Metropolitan Mountaineering Society Basic Mountaineering Course for Membership.

MMS Week 1: Basic Mountaineering Course for Membership
MMS BMCM Week 3: First Minor Climb and Cooking Festival
MMS BMCM Week 4: Night Trekking and Land Navigation
MMS BMCM Week 5: The 24th MMS Anniversary
MMS BMCM Week 6: Second Minor Training Climb on Tarak

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What do you do when you find a loved one or a stranger unconscious?

Before helping, make sure you, as well as the victim, is safe. Introduce yourself as a trained first-aider, check the consciousness or responsiveness of the victim because he/she might only be unconscious or sleeping and a tap on the shoulder might wake the victim up. Tell the victim or the companion of a victim that you are going to help. If the victim is unconcsious, ask a by-stander or his/her companion to dial 911 for ambulance or help. Then, check the victim’s pulse by placing your index and middle finger on the carotid artery (beside the neck just below the chin), at the same time you place your ear near the victim’s nose and mouth to listen for breathing and you look at the chest to observe if it’s moving up and down to confirm the breathing. If the victim has no pulse and no breath, that’s the time you do the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), 200 pumps without interruption until the victim is revived. As you pump the victim’s chest, observe closely the victim’s face. Anytime, the victim might be revived. If the victim doesn’t get revived, continue the process until help arrives.

After the victim is revived, put her in a recovery position by letting her lie to her side and tilting her head to clear the air passage. People who gets revived usually vomits. The tilting of the head to straighten the air passage will prevent the victim from suffocation.

MMS member and Basic Life Support instructor Gelo Custodio demonstrates to Noy, a batch 2018 trainee, the art of checking in 10 seconds the pulse and breathing of the victim at the same time.

Angel aka Maria Angelica Tacorda performs CPR

Charmaine looks closely at the face of the victim as she performs CPR

Ish Cruz poses for a photo after successfully putting the victim (Ric) in a recovery position

This is the most important lesson Batch 2018 learned on Saturday, February 3, 2018 on their second week of training from their resource speaker and examiner Gelo Custodio on Basic Life Support conducted by the Metropolitan Mountaineering Society (MMS) yearly. This event was organized by the activity Team Leader Miki Garcia-Ayalin, my batchmate (2017), with the help and support, of course, of the officers and member of MMS.

The trainees were each asked to do a simulation after the lecture while I and some of the MMS members acted as the bystander, friend, or relative of the victim who were out to distract them.

MMS member and first aid instructor Mark Padil demonstrates how to fold a triangular bandage

Batch 2018 pose with a fellow trainee, Haj, whom they tied on a stretcher with the triangular bandage

Batch 2018 trains how to transport a victim with a stretcher

Ish performs first aid to the victim during the simulation

Angel plays the injured during the simulation

Vince puts a bandage over the broken arm of Christian during the simulation

Group four received their award for an excellent simulation performance. With Miki Ayalin (left most), the team leader for the two day lecture and exercise, and Mark Padil the first aid instructor (right most) giving (L-R) Harry, Jepjep, Ish, and Ric their reward for a job well done.

On the second day, Sunday, February 4, 2018, Batch 2018 learned from Mark Padil the use of triangular bandage to cover or protect a wound, to use it to support a dislocated or injured arm, to tie a patient to the stretcher and many other things. After which, they had a simulation of an emergency situation where group four excelled.

Customary picture under the signage of RITM of Batch 2018.

Batch 2018 trainees with some of the MMS members

After the two day training, we proceeded to Bulacan because we lost another sister. Jing Lenon had an accident and she died of cardiac arrest. We received good feedback from our trainees but we were sad of Jing’s passing. She is the sixth member of the more than 300 members of the Metropolitan Mountaineering Society to have left us ahead. They are:

1. Ronald Rommel Malimata, B2000, January 8, 2008
3. Junaira Villasis, B2001, August 14, 2010
4. Elmer Demco; B2011, August 1, 2013
5. Terry Joel Non; B2009, October 29, 2013
6. Robert Arevalo; B1999, August 13, 2016
7. Jing Lenon; B2008, February 2, 2018

Pagpag in Cubao after Jing’s wake visit. Karis, Tin, ako, Ken, and Dolfo from Batch 2017.

Jing’s MMS family grieves with her first family for her passing.