Cost: $995 plus 5% GST & online booking fees.
Duration: 9 days with 1 day break typically on the 5th day. 80 hours in total.
Pre-requisites: Aged 16+. Parental consent is required if you are under 18 years old. A good level of fitness. There is no pre-reading required.
Previous experience: None required.
Certification validation: 3 years.
The Wilderness First Responder (WFR) program is the definitive medical training for leaders in remote areas including outdoor educators, guides, military, professional search and rescue teams, researchers, and those involved in disaster relief.
The curriculum is comprehensive and practical. It includes the essential principles and skills required to assess and manage medical problems in isolated and extreme environments for days and weeks if necessary.
This page describes three different courses, so we encourage you to read this page thoroughly before making a booking so that you sign up for the correct course.
This course is brought to you by Wilderness Medical Associates and hosted by Flexpeditions.
The Wilderness First Responder curriculum is written in-house by a team of remote medical rescue researchers and professionals. Ongoing evidence based research and review contributes to a unique and innovative approach to patient care in backcountry and austere settings. The curriculum is comprehensive, complete, and kept current on an annual basis. This is the most current and cutting edge course of any first response medical training (urban or remote) in the world.
The General Principles of Wilderness and Rescue Medicine with an emphasis on the prevention and identification of medical emergencies, appropriate technology, and risk management.
Patient assessment and emergency care including CPR, basic Life support, and the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis and asthma.
Environmental Medicine including altitude illness, hypothermia and heat illness, frostbite and cold injury, lightning, submersion, and environmental toxins.
Backcountry Medicine including the assessment and treatment of common medical problems.
Musculoskeletal Problems including unstable and stable injuries overuse syndromes, and dislocations.
Wound management including open fractures, lacerations, burns and blisters.
Practical skills including splinting, bandaging, litter packaging and medical kit preparation.
WMA International Wilderness Protocols including wound cleaning and exploration, spine injury assessment, dislocation reduction, CPR in the remote setting, and anaphylaxis and asthma.
Patient Assessment System; CPR; Circulatory System; Nervous System; Respiratory System; Fractures, Stable Injuries; Splints 1-Extremities; Hypothermia; Hyperthermia and Heat Illness; Near Drowning; Lightning Injuries; Wounds and Burns; Anaphylaxis; Lifting, Moving Extrication; Patient Carries; Backcountry Medicine
Wilderness First Responder is $995 + 5% GST & online booking fee.
Wilderness First Responder Bridge/Recert is $595 + 5% GST & online booking fee.
Each day the course will run from 8:30am – 5:30pm. Amy Flexman and the Flexpeditions team will be your course sponsor/host, helping with the logistics of the course, bringing snacks and helping with admin, payments, logistics of the course questions.
You will receive all books on the first day of the class.
You can expect full, interesting, and intense days. The course is taught through interactive discussions, case studies, presentations, and real life, hands on drills to prepare you for the stress of emergencies you may face in the field.
Plan on arriving at the course well rested and prepared to focus completely on the material. The WAFA, WFR & WFR Recert/Bridge are levels of medical certification that carry substantial responsibility.
To fully prepare you, we use realistic simulations requiring patient examination and treatment employing simulated wounds and blood. While we recognize that this can be uncomfortable for some people, it is important to developing the confidence and competence that you would expect of a medical professional.
This course is challenge by choice, it’s YOUR course, so do what is comfortable for you. Please don’t push yourself too hard in simulations and please let the group or at least the instructors know if there is some pre-existing condition, situation, etc. that might not allow you to fully participate in the hands on portion so they can give alternative evaluation opportunities.
You can obtain a PDF of your Certificate on our website at https://wmacanada.com/reprint-your-certification/. Once you fill in the requested information a PDF Cert will be generated.
Please ensure that you have completed our online waiver before the course begins. Click here to complete the waiver.
All teaching materials will be at no additional cost. Students will receive the following books on this course:
Successful completion with certification is based on 100% attendance, satisfactory performance on homework assignments and written quizzes, demonstrated proficiency with practical skills, and a successful grade on a final written exam.
Wilderness Medical Associates International is committed to making reasonable accommodation to any student with special needs.
Please click here for the Course Participation Standards.
Please press ‘Book Now’ to enter our online booking system. If it’s easier for you, only pay a deposit of $200 (+taxes and fees) now and pay the rest later. Full payment will is due 30 days before the course start. Contact us.
Please click here for our cancellation policy.
Accommodation is not provided, but please check out the SeeRevelstoke.com website for recommendations on where to stay.
There are plenty of options from camping, hostels, to high end hotels. The course itself is held at Glacier House Resort.
Please bring a water bottle and lunch each day as only a few snacks, coffee and tea will be provided at the site.
There is a meal plan available through Glacier House Resort, they can provide breakfast/lunch/dinner onsite, so please call to arrange with them if you’d like this, but you must sign up ahead of time.
Please visit the WildMed webpage for full information. For general questions, please call Amy on +1 (866) 929-3539 or e-mail [email protected].
Before a course each participant must complete a release of liability waiver. Save time on the first day and complete it online.
At checkout, a 5% Goods and Sales Tax (GST) will be applied.
We use an online booking system and credit card processing system that charges up to 4.7%.
A $200 (plus 5% GST & booking fees) non-refundable registration fee is required for our courses.
An entry-level course designed for professionals working in significantly remote settings for days or weeks. Wilderness Advanced First Aid is comprehensive medical training designed for remote professionals or wilderness leaders who venture into remote and challenging environments.
The WAFA to WFR Bridge course upgrades the Wilderness Advanced First Aid to a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) in 4 days.
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