Wilderness First Aid
Our 40-hour Wilderness First Aid course is designed for those who work, explore, or play in remote environments where help may be more than a day away. This specialized training equips participants with the skills needed to manage medical emergencies over extended periods in the wilderness.
Course Overview – Wilderness First Aid
The Canadian Red Cross Wilderness First Aid course (formerly Advanced Wilderness & Remote First Aid) is ideal for professional guides, park officials, and individuals working in recreation, ecotourism, and other remote fields. This comprehensive program focuses on providing extended care for situations lasting overnight or several days.
Participants will practice real-world scenarios that simulate emergencies in wilderness settings, learning how to make critical decisions and manage resources effectively in remote areas.
Key Topics Covered:
- Prevention and Group Wellness: Learn to prevent emergencies and maintain the physical and mental well-being of a group in remote environments.
- Extended Care Techniques: Develop the skills needed to provide ongoing care when evacuation is delayed or unavailable.
- Leadership and Decision-Making: Strengthen your leadership and decision-making abilities when managing emergencies over extended periods.
- Injury and Illness Management: Gain expertise in assessing and treating injuries and illnesses during prolonged scenarios.
- Improvised First Aid: Learn to improvise using available materials to create splints, dressings, and supports in remote settings.
This course immerses participants in outdoor environments to provide a realistic training experience, preparing them to handle emergencies in any weather condition.
Why Choose This Course?
- Comprehensive Wilderness Training: Tailored to meet the unique challenges of wilderness and remote settings.
- Hands-On, Outdoor Learning: Practice essential first aid techniques through immersive, real-world simulations.
- Led by Experts: Learn from experienced wilderness first aid instructors who provide valuable insights and guidance.
- Recognized Certification: Earn a Red Cross Wilderness First Aid certification, valid for 3 years.
Course Duration:
- Full Course: 40 hours (In-Person)
Important Note:
Participants should be prepared to spend most of the course outdoors, regardless of weather conditions. Dress appropriately and come ready for an immersive learning experience in nature.
Course Details
Topics Covered
Wilderness First Aid includes:
- Preparation and Planning
- Wound Care
- Your Health
- Cold- and Heat-Related Emergencies
- What is the P.L.A.N.?
- Environmental Emergencies
- Bone, Muscle, and Joint Injuries
- Tractions
- Poisons
- Breathing and Circulation Emergencies
- Medical Emergencies
- First Aid for Respiratory and Cardiac Arrest
- Head and Spine Injuries
- Extended Care and Patient Monitoring
- Outdoor Food Safety
FAQs
What is remote first aid?
Remote First Aid is a course designed for people who live, work, or play in areas where Emergency Services might not be immediately available. This is a 20 hour course that will focus on learning how to assess situations, determine priorities, and devise care plans that utilize a basic first aid tool kit, and your ability to improvise. Typically these courses are offered over a weekend - Friday evenings will be spent in a traditional classroom environment where participants get oriented with concepts and practice basic skills. Saturday and Sunday will be spent practicing skills and simulated scenarios at an outdoor location where you will be encouraged to use what’s available to solve practical problems. Key learning concepts include: Planning, prevention, and situational awareness, wound care, and environmental emergencies.
What do you learn in wilderness first aid?
Wilderness First Aid is a course designed for people who lead work teams or recreational groups in overnight or multi-day wilderness settings where Emergency Services might not be immediately available. This is a 40 hour course that will focus on learning how to assess situations, determine priorities, and devise care plans that utilize a basic first aid tool kit, and your ability to improvise. Typically these courses are offered over two weekends - Friday evenings will be spent in a traditional classroom environment where participants get oriented with concepts and practice basic skills. Saturdays and Sundays will be spent practicing skills and simulated scenarios at an outdoor location where you will be encouraged to use what’s available to solve practical problems. Key learning concepts include: Prevention, the health and wellness of the group, leadership skills, assessment, extended care and decision-making around additional supports required.
Who can teach wilderness first aid?
To teach Red Cross Wilderness First Aid you must complete the Red Cross First Aid Instructor Development steps. Depending on whether you are already a Red Cross Instructor, or teach first aid courses for another agency, you may have some of these requirement steps completed already! Alert First Aid is a Red Cross Instructor Development Center so please give us a call and we can discuss these steps with you.
What is the difference between the wilderness first aid and wilderness first responder?
Wilderness First Aid is a 40 hour course designed for people who lead work teams or recreational groups in overnight or multi-day wilderness settings, so that they can be prepared to care for people until Professional Responders arrive. Meanwhile, the Wilderness First Responder course is an 80 hour course meant to prepare people to become the Professional Responders themselves. Wilderness First Responders will have a more advanced set of tools for assessment and treatment of injured people, and will also be trained to use professional packaging and transportation equipment for evacuating people.
Does Wilderness First Aid include CPR?
Yes Wilderness First Aid includes CPR C training.
Training Schedules & Locations
VictoriaVictoria - DowntownTraining Schedules & Locations
There are no certification classes at this time. Please check back.Materials
The Wilderness First Aid course includes the following materials:
- Canadian Red Cross Wilderness & Remote Field Guide (hard copy)
- Canadian Red Cross Comprehensive Guide to First Aid (virtual)
Who should take this course?
- Professional guides
- parks officials
- those who work in fields such as recreation and ecotourism
- outdoor enthusiasts
- assistant overnight outdoor guides or kayak instructors
- Girl Guides
- Scouts
- mountain bikers
- people who work and play in remote areas
Looking for a group class?
If you have a group of people and would like us to come to you to teach a
Wilderness First Aid course, we offer this course in the following locations:
Victoria | Langford | Esquimalt | Sooke | Cobble Hill | Mill Bay | Duncan | Lake Cowichan | Cedar | Ladysmith | Nanaimo | Parksville | Qualicum Beach | Port Alberni | Coombs | Parksville | Campbell River | Saltspring Island | Pender Island | Powell River | Gabriola Isand | Burnaby | Coquitlam | Delta | Langley | Maple Ridge | New Westminster | North Vancouver | Pitt Meadows | Port Moody | Richmond | Surrey | Vancouver | West Vancouver | White Rock | Langley |
Give us a call at 1.866.282.5378, or send us an email at info@alertfirstaid.com to arrange a group course.