Such an emergency can require specialized skills, treatment techniques, and knowledge in order to manage the patient for an extended period of time before and during evacuation.
Wilderness MCIs may include blizzards, earthquakes, avalanches, landslides, floods and forest fire, but they need not be natural disasters.
[3] In mass casualty incidents, emergency service providers must prioritize their patients using a process called triage in order to make the most of their limited resources.
[6] While most medical professionals agree that delays in definitive care are undesirable, recent peer reviewed literature casts doubt on the validity of the 'golden hour' as it appears to lack a scientific basis.
[9] In Canada the first WFA courses were taught in the mid-1980s and the first organization to adopt standards was the Wilderness First Aid and Safety Association of BC (defunct since 1998).