WILDERNESS FIRST AID CERTIFICATION

COURSE DURATION: Two days (16 hours)

Offered: To be Determined

Cost: To be Determined

American Red Cross Wilderness First Aid: If you are in the outdoors, then Basic First Aid just isn't enough. Here is the next step, without the huge committment of the WFR. Get your mind thinking about the environment you are in and what advantages and disadvantages there are for you to exploit.

This course is intended to serve as an educational resource for those involved in activities that take them beyond the scope of traditional urban emergency medical services. In these cases, emergency care is delayed until help can be notified and rescuers can reach the intended patient or the patient is evacuated to safety. This course helps provide the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with these emergencies until more advanced care can be provided.

This course will teach you how to respond to emergencies in delayed emergency help situations, identify causes of injuries and how injuries can be prevented in wilderness areas, learn proper advance preparation for journeys into the backcountry, learn basic and more advanced first aid techniques to use when an injury occurs, learn the Emergency Action Steps for First Aid Response to be used when EMS is not readily available, learn how to respond to an emotionally upset victim, learn short distance transfer and evacuation techniques, and practice providing wilderness first aid through the means of scenarios and simulated rescues that test knowledge and skills.

Accidents can and do happen on ropes courses, along country roads, or in the backcountry, and all too often members of a group are not capable of dealing with the emergency. Not only does this lead to improper care of the patient, but it also endangers the entire group.

Studies have shown that many recreational accidents are preventable, and that improper care of trauma can compound even the simplest of injuries. Through our involvement in emergency medicine and rescue efforts, we feel there is a need for training for all outdoorspeople - training which stresses preparedness and prevention; training which encompasses all phases of off-road emergencies; training which focuses on extended care issues in prolonged transport situations. Very few first aid programs actually address the issues of providing emergency care in a rural, wilderness, or extended care setting.

Wilderness First Aid. Designed specifically for groups and their leaders, this 16-hour program covers topics ranging from preparation and prevention to assessment and treatment. All instructors are experienced rescue personnel with extensive outdoor experience and have been selected not only for their expertise in emergency medicine and rescue, but also for their teaching skills.

Classroom lectures and discussions are supplemented by practical work and problem-solving exercises. The emphasis is always on hands-on experience. Scenarios are an important part of this training.

Day 1:

  • Patient Assessment System
  • Shock
  • Long-Term Patient Care
  • Soft Tissue Injuries

Day 2:

  • Environmental Emergencies
  • Fractures/Dislocations
  • Splint Improvisation
  • Preparedness

While much of the material appears to be standard emergency care information, the backcountry emphasis with long-term care and evacuation complications makes this course unique. Course material can be somewhat modified to meet the specific needs of a group, i.e. cycling, kayaking, climbing, etc. Since the principles of first aid are taught, this program is really applicable to any emergency situation.