This course is held in collaboration with Coast Wilderness Medical Training.

Red Cross Wilderness First Aid (formerly referred to as Advanced Wilderness First Aid) is a 40 hour course designed for guides and trip leaders, but suitable for anyone who ventures more than a day into the backcountry.

If you are a backcountry guide or instructor, or if you play hard in difficult-to-reach areas, Wilderness First Aid will prepare you to take the lead in medical emergencies when bystanders are anxious, resources are scarce, and rescue might take 24-48 hours.

Don’t expect rigid protocols - although you will train on with higher level technical equipment than in our 20 hour course, our focus is always on basic principles, simple but effective techniques, and informed decision-making.

Prerequisites

None - there are no training or certification prerequisites for this course.

Course Materials

We supply all first aid gear and other necessary learning materials for the course. On the first day of class you will receive your own copy of the Red Cross Wilderness & Remote First Aid Field Guide.

The 40 hour WFA is usually taught over 2 weekends, with the following schedule. Note that this is subject to change and the exact timing will be emailed to you about 1 week prior to your course start date.

Our Squamish WFAs are taught over 1 long weekend, i.e. 4 full consecutive days in a row.

Fri / Sat / Sun / Mon: 9 AM - 5 PM, entirely outdoors in one of our stunning outdoor classrooms*

*We have several outdoor options to choose from among the mountains, forests and rivers of Whistler. An exact location will be chosen based on weather and usage by other groups, and announced as course dates approach.

For the practicum outdoor training, please prepare for any weather conditions.

Students can use their own outdoor gear so as to be familiar with the equipment that will be available to them in a real world first aid situation.

Things to bring:

• Comfortable clothing
• Weatherproof outerwear for the outdoors portion of the course. Please check the weather forecast each day and dress appropriately.
• Lunch/Snacks/Water
• Pen/pencil and notebook (recommended)
• First Aid/Guide’s pack if you have one

Certification

Successful completion of the course earns you an Red Cross Wilderness First Aid with CPR C certificate from the Canadian Red Cross, valid for 3 years.

If you would like to add a Emergency First Aid certification (Occupational First Aid - Level 1 Equivalent), please let us know when you register.

Recertification:

16 hours / 2 days; you must hold an unexpired 40 hour certificate to recertify.

Course Outline:

For a detailed course agenda and outline, click here to download a PDF of the course outline.