First Aid

Injuries happen both at home and on a tur. The difference outdoors is that it takes longer for medical personnel to reach you. That is why you need to know basic first aid, and why you need to be able to look after the casualty and the rest of the group until help arrives. Both can be practised — and should be practised — before you actually need them.

Prevention is the main job

The best first aid is the kind you never need to use. Many unwanted situations can be prevented before you even set out:

Risk = likelihood × consequence. By reducing the likelihood (good planning, the right equipment, tur etter evne) and at the same time reducing the consequence (knowledge of first aid, a plan for evacuation), you genuinely reduce the hazard picture — even though risk can never be eliminated.

A practical example: a rolled ankle is likely on a long tur in broken terrain. Boots with good ankle support and a light load reduce the likelihood. Compression tape, painkillers and an evacuation plan reduce the consequence if the rolled ankle does happen.

Tur etter evne — trip planning → · First-aid equipment →

The main priorities for an injury

When you are faced with an injured person, run through the checks in this order:

1. Your own safety — is it safe to help? (avalanche, falling rock, traffic)
2. Breathing — check that the casualty is breathing
3. Bleeding — major bleeds must be stopped at once with pressure
4. Heat loss — even in summer, an injured person loses heat quickly. Insulate from the ground with a sleeping mat, cover them with clothing or a bothy bag.

An unconscious person who is breathing normally is placed in the recovery position to keep the airway clear.

Life-saving first aid → · Raising the alarm with the emergency services →

Common injuries on a tur

For each of the most important injuries we have a dedicated article:

• Fractures, sprains and dislocations — the most common serious injury on a hiking trip
• Wounds and infection — from small cuts to larger tears
• Burns — campfire-related, boiling water, sun
• Frostbite — fingers, toes, face — especially in winter
• Getting chilled (hypothermia) — often creeping up on you, easy to miss
• Head injuries — falls, blows against rock, climbing
• Neck and back injuries — rarer but serious
• Carbon monoxide poisoning — especially in a winter tent with poor ventilation
• About pain relief — paracetamol/ibuprofen strategy in the field

Pain relief as part of first aid

Managing pain is not an “extra” — it is a part of first aid. A person in pain develops stress, poorer blood supply and faster chilling. In practice:

• Ibuprofen + paracetamol combined are the strongest readily available painkillers
• Keep them warm and dry — cold noticeably increases the experience of pain
• Talk calmly — anxiety amplifies pain. A calm companion to talk to is just as important as the tablets

More about pain relief → · Medicines on a tur →

The first-aid kit

What you bring varies with the type and length of tur, but the minimum kit is simple:

• Plasters and blister plasters
• Sterile gauze pads
• Sports tape (Leukotape P)
• Triangular bandage
• Tweezers
• Painkillers (ibuprofen, paracetamol)
• Disposable gloves

For longer trips: a SAM splint, anti-histamine, anti-diarrhoea medication, more comprehensive dressings.

First-aid equipment → · Blister plasters and sports tape →

When you must call for help

Call 113 in cases of:

• Unconsciousness or an altered level of consciousness
• Breathing difficulties
• Suspected internal injuries
• Serious bleeding that cannot be stopped with pressure
• Chilling that does not respond to measures
• Brain injury after a head injury
• Fractures where bone is visible or there is poor blood circulation below

If you are out of mobile coverage: send a runner with a clear message (in writing if possible) to the nearest place with coverage. Every minute counts with a serious injury.

More about raising the alarm with the emergency services →

Training — what really counts

Books and articles are a starting point; practice is what really gives you competence:

• Norwegian Red Cross first-aid course (8 hours) — the minimum standard
• Wilderness First Aid (WFA) (16–20 hours) — adapted to outdoor use, covering injuries far from help
• Wilderness First Responder (WFR) (80 hours) — for trip leaders and instructors
• Practice in groups — rehearse roles, raising the alarm, scenario role-play

There is a difference between knowing what to do and managing to do it under pressure. That gap is closed only through practice.

Next steps

• Life-saving first aid — the start of the pyramid — check breathing, stop bleeding, prevent heat loss
• First-aid scenarios — a practice template for specific situations
• First-aid equipment — what to have in your pack
• Raising the alarm with the emergency services — what to say to 113

Learn more

• First-aid scenarios
• Life-saving first aid
• Raising the alarm with the emergency services
• About pain relief
• First-aid equipment

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Text: Snuitide (2022), revised 2026.

Key resources: Røde Kors — førstehjelp · Helsedirektoratet · Wilderness Medicine Institute (in English, with good resources for outdoor first aid)