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Backcountry Incident Management School Field Day – Conifer Marketplace Meeting Location

Field trip: Backcountry Incident Management School

Backcountry Incident Management School Field Day – Conifer Marketplace Meeting Location

Learn and practice hands-on backcountry incident management skills and techniques, including medical or other backcountry emergency situations.

Contacts

Wayne Howell
Wayne Howell
Primary Leader
  • Sat, Sep 13, 2025
  • Denver
  • Wilderness Survival
  • Adults
  • Challenging
Mission:  To provide a realistic hands-on Backcountry Incident Management experience, intended to minimize any unintended consequences of a medical or other backcountry emergency by employing more effective skills and techniques.

Objectives:

  • Students to practice basic skills and techniques with the goal to observe and personally determine what tends to work under adverse conditions… and what tends not to.
  • Students to experience and become more comfortable with the end-to-end incident management process.
  • For those individuals wanting more experience managing an unexpected backcountry incident, i.e., a more meaningful experience, the Backcountry Incident Management School can provide that hands-on opportunity.  As you may have learned while taking WFA, there are several important “roles” that are part of most every backcountry challenge.

These roles consist of a First Aid Team, a Get Help Team, a Bivy Team, and an Incident Manager.  The Incident Manager (IM) will coordinate the actions and activities of the other three roles.  As a review:

  • The First Aid Team will assess the nature of the injured party, consult with the IM to confirm the accident site is safe, and if not, coordinate resources to relocate the victim to a safer location.  In addition to performing the primary and secondary physical checks, the First Aid Team will document vitals for the Help Team.
  • The Help Team will work with the IM to develop a plan to contact help, whether that is by phone, SPOT, or hiking back to the trailhead.  Using the documented information from the First Aid Team, the Help Team will share with 911/SAR the nature of the incident/injuries and offer advice on the assistance deemed necessary.
  • In the event of a prolonged incident, the Bivy Team will coordinate with the Incident Manager to develop a plan to establish shelter, start a fire, warm water, and (if appropriate) determine the means to locally signal for help.  Whether the stay is several hours or overnight, the Bivy Team will make efforts to keep the patient and the other group participants warm and dry.

In theory all this may sound somewhat straightforward, but in practice there are countless nuances that can make the difference between a good outcome, or, through a sequence of questionable choices, make the problem more challenging.  “Effectiveness” may be the operative word.

To provide suggestions and guidance during this most stressful time, the BIM School has developed a set of Incident Management Cards.  These cards can be accessed and downloaded at (here is link to IM Cards homepage).

Prerequisites:
  • Successful completion of a Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder course
  • A current CMC member 18 years or older
  • Priority given to CMC trip leaders and school instructors
Enrollment:  The course is typically limited to eight students per session.  As part of the application process trip leaders and school instructors will be given priority.  Those accepted into the course will complete their enrollment through the CMC website.

Should the course fill, CMC members can get on the Wait List by going through the standard enrollment process.  No tuition money will be paid until that member is moved to the official Participant List.  Should there be an opening, moving to the Participant List is not automatic but will be done by the course director.  Accepted individuals will be notified by email and will be asked to contact the CMC office to now pay their enrollment tuition.

In the event there is insufficient student enrollment for any field day date, students will be given the option for a full refund or the opportunity to transfer enrollment to another date.  Since the $30 tuition is less than $35 CMC processing fee, if you elect to withdraw there will be no refund. However, a credit can be applied per the CMC refund policy.

For Additional Information:  Contact Wayne Howell waynehow59@gmail.com refer to the “BIM School” in the subject line.

The group will meet at the Conifer Staples office suppy store at 7:00am

As you drive south on US 285, you will pass Aspen Park (there is a King Soopers there), then another few miles to Conifer.  At the Sinclair/Stinker gas station turn right off 285, then a left at the stoplight.  We will group up at the 285 side of the Staples parking lot just before the Dutch Brothers drive-through coffee shop.

Badges

Route/Place

Conifer Marketplace Meeting Location

Roster
Required Equipment

Required Equipment

Information will provided by school director in the weeks prior to the dtart of the course.

Trip Reports