The Auxillary can make or break a fight. Look at the US Military, only 10-15 percent of the military is combat arms. The rest is support. Now some of this is just fluff that isn't relatable to the average preparedness group, but some are vital to the fight overall. Medical is one of the big ones that people misunderstand. Having someone with basic first aid knowledge would be the start for any new group member. The small bumps and scrapes that can cause infection will be some of the bigger killers. Yes, you may have antibiotics stashed up, but you will be hardpressed to resupply those. Even with someone with paramedic or military medic level skills is still reliant on someone with college and letters behind their name. If you were at my class, one of the things I said repeatedly was that even at my level, we don't save lives. We stabilize casualties so that they can get to a Doctor or a PA. You need someone with that level of knowledge in your corner. They don't need to directly be in your group, but maybe within HF NVIS range. Yet another reason why your comm plan should include more than just line-of-sight radios. That medical provider is going to need people to assist him with day to day tasks. Someone with formal nursing training would be best, but it isn't realistic. Basic medical skills were once commonplace. Not every town or village had doctors. There would be traveling doctors who would make rounds in an area. But basic nursing skills like wound care and treating basic illnesses were known by most. Most people have stories of grandparents or parents stitching up cuts and dealing with minor sickness without even going to the hospital or seeing a doctor. But now? We all know how ridiculous the waiting time is in an Emergency Room. These basic skills have been lost. Most come from experience. Get some nursing skill books and read up, learn basic anatomy and physiology. Once you understand the basics of how the human body works you can start to understand how to treat different issues. Wilderness first responder courses are a good place to start for learning how to deal with injuries in an austere environment. Things like sprains and breaks will be very common for people that are not used to doing very physical tasks daily. Not only that, but accidents just happen. People slip and fall, move the wrong way while carrying weight. Knowing how to handle these types of injuries until you can get them to a higher level of medical care will be vital. Stocking up on some more advanced medical things for your group starts to make sense when you think about the traveling doctor. They might be limited in what they can carry on them as they move about. My skill set isn't quite where I would be an asset on a scout team, but it would make sense to include me in the QRF/support element. And the people on that QRF team may have to assist me in prolonged field care while we either evacuate the casualty to a doctor or wait for the doctor to be able to get to where we are. Things, like taking vitals, wound care, IV care and administering medications, are all skills that would be beneficial for the QRF team and the scout team to know how to do. You don't get to pick how the fight goes, so be prepared for the ways that it can go. Medical care can also be important for building support with the local community. When people can't go to the hospitals, being able to handle their medical issues can help them see that you aren't what the propaganda is making you out to be. Just my $0.02 on the matter.
