BELIZE
INSTITUTE FOR TROPICAL & WILDERNESS MEDICINE
“FAST FACTS” FOR MEDICINE &
RESCUE COURSES - READ THIS!!!
1.
Costs: (US Dollars)–
Airfare
– Depends on where you come from. Roundtrip out of Omaha is usually
around $500. Belize International code is “BZE” for rates.
Room & Board
– Includes a bunk with mattress & pillow, all linen/towels (changed
every other day), housekeeping/cleaning, three good meals a day with
water/coffee/tea/juice, local transports to field sites from the
training center, local guide/assistant instructor time, special
equipment such as helmets/life jackets/jungle hammocks/etc., 24 hour
overnight jungle survival course (tourists pay $200 each for this
alone), laundry once weekly, and little miscellaneous stuff (graduation
party, etc.) $75/day. You do NOT pay for services not used on
days off. Cash or Traveler’s Checks only, pay on arrival in Belize.
Tuition
- $695, includes all teaching supplies and handouts, disposable
materials, and a program t-shirt. Credit cards OK for this via PayPal.
Payable on official acceptance to the program.
Airport Transfer
– Charter bus to/from BZE and training center, about 90 minutes. $30
each way, or you can take the commercial village bus for about $8 + $15
taxi ride to/from bus station & about 3 hours. Pay this in Belize.
Textbook
– For medical classes, $39 from bookstores or Amazon.com. None required
for rescue classes.
Optional
– Pop is $1, Beer is $2, snacks about that. Days off trips are billed
through Caves Branch, as an example a guided day trip to the Mayan ruins
is about $50 including transport. Trips to the beach, islands,
etc., can be spendy, especially in the winter tourist season. I would
plan on a few hundred dollars for trips and souvenirs, but you can get
by with a lot less if you don’t want to party at the deluxe resorts.
2. Days
Off:
Some programs have one or two
days off in the middle, due to the length and intensity of the classes.
This is time for you to take adventure trips, visit Mayan ruins, go to
the beach, or travel around the country. Depending on the class, the
Sibun facility may be closed for the days off and students moved to the
Caves Branch Jungle Lodge, or we may stay at Sibun. Time spent at Caves
Branch is usually offered as a package, two full day adventure trips +
two nights + all meals for $225 – ˝ off the tourist price and
great fun. If you would like beach time we will help you arrange that at
our preferred hang out spots in Hopkins Village, who offer great deals
for our students – because they have been our students!
3.
Pictures:
Go here to see pictures of the
training center and the Caves Branch area:
http://www.cavesbranch.com/students.htm Note that Caves Branch
provides the logistic support, food, trips, etc. for our program, as
well as the trips you can take on your days off – check out their site!
4.
Vaccinations & Malaria Prevention:
We REQUIRE you to have a
current Tetanus shot (within 5 years) unless there is a specific
medical indication why you cannot have this vaccine. We STRONGLY recommend
you be current on:
MMR
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Chloroquine 500 mg weekly
for malaria, start 2 weeks before trip & continue 4 weeks after trip –
don’t drink alcohol the day you take this!
5.
Equipment:
Below is a full gear list of
required and recommended supplies. Rescue students will be responsible
for specific hardware as well as personal items. Note that you should
NOT buy a lot of new expensive gear – you will be covered in mud & crud
a good part of the time. There are a very few pieces of inexpensive
required gear, otherwise just a bunch of suggestions. Don’t but anything
‘till you check out the gear list!
RESCUE CLASSES – REQUIRED
EQUIPMENT (see below for
MEDICAL classes):
_____2
pair BDU type pants. Please no forest, jungle style camo. Black, gray,
desert, olive drab or blue okay.
_____Hiking boots
_____2
pair Leather work gloves.
_____1
climbing type helmet (Petzl Ecrin type)
_____1
Headlamp (Petzl Duo or Zoom)
_____1
Back up Headlamp (another Petzl or LED light)
_____6
sets of batteries for each headlamp
_____2
extra bulbs for each headlamp and flashlight
_____2
waterproof small handheld flashlights w/ batteries
_____6 12
hour Cyalume sticks
_____Rescue or big wall climbing seat harness. Recommend ‘Avatar’
(about $155.00) for rescue type and Misty Mountain Big Wall Cadillac
(about $100.00) for climbing style
_____4
aluminum locking ‘D’ caribiners
_____1
aluminum locking oversize ‘D’ caribiner
_____1-20’
length of 1” tubular webbing
_____1-14’
length of 1” tubular webbing
_____1
Class III Personal Flotation Device (PFD) (Life Jacket) available at WalMart, REI and Costco for between $30.00 and $45.00
_____1- 1
˝” 3 ring binder
_____10-Energy Bars of your choice
_____12
packages of ERG (electrolyte replacement glucose or other powdered
electrolyte sports drink)
_____1
Sturdy Day Pack, about 2,500 cubic inches. This pack will be used during
rescue scenarios so get a good one!
_____copy
of your insurance policy and other medical insurance cards.
_____copy
of your passport
Recommended
Items:
_____Hip
pack
_____2-3
Bandanas
_____Passport wallet that secures to belt
_____1-pr
long synthetic pants (w/ zip off legs)
_____2- pr
hiking shorts
_____2- pr
nylon running shorts (to wear under BDU’s)
_____1- pr
Lycra tights
_____1- long
sleeve synthetic shirt
_____synthetic underwear
_____Sports
bras (CoolMax type)
_____Several t-shirts
_____1- swim
suit or trunks
_____1 pr
sandals
_____1 pr
lightweight hiking shoes
_____2 pr
polypropylene sock liners
_____
Mosquito repellent (2 types, Citronella and DEET) lots (Skin Sensations)
_____Peppermint Camp Soap (REI, Trader Joes)
_____Leatherman type tool or Swiss Army knife
_____Extra
RX meds and note from doc
_____Extra
glasses
_____Disposable contacts
_____Vitamins
_____Lip
Balm
_____Cottonelles
_____Sunscreen
_____Journal
and Pen
_____Camera
w/ extra batt (waterproof camera recommended)
_____Lots of
film
_____Favorite snacks
_____Toiletry items
_____Shampoo
_____Wash
cloth (rough cloth)
_____Extra
Passport photos
_____EmergenCee
(vitamin C powdered drink)
First Aid
Kit including:
Imodium Elastikon tape 2”
‘Stingease’ Aspirin, Tylenol, Motrin
Topical
antibiotic RX antibiotic
Tweezers Benadryl cream
Band-aids 2” Athletic tape
Safety
Pins
Mark your
items (caribiners, headlamps etc.) with strips of a metallic, reflective
tape. Use a specific pattern of your choice Write your names on your
gloves, webbing and other items with a felt pen. Mark ALL of your
personal items including clothing, repellent, flashlights etc.
MEDICAL CLASSES -
EQUIPMENT, REQUIRED & RECOMMENDED (see above for
RESCUE
classes):
The good news is that there is little
required equipment, but we have some very
strong recommendations. There is no need to take expensive high dollar
stuff on this trip. You will end up wet, muddy, and sweaty at various
times, so leave the Versace boots at home and bring stuff appropriate
for mud, crud, and maybe blood. Suggested sources are listed below.
Remember, you are carrying this, so pack light. A wheeled duffel bag or
backpack is ideal.
Required, And When We Say Required We Mean REQUIRED!:
-
THREE (3) light sources, one MUST be a headlamp with an
INCANDESCENT BULB or an incandescent + LED bulb system. The primary LED
lights just are not bright enough to use as a primary rescue light.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
o
Night-blaster or Ever-Ready incandescent bulb 4 AA battery unit, $7.95
at Wal-Mart (cheap, surpassingly bright, but a battery hog), or
o
Black Diamond Lunar $19, or
o
Black Diamond Gemini $39, or
o
Petzl Duo $65, or
o
Petzl Myo 5 $70 or Myo 3 $45
o
ASK
if you have questions before spending big $’s! I am currently using a
Myobelt 5 with 4 C cells in a belt pouch, very bright and very long
lasting vs. AA cells but this is more $ than you need
The
second light can be any headlamp, either a duplicate of
the above or one of the long life LED headlights are recommended; the
third light should be a small flashlight, such as a Mini-Mag
or similar size LED flashlight. I have good results with Princton Tec
products (both headlamps and flashlights), and also the Ever-Ready LED
headlamp ($14 at Wally World). Seal all units with silicon grease or
Vaseline around the battery compartments and headlamp units, as much as
possible, these WILL be in water!
-
BATTERIES & BULBS for above, how many depends on usage, but plan on at
least 30 hours of burn time for the headlamps, lots of use on the
flashlight
-
Rucksack or daypack, avoid cheep cheesy book bags that fall apart, NO
BUTTPACKS
-
Work gloves, 2 pair, suggest synthetic leather type
-
Hiking boots, light weight, good ankle support, do not need heavy
expedition boots, could use combat boots but are heavy, could use high
top sneakers but trails are muddy, so get ones with good traction. These
boots will be wet most of the time, so don’t plan on using them in
class.
- 1
pair rugged field pants (not shorts), military BDU type is best
- 4
Cylume 12 hour chemical light sticks, assorted colors
- 1
Type III Personal Flotation Device life jacket (PFD), the water ski type
not the orange over the head ”drown me” type – available from sources
noted below or Wal-Mart type stores for $30 or so.
-
Gookinaid ERG or similar electrolyte replacement mix, a minimum of 10
quarts worth
Bare Minimum SUGGESTED (= Not Required, So No Bitching) List:
-
Hat, floppy brim (best), or ball cap
-
Sneakers or closed toe shoes for camp use, Tivas/flip-flops/sandals not
recommended due to creepy crawlies at night but good for the shower
-
Ultra-fast drying long sleeve & short sleeve shirt, 1 each, synthetic or
blend type, pure cotton never dries out here but cotton OK if you don’t
mind it being wet all the time, 2 better so you can wash one and wear
one
-
Ultra-fast drying long pants, synthetic, summer weight 65/35 military
BDU pants or summer weight flyers pants, this is what we use as very
tough and cheap used at military surplus store. Jeans are terrible! 2
minimum
-
Ultra-fast drying synthetic underwear. Best investment I ever made.
Cotton = chafing & misery, 2 for sure, sports bras for the ladies or you
special guys
-
Heavy hiking socks, several pair
-
Cotton shorts & t-shirts for class, meals, sleeping in, etc.
-
Swimsuits
-
Handkerchiefs or bandannas, lots
-
Travel clothes for last day, ***** put them + socks & underwear
in zip-lock bags and NEVER open until ready to put on & leave, you’ll
thank me later
-
Sawyer Controlled Release DEET Bug repellant, best ever made, trust me
this is good and much much less nasty than other products, otherwise any
20-40% DEET product works well enough. If you are a real bug magnet then
consider 100% DEET product to use sparingly on exposed skin and use
ultra-light long pants & shirts
-
Permethrin spray or soak, treat field clothes with this before coming
down, completely safe, does not stain, keeps off ticks & biting flies
better than repellent - DO THIS!
-
Sunscreen
-
Pocketknife or pocket tool, larger camp knives or machetes are OK too
-
Sunglasses & retention strap
-
Notebook/pens/pencils
-
Toiletries & personal items, suggest Band-Aid boo-boo kit, moleskin or
Second Skin, hydrocortisone cream, generic Benadryl, Ibuprofen, Gas-x
(don’t ask just bring it), stool softener (ditto), Imodium AD (ditto),
we have an extensive medical kit (duh) so skip that
-
Mesh laundry bag
-
Duct tape, a big roll
-
Snack foods, power bars (at least a dozen), junk food, etc.
Nice To Have
-
Camera & film. Canon Sure-Shot A-1 is waterproof, drop-proof, takes
fantastic pictures in jungle, caves, etc., otherwise water proof bags or
Ziplocs, bring fast film ASA 400 or better
-
***** Battery operated fan, small about 3-5” is good, you’ll
thank me later
-
Small travel towel (bunkhouses have towels, sheets, etc.)
-
Mosquito netting – I do not use this and do not feel it is needed, it is
hot and it slows airflow, BUT many students feel more comfortable with
it so feel free to bring and use as you wish, get the single bunk size
not a huge tent, and treat with Permethrin.
-
Lightweight unlined rain jacket, maybe light rain/wind pants if you
want, we take ‘em, the nights are cool out in the jungle if you are damp
and not moving around
-
Mylar “space blanket” or rescue blanket, if you get cold during the
night or in the caves
Note that a large trash bag, space blanket, power bar, and extra
batteries can be taped inside the rescue helmet we issue you – hint,
hint!
Write your name on everything in permanent marker!
Sources
-
Local Omaha, Galvyns, military surplus, etc.
-
Sierra Trading Post, FANTASTIC bargains on high quality name brand
outdoor gear. We get most of our stuff from them. Has excellent famous
name hiking boots as an example, as well as synthetic shirts, etc.
1-800-713-4534 or sierratradingpost.com
-
Campmor, many excellent items on closeout deeply discounted as well as a
lot of specialty stuff. 1-888-226-7667 or campmor.com
- REI,
great quality stuff, some discounted stuff on website, all sort of
specialty gear, higher than the previous places but still great.
1-800-426-4840 or rei.com
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