Wilderness First Responder

80 hours of chaos and mayhem, where anything that can go wrong will go wrong! 

This is the level of medical qualification you need to be able to responsibly lead others in America's great wilderness areas, where help is more than an hour away. We cover mountain, water, heat and cold emergencies, as well as how to give medical care in more austere environments, such as travel to the Third World or after a disaster. 

The Wilderness First Responder curriculum is extremely diverse, because WFRs (or 'woofers' as they're sometimes known) could find themselves providing medical care in so many different places. A jungle. A desert. Arctic tundra. Base Camp of a massive expedition. A lonely outpost. A field hospital for an insane adventure race. 

Because of that, we teach a wide range of practical skills based on a fundamental understanding of anatomy and physiology and what happens to our bodies when things go wrong. The WFR  is prepared to provide the best standard of care possible when the dung hits the fan, whether they have the best medical gear with them or not. 

Working in remote and austere environments often requires advanced problem-solving skills, so our WFRs learn how to improvise treatment and rescue solutions using only the basic outdoor gear they have with them. They learn how to look after the rest of the group when something unfortunate happens, both physically and psychologically. Sometimes they take part in trips to hostile environments, so we prepare our students by including a class in situational awareness taught by an experienced tactical paramedic. 

The course is taught mostly in a variety of outdoor environments, with occasional classroom sections. Students also complete a few tasks online at home before the course begins. Examination is a combination of ongoing practical skills assessment, and by written test at the end of the program. Certification is issued by the awarding body NASAR, the National Association for Search and Rescue, and is valid for two years. Upon certification, the WFR will have medical skills similar to those of an EMT.

Everybody gets rusty when they don't use skills often, that's why we offer all of our alumni the opportunity to attend WFR classes again during their first year at a drastically reduced rate. Our mission is to produce the best WFRs out there, so we give them every chance we can to achieve, to learn and grow and to keep it fresh and usable.