Remote First Aid

A Practical Introduction to Wilderness First Aid

Includes

CPR/AED ‘C’
Optional OFA-1

*Dates marked with an asterisk are three full days of training, 9 AM - 6 PM, with an evening scenario on Day 2.

*Dates marked with an asterisk are three full days of training, 9 AM - 6 PM, with an evening scenario on Day 2.

Red Cross Remote First Aid is practical, hands-on training designed for casual campers or day hikers. Gain the confidence you need to make informed decisions in emergencies when rescue is hours away!

Don’t expect rigid protocols. At Coast Wilderness Medical, we focus on giving you skills that you can rely on. You can expect immersive training, simple but effective techniques, and the confidence to manage emergencies wherever they occur, with whatever you have at hand.

Further Studies: Once you receive your RFA, you qualify for a 20 hour upgrade to Wilderness First Aid. WFA includes more advanced techniques, as well as leadership and group management components that are suitable for people who take on leadership roles in the backcountry.

This CWMT course includes an optional Red Cross Emergency First Aid certification, which you can add at registration. EFA is recognized in BC as an equivalent to OFA-1. This certification requires an additional 3 hours of online training, and costs an additional $45. The option to add OFA-1 is available when you register.

Locations

Our courses start in one of our training bases, but at least 75% of wilderness first aid courses take place in the great outdoors - rain or shine!

Vancouver Training Base: 8168 Granville St., Unit 209
Vancouver Outdoor Classrooms: Pacific Spirit Park

Squamish Training Base: 1909 Maple Drive, Unit 101
Squamish Outdoor Classrooms: Smoke Bluffs, Stawamus River, & Stawamus Chief Provincial Park.

Training Schedule

The standard 20-hour RFA schedule includes one evening and 2 full days:
Online: 2 hours (+3 hours for optional OFA-1 equivalency)
Friday Evening: 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM (In-class)
Saturday + Sunday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Entirely outdoors)

Occasionally the 20-hour RFA is run over 3 full days + an evening scenario:
Online: 2 hours (+3 hours for optional OFA-1 equivalency)
Friday & Sunday: 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM (Entirely outdoors)
Saturday: 9:00 AM - ~ 5:00 PM + 7:00 PM - ~ 10:00 PM

Reference Materials

• Red Cross Wilderness First Aid Field Guide

Reference materials are included in your tuition fee. For early access, please contact us.

Certification

Successful participants will receive a nationally recognized Red Cross Remote First Aid certificate with CPR-C.

Q: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO WILDERNESS FIRST AID? I’M TRYING TO DECIDE IF I SHOULD TAKE A 1-2 DAY URBAN FIRST AID COURSE OR ONE OF YOUR WILDERNESS COURSES.

Urban first aid courses are designed for situations where Emergency Medical Services will arrive in 10 to 15 minutes. Wilderness First Aid is designed to give you the tools and knowledge necessary to care for a sick or injured person for hours or days, depending on your training level. To do this, we focus on giving you a lot more tools and decision making ability by helping you to understand what is going on 'under the hood' during a medical emergency. Emergencies in the backcountry are unpredictable - we also help you to have the confidence to use your own common sense to decide a course of action when the situation is unclear.

Q: WHAT GEAR DO I NEED TO BRING?

A list of recommended gear will be sent to you with your course information package. In short, you should prepare for each day as if for a day hike, including adequate footwear, layers, rain protection, snacks, water, and your ten essentials. It is very important that you prepare for the worst weather the season might offer - you will spend a lot of time outdoors, and being cold and wet will negatively affect your learning.

Q: I WANT TO TAKE THIS COURSE BUT I DON’T DRIVE - WILL I HAVE TO ARRANGE TRANSPORTATION TO A REMOTE LOCATION?

Our 20- and 40-hour courses take place in areas that offer easy public transportation and local biking access. In Vancouver, it’s Pacific Spirit Park - located between Vancouver and the University of British Columbia. In Squamish, most courses take place in the areas around Smoke Bluffs, the Stawamus River, or the Stawamus Chief.

Q: ALL OF MY PREVIOUS FIRST AID COURSES WENT IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER - WHAT MAKES A COAST WILDERNESS COURSE EASIER TO REMEMBER THAN ANOTHER COMPANIES’ WFA?

Exceptional instructors and an outstanding commitment to learning.

All of our instructors are experienced paramedics with plenty of patient care experience, a love of the outdoors, and a passion for teaching. They have not only completed the Canadian Red Cross's exceptional WFA instructor training, but also our own rigorous in-house instructor development and apprenticeship program.

Our courses always take place in natural wooded areas or coastlines that offer an immersive experience - you feel like you are really dealing with medical emergencies in the wilderness.

Finally, we have spent a lot of time finding the perfect teaching accessories - including functional medical learning aids, anatomical models, theater-quality make-up, and dastardly props to put you as much in the situation as possible.

Combine all of this with our scenario-focused teaching model - which gives you more hands-on practice than any other first aid course - and you will walk away with more confidence, better skills, and longer skill retention than you would ever expect from a course of this length.

Q: THE LAST COMPANY I SCHEDULED WITH CANCELLED MY COURSE BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH STUDENTS. HOW OFTEN DOES THIS HAPPEN AT COAST WILDERNESS MEDICAL TRAINING?

Never. You are committing your time to this course, and the least we can do is the same.

That being said, our more advanced courses cannot be delivered effectively without a certain minimum number of students. Although we have never had to cancel a course in the past, if we do not reach these numbers, you will be informed as soon as possible, receive hearty and heartfelt apologies, a full refund, and an invitation to attend the next training opportunity at a discounted price.

Prerequisite: Unexpired 20 hour Remote First Aid (or equivalent)

Re-familiarize yourself with the fundamentals in this scenario-packed 1 day recert! This course also recertifies CPR/AED ‘C’.