EDUCATION

SOLO is the leader in wilderness training in the United States.

Standard first aid practices are generally based on the assumption that help will arrive soon, and that the patient will be out of your hands and at the hospital in under an hour. But accidents can and do happen, and all too often members of a group are not capable of dealing with the emergency. Not only does this lead to improper care of the patient, it endangers the entire group.

SOLO Wilderness First Aid training addresses the medical and logistical issues that arise where there is no ambulance, no roof or walls for shelter from the elements, your supplies are few, and the length of your wait for help is unknown. Lectures and discussions are supplemented by hands-on scenarios. An emphasis on long-term care and evacuation complications in the backcountry makes this course unique.

COURSE TOPICS

• Introduction • Anatomy of a Wilderness Crisis
• Anatomy of the Musculoskeletal System
• Asthma
• Backcountry Essentials
• Cold-Related Injuries
• Environmental Emergencies & Survival Skills (including lightning)
• Heat-Related Injuries
• Medical Emergencies & Critical Care
• Orthopedics
• Patient Assessment System
• Patient Lifting & Moving
• Principles of Fracture Care
• Rescue Plan
• Response & Assessment
• Soft Tissue Injuries & Medical Emergencies
• Spinal Cord Injury Management
• Sprains & Strains
• Techniques
• The Human Animal
• Trauma-Musculoskeletal Injuries
• Trauma-Soft Tissue Injuries
• Universal Precautions
• Use of Epinephrine
• What is Wilderness First Aid?

For information contact Gary Forish, 413-519-3251, or by email: forgary@comcast.net.

The Wilderness First Responder course is the recognized industry standard for those who work as backcountry trip leaders, camp counselors, mountain guides, river guides, and ski patrollers.

It's the perfect course for anyone working in a position of leadership in an outdoor setting or for individuals who want a high level of wilderness medical training for extended personal backcountry trips or expeditions.

The course is 72-80 hours long (8 days), and is a comprehensive and in-depth look at the standards and skills of dealing with: Response and Assessment, Musculoskeletal Injuries, Environmental Emergencies and Survival Skills, Soft Tissue Injuries, and Medical Emergencies. Although these appear to be the same basic topics covered in our two-day WFA course, they are covered far more extensively, and there is much more hands-on practice. Additional topics, such as CPR, are also included.

Your SOLO WFR certification is good for three years. There is ongoing evaluation of practical skills, and a written test. To recertify, you may take either a 2-day WFR Refresher Course or a 2-day WFA course.

The WFR typically counts as continuing education credits, although it may depend on what certification you have. Street EMTs who take the WFR course may become certified as Wilderness EMTs. Within the first year of completing a SOLO WFR, students may enroll in a SOLO WEMT Part II Module (the last two weeks of a WEMT course) to get their WEMT certification (they must pass practical and written EMT exams).

COURSE TOPICS

• Anatomy & Physiology (A & P) of Respiratory System and Cardiothoracic Region
• A & P of the Cardiovascular System
• A & P of the Central Nervous System
• A & P of the Gastrointestinal System and Genitourinary System
• A & P of the Integumentary System
• A & P of the Musculoskeletal System
• Abdominal Pain
• Abdominal Trauma
• Allergic Reactions
• Altitude-Related Injuries
• Automated External Defibrillation (AED)
• Bites & Stings: Animals & Plants
• Bivouac Skills
• Bloodborne Pathogens & Infectious Disease
• Body Systems: Anatomy & Physiology
• Burns
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Changes in Level of Consciousness
• Chest Pain
• Chest Trauma
• Cold-Related Injuries
• Common Expedition Problems
• CPR Considerations in the Remote Environment
• CPR Practical Exam
• Diabetic Emergencies
• Dislocations & Reduction Techniques
• Drowning-Related Injuries
• Environmental Emergencies
• Fractures & Splinting Techniques
• Group Preventative Medicine
• Head Trauma
• Heat-Related Injuries
• History Taking & SAMPLE
• Improvising Litters
• Leadership in a Backcountry
• Emergency Lifting & Moving Techniques
• Lightning-Related Injuries
• Long-Term Patient Care
• Long-Term Management of the Shock Victim
• Long-Term Wound Care
• Medical Emergencies
• Medical Emergencies and Patient Assessment
• Medicalegal Issues
• Mock Rescue
• Organizing the Rescue
• PAS in the Extreme Environment
• Patient Assessment System (PAS)
• Poisoning
• Primary Survey: "The First Five Minutes"
• Prudent Heart Living
• Role of the Wilderness First Responder
• Secondary Survey & Vital Signs
• Shock & Bleeding Control
• Shortness of Breath
• SOAPnote & Getting Help
• Soft Tissue Injuries & Bandaging Skills
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Spinal Cord Injury Management
• Splinting Practice
• Sprains & Strains
• Techniques of CPR & CPR Skills
• The Anatomy of a Backcountry Crisis
• The Ten Essentials
• Use of Epinephrine
• Wilderness Stabilization & Bivouac
• Wilderness versus Urban First Responder

For information and directions contact Gary Forish, 413-519-3251, or by email: forgary@comcast.net.