Wilderness First Responder Course

The WFR course is designed to provide you with the tools to make critical medical and evacuation decisions in remote locations. Classroom lectures and demonstrations are combined with realistic scenarios where mock patients will challenge you to integrate your learning.

Learning takes place both in the classroom and in outdoor settings regardless of weather conditions. Come prepared for wet, muddy, cold or hot environments.

Prerequisites: No previous first aid training is required. You must be 16 years old to attend this course.

Schedule: March 8-17, 2013

Certification: Participants are required to pass both written and practical examinations to obtain WFR and CPR certification. Successful course completion earns you a WMI Adult & Child CPR certification and a WMI Wilderness First Responder certification. EMTs will earn a Wilderness EMT certification. All certifications are current for two years.

College Credit: 3-4 semester credits are available from WMI-affiliated colleges and universities. More info...

Continuing Education Units: This course is pre-approved for 70 hours of EMT Continuing Education Hours (CEH) by the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS). More info..

Active members of the Wilderness Medical Society may earn up to 59.5 hours of credit towards a Fellowship of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM). There is an additional fee of $15 for students requesting these credits. More info...
 
This course is approved by the United States Coast Guard to satisfy the first aid and CPR training requirements [46 CFR 11.205(e)(1)(i) &46 CFR 11.205(e)(2)(iv)] for a merchant mariner license. More info...

Scholarship and Financial Aid: Individuals fluent in American Sign Language or Signed Exact English may be eligible to receive a full scholarship. We accept AmeriCorps awards for the WFR with college credit. More info...

Course Outline

The 80-hour Wilderness First Responder course is the industry standard.

Topics include:

• Patient Assessment System
• Documentation
• Medical Legal
• CPR
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Long-term Patient Care
• Chest Injuries
• Shock
• Head Injuries
• Wilderness Wound Management
• Athletic Injuries
• Fracture Management and Traction Splinting
• Dislocations
• Cold Injuries
• Heat Illness
• Altitude Illness
• Cardiac, Respiratory and Neurological Emergencies
• Abdominal Emergencies
• Mental Health Emergencies
• Bites, Stings and Poisoning
• Allergies and Anaphylaxis
• Diabetes
• Search and Rescue
• Leadership, Teamwork and Communication
• Communicable Disease
• Lightning
• Submersion
• Urinary and Reproductive System Issues
• Medical Decision-Making
• Common Wilderness Medical Problems
• Wilderness Drug and First Aid Kits

Accomodations:

There are lots of great places to stay during your course.

The Talkeetna Roadhouse offers bunks for $21/night and 10% off private rooms for our students. Dangerously, you are only steps away from the aromas of an amazing bakery. Trisha the owner will be starting breakfast early at 7:30 am so students are well nourished for a full day of classes starting at 8am sharp!
http://www.talkeetnaroadhouse.com/

Chinook Winds Cabins are located steps away from our classroom. Their cabins can sleep up to six and feature a bathroom and small kitchen. 2 of these cabins are reserved for each course for students who want to share a mixed gender, convenient, and economical housing option for $30-$50 per person depending on how many people share the cabin.
http://talkeetna-alaska.net/



Other lodging options:

Talkeetna cabins: http://www.talkeetnacabins.org/
Latitude 62: http://web.acsalaska.net/~latitude62/
Swiss Alaska Inn: http://www.swissalaska.com/

Location: Talkeetna, Alaska

Talkeetna is a great place to take wilderness medicine courses. It is a small Alaskan village of 900 residents and is located 120-miles north of Anchorage. Talkeetna is accessible by roads and the Alaska Railroad. Despite it's size it is always a bustle with activity, especially in March, when the days are long, sunny, and uplifting as residents start to literally un-den from a long cold winter.

The village consists of a Main Street that has numerous small restaurants, coffee shops, and historic bars. There are two village parks and one offers camping. The campground is nestled next to the bank of the intersection of three major rivers that exit surrounding mountain ranges. Accommodations range from a quaint roadhouse, international hostel, private cabins, inns and small motels.

People visit Talkeetna year-round to soak in the character of this quirky little town and climbers from around the world flood in from March-July to climb in the rugged Alaska Range and often to attempt climbs on north America's highest peak nearby Mt. McKinley (often referred by it's native name Denali by Alaskans). In March it is common to see local dog mushers on the trails and if you are up late enough take in aurora displays often green dancing light bands called the northern lights.

Class will be held at the Northern Susitna Institute, a large building just before Main street. It is large class room heated with a wood stove and adjoined by a large wooded lot that is perfect for practicing wilderness scenarios in the spring snow.

Students in our classes are outdoors men and women that work as guides (hunting, fishing, mountain), field scientists, resource managers, mining engineers, and assorted professionals that love to venture into the wilderness. Many of the participants live and work in Alaska, but students have traveled from around the world to take wilderness medicine classes here.

Come join us!

Learn more about Talkeetna by visiting this website:
http://www.talkeetnachamber.org/

Now Offering Spring Courses in Talkeetna

80-hour Wilderness First Responder 
March 8-17, 2012       $695 ($625 before Feb. 6)
Talkeetna, Alaska  

24-hour WFR Recertification
March 22-24               $295 ($265 before Feb. 6)
Talkeetna, Alaska

Offered through WMI of NOLS.

Register Now:
CLICK HERE: Online registration form 
(907)733-3313
meliscoady@gmail.com