Wilderness First Responder

Wilderness First Responder

80 hour training taught in a hybrid format. This in-depth course provides valuable hands-on experience in assessment, incident command, treatment, evacuations, and more.

Register now: 

We offer several Wilderness First Responder courses throughout the year. Field days typically take place in Golden, Boulder, or Conifer. Register through the calendar.

COVID POLICY: 

WFR participants are required to be fully vaccinated. You will be asked to upload a copy of your vaccination record. 

Course Overview: 

Up-level your outdoor education and medical training with Wilderness First Responder! WFR is intended for outdoor professionals who volunteer or work multi-day trips in a backcountry setting. The curriculum forces students to think creatively, adapt to ever changing situations, and learn valuable leadership, decision making, and communication skills. 

This course will focus on: 

  • Rescuer, patient, bystander mental health
  • Inclusive and compassionate patient care
  • Risk mitigation for the environment and activity
  • Ongoing management for environmental threats
  • Spinal stabilization and patient packaging
  • Patient physical exam and patient history
  • Recognition of life threats and stabilization of emergencies
  • Signs/symptoms of medical, traumatic, environmental illnesses and injuries
  • Initiation of appropriate treatments based on assessment
  • Patient monitoring and vital sign patterns
  • Clear/concise verbal report and written documentation
  • Planning, appropriate evacuation methods and patient handoffs

 

Format: 

The CMC is offering a hybrid WFR course that combines self-paced online learning and hands-on in-person training. This format is more accessible for weekday workers. 

  • Hands-on training: 50 hours
  • Online training: 30 hours

Field days will take place over two consecutive weekends from Friday - Sunday. The second Saturday will be from 12pm-9pm for nighttime practice. All other days will be 9am-6pm. 

 

WFR Pricing: 

  • $500 for advanced leaders/instructors who apply for and receive the Leadership Scholarship
  • $700 for CMC members
  • $800 for non-CMC members
*Non-members consider the benefits of joining the CMC: individual-$75/year, family-$115/year, under 30-$39/year. Use the $50 savings from the member discount towards the cost of your membership and take advantage of more CMC trips and classes. 

 

Wilderness Medicine Textbook: 

The cost of your book has been covered by the Colorado Mountain Club. You will receive a discount code to order your book directly through NOLS. You will be given enough time to order the book before your class. The book will be shipped directly to you; you are asked to cover the cost of shipping. 

 

Certification: 

  • Wilderness First Responder
  • Epinephrine Auto-injector training
  • Adult/child CPR & AED

 

Recertification: 

  • All certifications listed above are valid for three years with no grace period. 
  • WFR can be kept current by taking a Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness First Responder Recertification (WFR-R) within the three years. 

 contact: 

For questions, contact wildernessmedicine@cmc.org. 

*Important note about emails: The email address you use when registering will be the email used for all course related resources. You will receive a reminder about your class, access to Google classroom (for hybrid), and your final exam link. Sometimes these emails are sent to your junk/spam folder, please check there before reaching out to our staff.