WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER COURSE
By Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS & Crossing Latitudes
This Wilderness First Responder course is designed specifically to provide you with the
tools to make critical medical and evacuation decisions in remote locations. Half of your
time will be spent completing practical skills, case studies and scenarios designed to
challenge your decision-making abilities. Adult CPR is included in this course. We do
encourage you to browse the textbook before the course. Course out-line below.
Course Location: Gilwellstugan, 64034 Sparreholm, Sweden
The Gilwell Center is owned by the Swedish Scout Association.
Sparreholm is located 20km from Flen where the train stops. Sparreholm is 100km from
Stockholm. You can take a train from Stockholm to Flen where we can pick you up. The
train ride is less then an hour long. Travel Directions below.
Course Dates: November 1-11, 2012. Day 6 (Tuesday November 6) is a day off.
Course Fee: US$1450.00 per person. The fee includes course materials, books,
instruction, lodging and all meals. Travel to and from the course location is not included.
Meals & Lodging: Lodging and food are included in your course fee. Three full meals
and snacks are served each day. We create fun, nutritious and plentiful meals.
Signing up / Registration Policy: The full tuition is required to reserve a space in the
course. Payments may be made via submitting a VISA, Master Card number or a transfer
to Crossing Latitudes Swedish Plusgiro account 100 75 14-1. The tuition fee covers
textbooks, syllabus, equipment, certifications, lodging and all meals. A full refund will be
given if we are forced to cancel the course for any reason. Crossing Latitudes Swedish
Tax ID number: 502069-8584
Crossing Latitudes Cancellation & Refund Policy: If a student cancels or withdraws
from the course:
*Greater than or equal to 30 days prior to the course starting date, Crossing Latitudes
will retain a $100.00 administrative fee.
*Between 29 days and 14 days prior to the course starting date, Crossing Latitudes will
retain 25% of the course tuition.
*13 days prior to the course starting date and throughout the duration of the course all
deposit and tuition moneys are non-refundable. If the cancelled spot can be filled with
another person prior to course start the tuition will be returned minus the administrative
fee of $100.00.
*If Crossing Latitudes cancels the course the whole tuition is refunded.
Course Language: English. Our two WMI of NOLS instructors are from the USA. One
instructor speaks Swedish fluently. The Wilderness First Responder textbook is in English
and will be sent to you pre course and we highly recommend that you start reading it.
For Course specific information: Please contact Crossing Latitudes (representative for
WMI of NOLS in Europe) at info@crossinglatitudes.com
Phone (USA): 1-406-585-5356. Phone (Europe): +46-70-670 1153
WFR Course Description: Essential wilderness first aid education for anyone who
spends significant time in remote places or who has a professional career in the
outdoors. The Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course will prepare you to make difficult
medical decisions. This course is fast-paced and engaging. You'll spend half your time
outside of the classroom doing hands-on skills and realistic scenarios. In addition to
scenarios, you'll participate in a full-scale night mock rescue.
WMI's curriculum encompasses a wide range of topics including long-term patient care,
wound management, straightening angulated fractures, reducing dislocations, litter
packaging and administering medications. You'll complete this course with the tools and
confidence to manage patients in the backcountry for multiple days.
The intensive 80-hour curriculum is internationally recognized and supported by the
Wilderness Medicine Institute's Medical Advisory Panel. You'll be taught by dynamic
educators who have practiced both wilderness and urban medicine. This 80-hour course
is ideal for all professionals operating in remote environments. Adult CPR certification is
included. The WFR course is pre-approved for 70 hours of EMT CEU’s by CECBEMS (see
more info below).
For more information about WMI of NOLS and the WFR course, please visit:
http://www.nols.edu/wmi/courses/wildfirstresponder.shtml
Class time & Scenarios: The Course language is English. Two WMI instructors will be
coming from the US and Sweden. Many hours will be spent indoors learning in-depth
about different topics. 50% of the time will be spent outdoors with practical sessions and
scenarios. There will be night exercises and you might encounter "patients" you never
met before (specially invited folks). Discussions about leadership, group dynamics and
evacuation procedures are part of this course.
All participants will be playing both “patients” and “rescuers” each day. We use fake
blood to make the scenarios more realistic. The moulage blood will come off clothing but
you might have to wash twice.
Directions: If you are coming from outside Sweden you can fly or take a train to
Stockholm. From Stockholm you can travel to Flen by train. The Swedish Rail Road page:
http://www.sj.se/sj/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=10&l=en We will pick you up in Flen. We will
also be glad to figure out carpooling as we get closer to the course start.
Enter Gilwellstugan, 64034 Sparreholm, Sweden on Mapquest.se or Eniro.se and you
will find more detailed maps of where Gilwellstugan is located.
Meals: Three healthy and plentiful meals are served each day by Crossing Latitudes
staff. Snacks and hot-drinks will also be available. Prepared meals will include pasta,
whole grains, fresh vegetables and meat. Meals will be served family-style at 7:00am,
12:30pm and 6:30pm. Please let us know in advance if you have specific questions
regarding food allergies, diet or food requests.
Meals on your day off are also included in your tuition. There is no refund if you choose
to leave the Gilwell center this day and eat out on your own.
We ask all participants to help out with basic clearing of the tables and kitchen chores on
a rotating schedule. No one will loose class time by helping out.
Lodging: You will share a room with a few other participants. You need to bring your
own sheets, sleeping bag and towels. There are blankets and pillows at the center. There
are several study-rooms, bathrooms, showers and a sauna.
Recreation: The Gilwell center is located in the forest. If you are a runner or enjoy
taking long walks this is a great area to enjoy. There are endless miles of dirt and paved
roads for folks who bring their bikes. The nearby community of Flen is only 20 km away
so if you are looking for a bike trip this will be a great destination.
We welcome you to bring your own kayak or canoe. The Båven lake is large with
numerous islands creating an interesting area to paddle in. November in Sweden can be
both wet and cold so be prepared. It also gets dark quite early so a headlamp is a must.
Internet: There is no wireless Internet connection at Gilwell but there is good cell phone
reception.
WMI of NOLS Mission: The Wilderness Medicine Institute's goal is to provide the
highest quality education and information for the recognition, treatment, and prevention
of wilderness emergencies.
For over a decade, the Wilderness Medicine Institute (http://www.nols.edu/wmi/) has
been the most recognized and respected teacher of wilderness medicine, training over
110,000 students around the world. At WMI, students learn treatment principles and
decision-making skills, not the memorization of long lists. Our courses are rigorous and
intensive. They will challenge your decision-making skills and they will get you ready. To
date we have run courses internationally in USA, Australia, Canada, Nepal, Columbia,
Costa Rica, Chile, India, Kenya, Mexico, Norway, Thailand, South Africa, Sri Lanka,
Sweden, Germany, England and Tanzania.
WMI of NOLS is an internationally recognized program that trains participants to respond
to emergencies in remote settings.
What can you expect? Expect dynamic instructors with lots of backcountry experience.
Expect to spend lots of time outside with realistic scenarios. There will be intense but
rewarding days. You will have to study hard in the evenings. We will have a night
scenario. There will be a written and a practical exam at the end of the course. You need
to pass both the written and the practical tests in order to receive WMI of NOLS
international WFR certification.
You can expect a curriculum that is evidence-based, not just copied out of a textbook.
We teach wilderness medicine practices and protocols that are supported by a physicianbased medical advisory panel and disseminated by our curriculum director. This means
you're getting the latest findings and protocols in the industry.
What do we expect of you? We expect you to be on time each day. We expect you to
come prepared each morning. We expect you to be respectful of other participants and
our staff – both in the classroom and during our scenarios outside. We expect you to
take good care of the equipment. We hope you will ask us if you don’t understand. We
expect you to study and practice in the evenings.
We ask that all participants’ cell phones and computers will be turned off during class
time. No smoking during our class time (which includes scenario time).
Continuing Education College credit and EMT CEUS: The course is pre-approved for
three (3) semester hour credits through the University of Utah at a cost. If interested,
please check with the instructors on the first day of class for the necessary information.
WMI is proud to be a Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical
Services (CECBEMS) accredited organization. Current EMTs are eligible to receive 70 CEU
hours for their Wilderness First Responder courses. Please bring a photocopy of your
current EMT card(s) with you to your course.
PETS / DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED AT THE COURSE. THIS INCLUDES LEASHING
THEM OUTSIDE. NO EXCEPTIONS. Any student bringing pets to the course will be
asked to leave the course until the pet is safely situated in a kennel or other facility.
No alcohol or smoking is allowed on site during class hours.
What to bring: WMI will bring medical equipment and outdoor gear for setting up
realistic scenarios. During the course we will also sell WMI of NOLS first aid kits, T-shirts,
books and first aid materials.
Suggested Equipment List: Expect the best weather but be prepared for the worst!
November in Sweden can be nasty! There are no wash machines at the Gilwell Center. If
you need to wash clothing you will have to do it in the sink. We do have a sauna as well.
Back pack
Sleeping bag
Sheets (to be used in your bed at the Gilwell Center)
Personal Towels
Therm-A-Rest or sleeping pad (to be used in scenarios)
Underwear
2-3 layers of poly-pro / wool / silk top.
1-2 poly-pro / wool / silk bottoms (long johns)
1-2 warm sweaters or fleece jackets
1-2 outdoor pants
1-2 sweats or casual pants for evenings
Rain jacket
Rain pants
3-4 wool or synthetic socks
1-2 liner socks
2-3 ordinary socks
Outdoor boots (remember there might be some cold and wet evenings)
Indoor shoes or sandals
2-3 T-shirts or long sleeve casual shirts
Hat, gloves, mittens, neck warmer / scarf
Exercise clothing (running shoes etc) if you want to take a run
Games, music instruments, outdoor “toys” (bike, Frisbee, hackysack etc)
Toiletries
Flash light or Head lamp with extra batteries (important for the night scenarios)
Camera
Note pad and pens
Knife
Sunglasses
Water bottle
Mug
If you bring a phone, radio, iPod or other electronics you need an adaptor for Northern
Europe
IMPORTANT! Please bring one set of clothing (pants and shirt) that can be totally
destroyed during the WFR course. These clothes you or someone else will wear during
one of the longer scenarios when you are a “patient”. Your clothes will be soaked in
“blood” and cut up with trauma scissors. Nothing fancy is needed – just some old jeans,
pants, a button down shirt or sweater. Large or extra large clothing is good.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
DAY 0: WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 31: You are welcome to arrive this evening.
DAY 1: THURSDAY NOVEMBER 1:
08:00 Morning: Introductions: Wilderness vs. Urban
Initial Assessment
Patient Exam
Vital Signs: LOC, HR, RR, SCTM
Afternoon: Vital Signs: BP, Pupils
Focused History
Documentation
Medical Legal Issues
DAY 2: FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2:
08:00 Morning: Problem of the Day
Review and Practical Session
CPR
Afternoon: CPR in Remote Environments and Oxygen
Spinal Cord Injuries
Lifting and Moving
Spinal Immobilization Litter Packaging, Carrying, and Long-Term Patient Management
DAY 3: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 3:
08:00 Morning: Problem of the Day
Chest Injuries
Shock
Afternoon: Focused Spinal Assessment
Head Injuries
DAY 4: SUNDAY NOVEMBER 4:
08:00 Morning: Problem of the Day
Wilderness Wound Management
Afternoon: Problem of the Day
Athletic Injuries
Fracture Management
Evening: Traction Splinting
Dislocations
DAY 5: MONDAY NOVEMBER 5:
08:00 Morning: Problem of the Day
Review and Practical Session
Hypothermia
Frostbite and Non-Freezing Cold Injury
Afternoon: Heat and Hydration
Altitude Illness
Practical Scenario
DAY 6: TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6:
DAY OFF
Day 7: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 7:
09:00 Morning: Problem of the Day
Cardiac Emergencies
Respiratory Emergencies
Afternoon: Neurological Emergencies
Acute Abdomen
DAY 8: THURSDAY NOVEMBER 8:
08:00 Morning: Problem of the Day
Bites and Stings
Allergies and Anaphylaxis
Afternoon: Diabetes
Search Scenario
Principles of Search and Rescue/Evacuation
Evening: Rescue Scenario
DAY 9: FRIDAY NOVEMBER 9:
08:00 Morning: Mock Rescue Debrief
Common Problems Wrap-up
Communicable Disease
Poisoning
Lightning
Afternoon: Submersion Incidents
DAY 10: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 10:
08:00 Morning: Wilderness Drug and First Aid Kits
Gender Medical Issues
Practical Scenario
Extra time for Questions & Answers
Afternoon: Practical Exams
DAY 11: SUNDAY NOVEMBER 11:
08:00 Morning: Written Exam
Closing Ceremony
Departure approximately 14:00
For WMI or curriculum specific questions please contact Crossing Latitudes (WMI
representative in Scandinavia) at info@crossinglatitudes.com Phone in Europe: +46-70670 1153 Phone in USA: +1-406-585-5356. WMI website: wmi.nols.edu
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