Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
Duration: 10 days
Recommended Group Size: 12-20 students
Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course is the recognized industry standard for those who work as backcountry trip leaders, camp counselors, mountain guides, river guides, and ski patrollers.
Course Price: Nrs 85000 + 13% VAT

Description

The WFR is the perfect course for anyone working in a position of leadership in an outdoor setting or for individuals who want a high level of wilderness medical training for extended personal backcountry trips or expeditions. The WFR is 72+ hours long (9 to 10 days), and is a comprehensive and in-depth look at the standards and skills of dealing with: Response and Assessment, Musculoskeletal Injuries, Environmental Emergencies and Survival Skills, Soft Tissue Injuries, and Medical Emergencies. Although these appear to be the same basic topics covered in our two-day WFA course, they are covered far more extensively, and there is much more hands-on practice. Additional topics, such as CPR, are also included.
The Wilderness First Responder is the perfect course for anyone working in a position of leadership in an outdoor setting or for individuals who want a high level of wilderness medical training for extended personal backcountry trips or expeditions. It covers the same topics as the WFA and AWFA but the WFR do so far more extensively, introduces additional conditions and their treatment and there is much more time for hands-on practice. This course is typically the entry-level requirement for working in the outdoors industry abroad. 

Course Dates and Location
11-20th December 2023 | Initiative Outdoor Thumpka Camp, Bandipur
17-26th February 2024
What to expect?

 

THE WORLD LEADER IN WILDERNESS MEDICINE EDUCATION SINCE 1976 !

 

1: LEADING OUR INDUSTRY SINCE THE LAST ICE AGE

SOLO is the oldest, most innovative, and one of the most respected wilderness medical schools in the world.

2:WE’RE FOCUSED ON WILDERNESS

Which is anywhere outside “The Golden Hour,” whether miles from home or just down the street (e.g., after a Earthquake, flood ,tornado).

3:WE’RE VERY HANDS-ON

Get ready to roll up your sleeves and dig in. The training is real, gritty, and can be messy; we prepare you for real life.

4:WE GO OUTSIDE NO MATTER WHAT

All weather, all conditions from 90 above to 10 below; emergencies don’t wait for pleasant days, and neither do we.

5:WE KEEP THINGS REAL

We train by immersion, and all our scenarios have the sights and sounds of a real emergency. This helps prepare students for real-world situations.

6:AND IT’S NOT ALL HARD SKILLS

We’ll teach you to fix broken things, but you’ll also learn the joy of simply giving comfort. Compassion is an important first aid tool.

7:YOU’LL HAVE A GREAT TIME!

Some of the great benefits of SOLO training are the good times and lasting friendships. The learning can be as fun as it is intense.

8:YOU’LL BE READY FOR ANYTHING

Whether far-flung adventure or a career in emergency medicine, we’ll give you the confidence and skills to….go!

  • 3-Year SOLO WFR Certification
  • 2-Year CPR & AED Certification (Optional for Recertification)
  • Textbook

You should plan to have clothing appropriate to the season in which you will be taking the class, as you will spend a significant amount of time outside. The following list is to SUPPLEMENT the clothing you will be wearing. If you have trouble locating some of these items please call us as we have a limited amount for loan.

Necessary items (for all classes)

  • Backpack to put everything in (medium to large)
  • Rain gear (tops and bottoms)
  • Layers of clothing (for splinting exercises and to keep yourself warm during scenarios)
  • Warm hat or sun hat
  • Water bottles (at least 1 qt/litre)
  • Some snacks
  • Pen and notepad
  • Wrist Watch (cell phone is not sufficient)
  • Foot wear appropriate to the terrain (closed toes, no flip flops)
  • Insect repellent
  • Sunscreen

Additional items

(Optional for WFA, Required for AWFA, WFR, WEMT, WEMT Module)

  • Old Sleeping bag or blanket
  • Footwear you don't mind getting wet
  • Knife
  • Plastic tarp or groundsheet (min 6’X6’)
  • Head light
  • Sleeping pad (ensolite or thermarest)
  • Personal first aid kit (Band-Aids etc)
  • Trekking poles (useful but not required)

Course Notes:

Please note that these are list of topics and subjects typically covered in the Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course. Topics and subjects may not be taught in this order or progression.

The WFR provides full feedback and instruction while covering topics from anatomy & physiology to wilderness survival skills. Hands-on course labs, scenarios, and repetition ensure students are engaged and learning for the duration of the course. A favorite for many in the course is the on-site river scenario and night scenario to practice learned skills.

 

Course Topics

  • Anatomy & Physiology of Respiratory
  • System and Cardiothoracic Region
  • A & P of the Cardiovascular System
  • A & P of the Central Nervous System
  • A & P of the Gastrointestinal System & Genitourinary System
  • A & P of the Integumentary System
  • A & P of the Musculoskeletal System
  • Abdominal Pain
  • Abdominal Trauma
  • Allergic Reactions
  • Altitude-Related Injuries
  • Automated External Defibrillation (AED)
  • Bites & Stings: Animals & Plants
  • Bivouac Skills
  • Bloodborne Pathogens & Infectious Disease
  • Body Systems: Anatomy & Physiology
  • Burns
  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
  • Changes in Level of Conciousness
  • Chest Pain
  • Chest Trauma
  • Cold-Related Injuries
  • Common Expedition Problems
  • CPR Considerations in the Remove Environment
  • CPR Practical Exam
  • Diabetic Emergencies
  • Dislocations & Reduction Techniques
  • Drowning-Related Injuries
  • Environmental Emergencies
  • Fractures & Splinting Techniques
  • Group Preventative Medicine
  • Head Trauma
  • Heat-Related Injuries
  • History taking & SAMPLE
  • Improvising Litters
  • Leadership in a Backcountry
  • Emergency Lifting & Moving Techniques
  • Lightning-Related Injuries
  • Long-Term Patient Care
  • Long-Term Management of the Shock Victim
  • Long-Term Wound Care
  • Medical Emergencies
  • Medical Emergencies and Patient Assessment
  • Medicolegal Issues
  • Mock Rescue
  • Organizing the Rescue
  • PAS in the Extreme Environment
  • Patient Assessment System (PAS)
  • Poisoning
  • Primary Survey: "The First Five Minutes"
  • Prudent Heart Living
  • Role of the Wilderness First Responder
  • Secondary Survey & Vital Signs
  • Shock & Bleeding Control
  • Shortness of Breath
  • SOAPnote & Getting Help
  • Soft Tissue Injuries & Bandaging Skills
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Spinal Cord Injury Management
  • Splinting Practice
  • Sprains & Strains
  • Techniques of CPR & CPR Skills
  • The Anatomy of a Backcountry Crisis
  • The Ten Essentials
  • Use of Epinephrine
  • Wilderness Stabilization & Bivouac
  • Wilderness versus Urban First Responder
  • Wilderness First Responder Practical Exam
  • Wilderness First Responder Written Exam

Age Restriction: Although the minimum age for WFR certification is 16, students wishing to take a WFR at the Initiative Outdoor must be at least 18 years old, unless a parent stays in the dorm with them. 

 

Groups welcome, start planning your courses today.

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