Backcountry First Aid

What to do with boo-boos, rut-rows, whoopsie daises, & oh sh!ts!

Despite our best efforts, sometimes things happen. Slips, falls, change in weather, dehydration, snakes! There is nothing more unpredictable than the wilderness so it’s not uncommon for us to find ourselves facing injuries or illnesses.

Being injured in the backcountry faces even more obstacles because we are that much further from professional care. Even if rescuers are on the way, it can still take hours so knowing what to do to stabilize an emergency can better your odds. Learn how to assess a situation, ask the right questions, care for injuries and stabilize emergencies the best that you can in the backcountry.

This class is not a certification course but is taught in a format to introduce you into what a formal Wilderness First Aid Certification course is like. We want you to walk away from this class better prepared to care for yourself or the family and friends you hike with. This class does not certify participants to respond to injured patients. We hope that this course will spark a further interest in wilderness medicine that you will pursue a more in-depth certification course!

We will cover…

  • Patient Assessment

  • Checking Vitals

  • Musculoskeletal Injuries

  • How to create an effective splint

  • Soft Tissue Injuries

  • How to Control Bleeding

  • Environmental Injuries

  • Wildlife Injuries

  • Anaphylaxis

You will need…

  • Notebook/pen or pencil

  • Water & drinks

  • Snacks & Lunch

  • What you usually carry with you when you hike/backpack

    • this gives you the opportunity to learn how to use your gear to stabilize a situation. Don’t have gear? No prob! We have plenty to borrow.

  • Bring along your first aid kit to see what you can drop to light your load

Upcoming Courses

 

  • Refunds can be issued if cancelled within 24 hours of event.

    You may also request a class credit, in which a credit will be issued to the price of the course that can be applied to any future Wild Forces course. Cannot be applied to third-party events.

    No Show: No refund or credits can be issued

    Refunds may take 3-5 days to process depending on your card or bank.

    Because our teams are often in the backcountry and in areas where communication is difficult. We will honor the cancellation date of when the initial request was sent. Please allow 2-3 days for those communications, if that is the case.

  • Outdoor activities can be inherently dangerous. All participants are required to sign a liability waiver and emergency contact form prior to this event. Please register with an active email address as this will be how we communicate with you and send you paperwork.

    You may be asked to sign a second waiver if we are partnered with a third party outfitter or guide.

  • Wild Forces are a 501(c)3 Non-profit and the funds of this event go towards our operational expenses and foundation goals to sponsor women’s education.

    The money collected from this course goes to the cost of our permits to continue to operate these classes, reserved space, and supplies used for this class. Wild Forces Instructors are volunteers. Third-party events and guides are at cost, Wild Forces does not take any percentage of funds collected.