The course
WFR & WEMT Upgrade, which is open to everyone,
is an 80-hour professional-level course that trains you to understand
and avoid
wilderness hazards and cope with emergencies anywhere. You will learn
how to
assess injuries and medical or environmental problems, and do emergency
care
with both standard and improvised equipment. We use vivid slides and
interactive teaching methods to bring the topics to life. Skills
practice is
intensive. Our instructors work with you individually
and in
small groups. Realistic simulated accidents help you put your skills
together
and develop your leadership abilities.
Program & certification
Certification by the American Safety & Health Institute
(www.ashinstitute.org), valid 3 years, is recognized throughout the
United States and in many other countries. To be certified,
you must make up any skills training you miss and
pass the exams. Wilderness topics and skills are the same for WFR and
WEMT, but
EMT’s and Paramedics are already trained to a higher level in generic
topics
such as recognizing and treating medical problems. So those currently
certified
as EMT’s or Paramedics receive WEMT certification on graduation; and
other
participants receive WFR certification.
Continuing Education
Credits
CE's are available to participants who need them for a flat
fee of $25 - one
unit for every hour of class attended.
Make-ups
To be certified, you must
make up any skills training you miss and pass the exams.You can make up missed skills at weekend skills
sessions or by learning them with a participant who was there, then
coming in early to demonstrate them to an instructor.
Instructors
Steve Donelan (the lead instructor) is national chairman of the Wilderness
Emergency
Care program he developed for the American Safety & Health
Institute (www.ashinstitute.org),
which publishes
his textbook. Steve is also a Master
Instructor Trainer for ASHI and an Instructor Trainer for
the National Ski Patrol, section editor on education for Wilderness
& Environmental Medicine (www.wms.org),
editor of the San Francisco Paramedic Association newsletter, and a
peer reviewer for several standard textbooks. He has published
many articles on emergency care and how to teach it. The other
instructors in this course have many years of wilderness leadership and
teaching
experience.
CPR
All
participants must show current certification in Basic Life
Support for Health Care Providers (also known as CPR for the
Professional Rescuer) before graduating. See the SFPA schedule (link
below) of BLS-HCP classes if you need
certification (not included in WFR class fee). In the American
Heart Association courses that we teach, you practice right along with
the video while the
instructors (all experienced EMT's and paramedics) help you perfect
your CPR skills. It takes just 4 hours because there is no lecture,
just efficient skills practice. You'll have fun and get a good workout
while you
learn.
Registration: San Francisco Paramedic Association
Online: www.sfparamedics.org
Phone: (415) 543-1161
Cost: $460
Textbook: Wilderness Emergency Care - buy in
class from instructor ($20)
Time: Tuesday &
Thursday, 7 - 10 pm, April 1 - June 10.
Saturday 9 -
5: May 8, May 22.