Swiftwater Rescue Training & Wilderness First Aid Classes

Anyone who plans on recreating in the river should be interested in swift water rescue. You will learn the tools and refine the skills needed to perform self-rescue and team rescue in the swift water environment. Both the swiftwater rescue and recreational river rescue classes are packed with useful information and you’ll gain confidence in your knowledge and be able to act when necessary.

All of our swift water rescue classes cover the skills of self-rescue for all types of river users. We cover swift water swimming, aggressive swimming, throw bag techniques, mechanical advantage with ropes, entrapment, and scenario-based learning evolutions.

The swift water rescue course is designed for professional rescuers.  Typically these classes include fire departments, ambulance crews, search and rescue teams, professional river guides, and any other group who might be called on to assist in a professional manner in the swift water rescue environment. The river rescue training is catered toward the recreational users from a variety of crafts including rafters, kayakers, and all river users.

Yes! We love to train departments and teams.  We can travel to your area of operation for custom courses in your area of operation, or you can travel to the Payette River and train at our center.  The benefit of training as a team is the learning environment is extremely conducive to team building, group communications, and river skills. You’ll also come away with the confidence that your team is on the same page and can act seamlessly together in a water rescue emergency.

The dynamic team-building environment of the river rescue course is a prime environment for paddling groups to learn the importance of river rescue training and to understand how their team can work together and react in an emergency situation.  This learning is invaluable and promotes a team-based approach to river rescue. You know what others know and how you can rely on each other in a rescue scenario. The same can be said for the wilderness first aid and CPR class. Training with the people you work or hike or bike or ski with allows you to share knowledge and work together for the best possible outcome in a medical emergency.

All of our wilderness first aid courses are outside!  Our evolutions are hands-on and progressive, building the wilderness first aid training gradually as the class progresses. Our passionate instructors will equip you to deal with medical emergencies in the wilderness environment. Confidence in your training and knowledge encourages a calm and practical approach to wilderness first aid and this course includes lots of practice-time and interactive learning to reinforce the concepts.

Our wilderness first aid class covers a great deal including patient assessment, medical emergencies, traumatic injury, environmental emergencies, and patient care and transport. If there are particular scenarios that you encounter often in your outdoor work or recreation, we’re happy to address those with additional focus and practice.