March 2025

In the movie Die Hard 2, hero John McLane, played by Bruce Willis, receives a fax at a car rental kiosk at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. informing him of the identity of a suspect. The agent behind the desk, who’s been flirting with McLane through the entire scene, says, “Hey, I close in about an hour. Maybe we can go get a drink?” McLane smiles coyly, points to the wedding ring on his finger, and replies, “Just the fax, ma’am. Just the fax.”

McLane’s line is a reference to the old TV show Dragnet, where the main character, Sgt. Joe Friday, would remind rambling or opiniated witnesses to stick to the facts by saying, “Just the facts, ma’am [or sir]. Just the facts.” That straight-forward statement can serve as a reminder for wilderness medicine providers when we’re responding to accidents or emergencies in remote settings. 

Collecting and reporting the facts can determine the difference between a positive and a negative outcome, or even between life and death. 

Recognizing the Challenges of Reporting Accurate Information in Wilderness Medicine

In wilderness settings, the potential for communicating inaccurate information increases due to several factors, including distance, time lags, layers of patient care providers, and unreliable communication channels, including the absence of cell phone connectivity. First responders frequently face the daunting task of gathering information from people in stressful situations under challenging and changing conditions.

In addition, location information can be difficult to obtain and communicate. Even in an urban setting, first responders can have trouble distinguishing between similarly named roads, such as Bear Hollow Lane and Bear Hollow Road, or roads that have multiple names. In the wilderness, determining and communicating a specific location becomes even more challenging when certain ridges, pitches of a rock climb, or similarly named streams come into play.

Providing accurate and comprehensive information is important for several reasons, including the following: (more…)