- This event has passed.
Wilderness First Aid for Paddlers Course
03/04/2023 - 03/05/2023
This two-day course immerses participants in basic wilderness medicine procedures, preparing individuals to take immediate action when an outdoor activity doesn’t go as planned and 911 responders are hours away. Time is split between interactive classroom sessions and hands-on field scenarios to prepare participants and help them quickly develop basic backcountry medical care skills. The course focus is on patient assessment, stabilization and emergency treatment of issues such as hypothermia and snakebites, as well as understanding when and how to attempt evacuation. This course includes additional focus for paddlesports, including wound cleaning and closure, as well as the reduction of simple shoulder dislocations. Participants will emerge capable of calmly responding to a wide variety of emergency situations.
All mandatory program supplies and a course field guide are provided by Ozark Safety and Rescue Educators (OSRE) as part of the program cost.
Successful completion of the entire program will result in a three-year nationally recognized Wilderness First Aid Certification through Sierra Rescue International.
We strongly suggest bringing a sack lunch OR order food on site both days, as we will only have 45 minutes total for lunch.
The Paddle Stop can sell breakfast (7:30 am), lunch & Saturday dinner. You’re welcome to bring a cooler with your own food / drink, which you consume in the classroom (vs the restaurant). Their Paddle Stop Brewery will likely have live music Sat. night, so feel free to have folks meet you.
There is free, first-come-first serve, rustic camping across the street (with fire rings & picnic tables) or under a pavilion on concrete, with an adjacent bath/shower building. Nearby there are hotels (e.g. Central Hotel and Zia’s) & Airbnb.
Please read the letter sent to registrants and reach out if you have any questions, to Tom about the course; to Sally Haywood for other logistics, haywood.sally@gmailcom, 314-374-9206.
Taught by Tom Burroughs, SwiftwaterRescue@gmail.com, 479-595-1655
ACA Safety and Rescue Committee Chair
ACA L-5 Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Instructor Trainer Educator
ACA L-4 Whitewater Kayak Instructor Trainer Educator
ACA L-4 Whitewater Rafting Instructor Trainer
2015 ACA “Excellence in Instruction” National Award Recipient
ITRA Level 3V Swiftwater Rescue Instructor
NREMT/EMT-W/MPIC – Wilderness Medicine Instructor
Team Leader- Washington CO AR Search and Rescue team
Director, Ozark Safety and Rescue Educators / Clear Creek Paddlesports
Member- Wilderness Medical Society
Cost: $175. Minimum registrants 8 (for course to happen); Maximum 20.