WFR Certification for High-Performance SAR Teams

Why take a SARMED WFR instead of a traditional WFR?

  • Medicine for Wilderness Rescuers

    Rescuers will be taught the most recent wilderness medicine protocols and evidence-based medicine from the most updated research from the Wilderness Medical Society, Prehospital Life Support, Denver Metro protocols, and the International Commission on Alpine Rescue.

  • Patient Packaging & Wilderness Evacuation

    Enhance your SAR patient packaging skills and become confident using Skeds, Stokes litters, Vacuum mattresses, Foxtrots, Scoops, and learn how the pro's safely load and evacuate patients. Additionally, practice building improvised litters from tarps, ropes, backpacks, & other common outdoor equipment.

  • Perform under Pressure

    Become a honed wilderness rescuer who is confident and competent to lead & manage any wilderness emergency. Learn the tenets of wilderness leadership & teamwork that the special forces and elite mission-critical teams utilize when every second counts.

Certifications Awarded in SARMED Course

 

WFR

A WFR Certification valid for 3 years. Our WFR curriculum follows the practice guidelines published by the Wilderness Medical Society and the Scope of Practice documents published by the Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative. Additionally, we incorporate Curriculum from the NREMT Emergency First Responder SOP.


CPR

Students will receive a nationally recognized American Heart Association (AHA) or American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI) Basic Life Support CPR Certification valid for 2 years. Many WFR institutions only offer community level CPR certification.

Anaphylaxis

Students will receive a nationally recognized American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI) Use and Administration of Epinephrine Auto-Injectors Certification valid for 2 years.

Stop the Bleed

Students will receive a nationally recognized certification from The American College of Surgeons’ STOP THE BLEED® program.

“You nailed it! I feel so much more confident and capable coming out of your class. Much more so than my first full week class with a competitor. You have a great way of simplifying and helping us focus on what’s important.”

— Vail Mountain Rescuer SARMED WFR Refresher Course Evaluation

Pricing

Hybrid SARMED WFR Course

$800/Student

This hybrid course consists of 30 hours of self-paced hybrid work followed by a 5-day field course.

  • A minimum of 6 students is needed to hold the course.

  • The typical class size is 8-12 students.

  • Additional fees may apply for instructor travel & lodging.

Hybrid SARMED WFR Refresher

$375/Student

This hybrid course consists of 8 hours of self-paced hybrid work followed by a 2-day field course.

  • A minimum of 6 students is needed to hold the course.

  • The typical class size is 8-12 students.

  • Additional fees may apply for instructor travel & lodging.

SARMED Courses include

 

SARMED E-Textbook

The course cost includes two year access to the online SARMMED WFR E-Textbook with hundreds of illustrations, pictures, and videos to help prepare you for the 5-day field session. This E-Textbook includes the latest wilderness medicine protocols from the Wilderness Medical Society, International Commission for Alpine Rescue & Prehospital Trauma Life Support.

Field Guide

A 4X6 Wilderness Rescue Medicine Field Guide that easily fits in your cargo pocket, chest harness or backpack. The field guide is 232 pages, color, & weatherproof. Additionally each student will receive two 50-page patient care notebooks to document patient care in the field.

Protocol Consulting

After participants are certified WFRs, we will work with your medical director and medical officer to establish written WFR protocols authorized by your teams medical director. Additionally, we will provide your team with an audit of current medical and rescue equipment and make recommendations to better serve your team.

SARMED Daily Itinerary

 

  • Course Introduction

    Wilderness Medicine Protocols

    Wilderness Medical-Legal/Rescuer Professional Liability

    Golden Principles of Wilderness Medicine

    Patient Assessment Field Scenarios

    Crew Resource Management

    Communication/Documentation

    Rescue Leadership Principles: Getting the Victory

    Airway Assessment & Management

    Oxygenation & Ventilation Basics

    Wilderness Airway Improvisational Techniques

    Stop the Bleed Training & Certification

    Shock & Bleeding

    Internal Bleeding Assessment & Treatment

    External Bleeding Assessment and Treatment

    Pressure bandage/tourniquet/improvised tourniquet

    Wound packing and hemostatic agents

    CPR & Wilderness CPR protocols

    Pit crew approach/Adult CPR/Pediatric CPR/Neonatal CPR

  • Orthopedic Injuries

    Fracture Assessment & Splinting

    Wilderness improvisational splinting

    Taping and Wrapping

    Wilderness wound care

    Prolonged care of wilderness wounds

    Wound closure

    Preventing & managing infections

    Burns

    Impaled Objects

    Neurological Injuries

    TBI and concussion management

    Spinal cord injuries and selective spinal criteria

    Back-boarding & Patient Packaging

    Back boarding 101 & C-Collar, log-roll

    Chest/Abdominal/GI Injuries

    Prolonged Transport Guidelines

  • Overview of Medical Emergencies

    Asthma & Anaphylaxis

    Cardiac Emergencies (Angina/AMI)

    Strokes

    Seizure vs Syncope

    Diabetes

    Toxicology & Combative patients

    Acute Abdomen

    N/V/D and Travel Medicine

    Backcountry Medicines & Technologies

  • Heat Emergencies: Heat Exhaustion/Stroke/Hyponatremia

    Cold Emergencies: Hypothermia & Frostbite

    Altitude Emergencies: AMS/HAPE/HACE

    Avalanche Resuscitation Drownings

    Lightning Injuries

    Snakes, Spiders & Scorpions

  • Professional SAR Deployment

    Mission Optimization for SAR Deployments

    SAR Med kits/24 hour pack/IFAK Med kits

    SAR evacuation equipment

    Improvisational Wilderness Evacuation

    Rope carries, Tarp & backpack carries

    Litter and stretcher building workshop

    Electives to be decided with SAR Team for the final day:

    Helicopter Orientation

    Stress Inoculation Training

    Basic Technical Evacuations

Comments from SAR students

 

“It was certainly my pleasure to be in your class. Great information and I certainly learned a lot from your knowledge, experiences, and teaching style.”

— AVSAR Team member

 

“Thanks so much for putting on an excellent course. All week I’ve been imagining the “what if” scenarios throughout my work/play and I’ve looked back at my book a few times to be certain that my “rescue” was the appropriate action”

-anonymous SARMED particiant

“The online content is spectacular.”

— VMRG SAR Practioner

 

“Thanks so much for a great course, I really enjoyed learning from you..”

— SARMED course (AVSAR team member)