilderness medicine. Wilderness medicine applies emergency care principles to remote settings where professional help may be hours or days away.

Wilderness First Aid (WFA): A 20-hour course focused on backcountry emergency care basics. Appropriate for campers, hikers, and outdoor educators.

Wilderness First Responder (WFR, pronounced “woofer”): The gold-standard backcountry certification. 70–80 hours of training. Required or strongly preferred for many outdoor leadership and guide positions (NOLS guides, Outward Bound instructors, ski patrol, mountain rescue teams).

Organizations: NOLS Wilderness Medicine, Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA), Wilderness Medicine Institute (WMI).

Cost: WFA courses typically run $150–$250. WFR courses run $600–$900 depending on provider.

Volunteer EMS

Most rural and suburban EMS systems depend heavily on volunteer providers. Becoming a volunteer EMT is one of the most direct ways to apply first aid skills while serving your community — without making it a full-time career.

Minimum requirements: Usually 18 years old and EMT-Basic certified. Some agencies allow Explorer posts for younger volunteers in observer/support roles.

Time commitment: Varies widely — some volunteer corps ask for a certain number of shifts per month; others are fully on-call.

Benefits: Practical skill development; team experience; genuine community service; possible path to paid EMS career later.

Sport Medicine and Athletic Training

Scouts who are involved in athletics — team sports, climbing, trail running, cycling — can apply EMS knowledge to sports settings as athletes, coaches, or support staff.

Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC): A healthcare profession focused on injury prevention, evaluation, and rehabilitation for athletes. Requires a bachelor’s or master’s degree and board certification.

Sports First Responder: Informal role (team parent, coach, recreation league safety officer) using CPR/AED/first aid certification to be prepared during games and practices.

Organizations: National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA); American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Search and Rescue (SAR)

Search and rescue teams find lost or injured people in wilderness, urban, and technical environments. Many SAR teams include EMS capability — finding the person is only half the job; providing medical care and packaging for evacuation is the other half.

SAR teams typically need volunteers with outdoor navigation skills, physical fitness, and first aid training (WFA or WFR preferred). Many counties and regions have SAR volunteer units.

Organizations: National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR); your county sheriff’s department may have a SAR unit.

CPR/First Aid Instruction

Once certified in CPR and first aid, you can pursue instructor certification and teach others — in your troop, at school, in your community. Sharing these skills is how communities become safer.

Certification: American Red Cross and American Heart Association both offer first aid/CPR instructor courses. Instructor candidates typically need current CPR/AED certification, an instructor course, and a teaching practicum.

Planning Your Goals

Your counselor will ask you to share short-term and long-term goals. Think specifically:

Short-term (1–2 years):

• Maintain current CPR certification
• Complete a Wilderness First Aid course
• Join a volunteer ambulance corps as an Explorer or observer

Long-term (5–10 years):

• Earn EMT certification and volunteer with a local EMS agency
• Complete WFR certification before a long-distance trail expedition
• Become a certified CPR/AED instructor and teach in your community

The discussion with your counselor: Come ready to talk about which of these paths genuinely interests you, what the realistic first step would be, and why investing time and resources in this direction makes sense for your life and values.

You’ve completed all fifteen requirements. One last stop — extended learning — before the guide is finished.