Register Today

40-hour Canadian Red Cross Wilderness First Aid in downtown Nanaimo, for guides, park staff, and outdoor professionals.

Nanaimo - Downtown Wilderness First Aid

Nanaimo - Downtown Wilderness First Aid

40-hour Canadian Red Cross Wilderness First Aid in downtown Nanaimo, for guides, park staff, and outdoor professionals.

4.9★★★★★(3,100+ Google Reviews in Nanaimo)

Get 40-hour Canadian Red Cross Wilderness First Aid in Nanaimo and learn to give extended care when help may be more than a day away. This course was formerly called Advanced Wilderness & Remote First Aid. Our downtown Nanaimo centre has free parking and serves Lantzville, Ladysmith, Parksville, and Qualicum Beach. You'll leave with a 3-year certificate.

What students should expect

Who is it for? Professional guides, park staff, and people working in recreation and ecotourism.

Expect to spend most of the course outdoors in any weather, practising extended care, improvised splints, tractions, and leadership in overnight and multi-day scenarios.

Certificate & renewal

Get a temporary certificate in class, then a virtual Canadian Red Cross certificate by email. Your virtual manual and certificate stay in your MyRedCross account.

Wilderness First Aid is valid for 3 years, and recertification is 25 hours. Already have Remote First Aid? Upgrade with thebridge course.

Why book with Alert First Aid

Free parking — 109 Finlayson Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 2P4. Use the lot entrance on Finlayson Street.

More dates — seedowntown Victoria.

We come to you — private wilderness first aid for guiding and outdoor teams across Nanaimo, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, and the Comox Valley.

Top 3 Red Cross Provincial Training Provider 2025Canadian Red Cross Training Partner

Top 3 Red Cross Provincial Training Provider, 2025

An official Canadian Red Cross Training Partner, ranked among the top 3 in BC.

Nanaimo Google Reviews
4.9★★★★★Based on 3,100+ Google reviews
★★★★★

"Really solid Wilderness First Aid course with knowledgable instructors and great teaching methods…"

Victoria Tillicum Centre
★★★★★

"…The training was practical, well-organized, and enjoyable. Highly recommended."

Nanaimo Downtown
★★★★★

"…hands on drills gave me confidence and skills that will help in me in my role at work…"

Nanaimo Downtown
Full Course Length 40 hours - $550
Recertification 25 hours - $315

Course Details

Course Content

Our 40-hour Canadian Red Cross Wilderness First Aid course (formerly Advanced Wilderness & Remote First Aid) teaches extended care for overnight and multi-day situations. Most of the course is outdoors, in any weather. Alert First Aid is a top 3 Red Cross Training Partner in BC.

Your certificate is valid for 3 years, and recertification is 25 hours. Topics include:

  • Preparation & planning
  • The P.L.A.N.
  • Wound care
  • Tractions
  • Bone, muscle & joint injuries
  • Cold- & heat-related emergencies
  • Extended care & monitoring
  • Outdoor food safety

Need Wilderness First Aid for Your Team?

Alert First Aid brings Wilderness First Aid directly to your workplace, team, or group — anywhere in BC. Private group courses come with flexible scheduling and volume pricing, and we've trained over 200,000 people across BC.

Request a Group Quote

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.

Certification

Successfully complete this 40-hour course to earn a Canadian Red Cross Wilderness First Aid certificate, valid for 3 years. You'll receive a temporary certificate at the end of the course, then a permanent virtual certificate by email. Your certificate and the virtual Canadian Red Cross Comprehensive Guide to First Aid stay in your MyRedCross account, and you'll keep a printed Wilderness & Remote Field Guide. 

There are no certification classes at this time. Please check back.

Recertification

There are no recertification classes at this time. Please check back.

Materials

First Aid Course Materials for Wilderness First Aid in Nanaimo

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)

Where to find us:

Visit our Nanaimo - Downtown training courses here.

Nanaimo - Downtown

109 Finlayson Street Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2P4

The Alert Advantage

Free Manual + App

Deep Discounts

3-Year Guarantee

Replacement certs

Learn More

Who should take this course?

  • Hiking & backpacking guides
  • Kayak & canoe guides
  • Park rangers & park staff
  • Outdoor educators
  • Ecotourism & adventure tourism staff
  • Summer camp & trip leaders
  • Expedition leaders
  • Backcountry ski & touring leaders
  • Outdoor recreation staff
  • Remote field researchers
  • Search & rescue volunteers
  • Multi-day trip leaders

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:

Nanaimo | Parksville | Qualicum Beach | Lantzville | Comox | Courtenay | Cumberland | Campbell River

Give us a call at 1.866.282.5378, or email us at to arrange a group course.

Back to top