Wilderness First Responder Training, Wilderness First Aid, WFR, Wilderness First Aid Training, WFA, Outdoor Medical Emergency Training

Wilderness First Responder Training/Wilderness First Aid Training/WFR Recertifications

"Outstanding Wilderness Medical Trainings Since 1994"

General Course Information

In return for your time and money invested, a Wilderness First Responder Training is the most effective emergency medical training available in the world today! Designed for managing injuries (both large and small) and medical problems in the backcountry (where there is "no 911"), WFR works well wherever you may be, when you are all the help that person's got. "If it works in the backcountry, it'll work in your backyard -- or in your kitchen."

Wilderness First Responder is a 76-hour Wilderness First Responder (WFR) training program, which exceeds the current guidelines of the Wilderness Medical Society for a Wilderness First Responder Curriculum.* Course participants will be trained to manage injuries and medical emergencies in wilderness situations, or in developing countries, any time or anywhere that back-up resources aren't readily available, where you're hours, or days from help, where environmental extremes - heat, cold, altitude pose a threat to rescuers as well as the victim, when you've got to improvise - make do- with what's at hand, and where medical evacuation is either arduous, or simply not an option.

Topics: The course places heavy emphasis on prevention, early intervention, and cultivating good judgment in problem solving. There is abundant "hands-on" skills practice, and realistic scenarios. Daily quizzes and discussion formats in class invite diligence in studying in the evening. About 80% or the course is conducted indoors, 20% outdoors. There are no prerequisites for this training.

hands on training

Certification: Certification requires successful completion of a written exam, and demonstrated competency in each skill taught in the course: American Red Cross Adult CPR, and First Lead's Wildernes First Responder (WFR), a three-year certification.

Recertification: WFR is renewable in the 24-hour WFR Recertification/Wilderness First Aid, which includes Red Cross Adult CPR. WFR Recert is good for three years - cost is $295. First Lead maintains recertification reciprocity arrangements with other qualified WFR Training providers. CPR is renewable annually through almost any local Red Cross chapter (call for details).
View Recertification Course Details

Wilderness First Responder Training is $695 (includes fees, text books, Student Manual, reference materials.) A $300 deposit is required to reserve a space in the course. Send your deposit, or the full amount, with the Registration Form to: FIRST LEAD, LLC., PO Box 247, Norwood, CO 81423, or click on Register On-Line from the menu bar. VISA or MasterCard, please add 4% per transaction. If you have any additional questions or concerns, call us at 970-729-0081. (The Office answering machine is always on-duty.) Space is limited, so prompt payment of the deposit increases one's chances for a place in this training. Unpaid balance on fees is due on the first day of class. If, for any reason, the course is canceled, a full refund will be given. Enrollees who cancel 15 days or more before the start of the training will receive a refund for the amount already paid, less a $100 administrative charge, for books and other enrollment costs to First Lead. Enrollees who cancel 14 days or less prior to the training may forfeit the entire deposit.

Texts: Textbooks, ring-binder notebook, and handouts are provided for each student. The course text is Wilderness 911 by Eric A. Weiss, M.D. If you wish to have your books mailed to you before the start of the Training, you'll need to enroll early enough so that we can mail it to you in time to dig into it. There just won't be much time to read once the Training begins. First Lead strongly recommends that you've read the text, like a novel, before we start the course on Saturday (good bedtime reading). Just do it -- graduates agree that reading ahead was time well-invested.

Class Format: Check-in is at 8:30 AM the first day of the course. Class will start daily at 8:30 AM and be finished around 5:30 PM. You should attend all scheduled sessions. The final day of the course you will be taking required tests, so don't plan on getting out early. Quizzes, based on the prior day's lectures, lecture material, videos followed by skills sessions, problem-solving scenarios, and improvised drills are all part of the day's routine. Nightly homework, and studying of notes will be a regular part of one's off-campus routine. There will be some outdoor field exercises. Pets are not allowed, under any circumstances, in , or on the grounds of, the facilities. No smoking or alcohol at the facilities.

Sponsoring a Course: First Lead can bring a course to you! We regularly conduct contracted trainings around the country to a variety of government agencies such as the National Park Service, as well as private sector engineering and environmental contractors. Minimum: 14 students (if we open the training to your local community, it's easy to make this minimum). Sponsor provides transportation and housing for the instructor, a training site, and some logistical support. Call for more information on this.

Instructional Staff: Course leaders are extensively trained, experienced practitioners and educators, who are committed to empowering others to be medically self-reliant in the wilderness. The primary instructor for the course is Peter Muckerman. Peter is an accomplished trainer; a Wilderness EMT-B, an EMT Instructor, and is past medical director for an experimental education/wilderness adventure therapy program for youths where he assisted and treated dozens of patients in the backcountry each week. Also, he is a veteran First Aid Instructor for the American Red Cross.

Instructor Peter Muckerman

Accommodations:

Durango:A great town with abundant affordable lodging and dining, at 1-800-525-8855, or visit www.durango.org
Norwood:Just 37 miles west of Telluride, and 100 miles east of Utah's spectacular Canyonlands, this is first Lead's "Home Town" since 1998! On Wright's Mesa at 7,000 feet, Norwood has retained its old west small town charm, and offers very affordable lodging and meals. Visit www.norwoodcolorado.com
Golden:Motels abound along Interstate 70, just five miles or so southeast of the training site.

telluride, colorado

Equipment and Clothing: You will need: backcountry clothing (waterproof tops and bottoms), warm and dry boots, and lots of layers--weather in the Rockies is unpredictable. Bring a water bottle (Stay hydrated!) and your personal mug for tea, cocoa, or coffee.

First Aid Supplies: Students will have the opportunity to purchase selected items of medical gear and supplies . So, consider budgeting for this. Other great sources for wilderness medical supplies and gear are www.chinookmed.com and www.rescue-essentials.com

* From the Wilderness Medical Society: "WMS developes a list of recommended course topics for a Wilderness First Responder course. This list may not meet state or DOT standards for certification. The WMS is neither a certifying or licensing agency. It does not approve or disapprove teaching methods nor does it test students for knowledge or skill. WMS encourages consumers to check the providers credentials and with potential employers to see whose certification they will accept prior to enrolling in a course."

First Lead, L.L.C. Wilderness Emergency Trainings & Recertifications PO Box 247, Norwood, CO 81423 (970) 729-0081
firstlead@centurytel.net