Whitewater Rescue Technician Course I, II, & III

• Hands-on practice with professional instructors, a great learning environment, and a well-run course
• Increase your knowledge of the river environment to avoid hazards and work with the water, not against it
• Practice techniques such as swimming, wading, and throwing ropes to move around the river, perform self-rescues, and rescue others
• Learn knots, anchors, and rope systems for use in equipment recovery and transportation
• Carry out effective rescues with limited resources when river running
• Progress from learning skills in easy water to performing more complex rescues in bigger rapids
• Gain experience and confidence through challenging simulations and drills

Take away materials

• Waterproof course manual: Whitewater Rescue Field Guide
• Digital certification card
• Practical evaluation record sheet
• Whitewater Rescue Technician sticker

Basic skills

• Swimming in moving water: self rescue and whitewater maneuvers
• Throw ropes
• Contact rescues
• Quick release safety harness and ‘live bait’ rescue
• Rescue of panicked subjects
• Shallow water crossing techniques
• Knots, anchors, and basic tensioning systems
• ‘Strainer’ swim

Advanced skills

• Line crossing
• Transportation systems
• Advanced anchors and compound mechanical advantage systems
• Supervised swim in a hole and hole rescue
• Advanced swimming, throwing, and ‘live-bait’ rescues

Rescue problems & scenarios

• Advanced foot and body entrapment
• Canoe, kayak, and raft pins and wraps
• Team rescue drills and extended simulations

Pre-course prep

Once registered, you’ll be emailed the Preparation Guide with full instructions and resources. You can work on this offline and it will take 4 to 6 hours.

By learning the pre-course prep material beforehand, we can spend more time during your course practicing where it matters: on and around the river.

Daily schedule

After registering, you’ll receive a ‘student information package’ with specific meeting times for your course. Typically class starts at 8:30am and some days may go until 6:30pm.

Attendance is mandatory

Attendance for 100% of class time is mandatory. If you can’t make a session you need permission from the instructor in advance. Students who miss a section of the course without pre-approval may be asked to leave the course.

Assessment and evaluation for certification

One of the most valuable aspects of Boreal River Rescue – Whitewater Rescue Technician (WRT) III certification is that it includes a practical evaluation. This proves that an individual holding the certification has demonstrated competency with their river rescue skills and not simply attended a workshop.

The assessment takes place on the river in a supportive, fun, and professional environment with the goals of evaluation, review, and continued learning. Students will get multiple chances to demonstrate competency with their skills. To achieve the WRT Level III certification students need to:

• Attend all sessions and participate throughout the course
• Demonstrate an understanding of river safety and river rescue skills
• Pass the practical evaluation on the last day.

Your certification is valid for 3 years from the date of issue.

Recertification as a Whitewater Rescue Technician (WRT)

You can recertify your Whitewater Rescue Technician (WRT) Level III certification by taking the 3-day Recertification (WRT-Recert) course within 3 years of your last certification. You need to complete a pre-course prep assignment by the start of the course. Please bring your current certification card with you to your course. You can also re-take the 5-day course if you would like even more practice.

Recertification and upgrade:  3-day Recert/Bridge or 5-day WRT course

To successfully recertify or upgrade to your technician-level certification in 3 days, it’s important that you arrive for your course ready to use your skills and knowledge from your previous training courses and experiences.

The 3-day option is great if you have been practicing most of your skills regularly and spending time in and around rivers during the three years since your last course. We recommend taking the complete 5-day WRT course if you would like more supervised practice time, if you haven’t spent very much time around rivers since your last course, or if you aren’t able to perform the skills outlined in the pre-course prep assignment.

Certification from other training providers

You can take the WRT-Bridge or WRT-Recertification course if your current certification is through a provider other than Boreal River Rescue. Please contact the office for approval.

This is a general list of what to bring for a Whitewater Rescue Technician (WRT) course. Please refer to your ‘student information package’ (emailed to you once you register) for a complete list specific to your course.

Equipment rentals are available.

For the river:

• Whitewater helmet. You can rent one from us for the whole course (5 days total) for $15 CAD.
• Whitewater rescue PFD (personal floatation device) with quick-release harness. Needs to be in good condition and fit properly. You can rent a rescue PFD from us for the whole course (5 days total) for $50 CAD—it comes equipped with a knife, whistle, and quick-release harness.
• River shoes – closed toe
  River shoes with full toe coverage that are supportive but also lightweight and draining with a grippy sole. This could be a model made specifically for the river or a lightweight running shoe. Neoprene shoes can work if they have enough support and traction but neoprene socks or booties are not adequate.
• Wetsuit or drysuit
  One of these is necessary for courses before mid-June or past mid-September in eastern or central North America. You’ll always need one on glacier-fed rivers. You can rent a full length wetsuit (4mm with fleece lining and full arms and legs) from us for the whole course (5 days total) for $79 CAD.
• Locking carabiner and 4-5 m strand of 1″ tubular webbing
  You need to bring your own locking carabiner (rate to min. 20kN with gate closed) and a 4 to 5 m strand of 1″ tubular webbing. Make sure you don’t cut the webbing too short. Read this article for more information.
• Base layers, insulation, and socks
  Make sure to have several layers of socks, pants, and tops made of wool, fleece, polyester, or another synthetic material to wear in addition to your wetsuit or drysuit (or to be worn on their own on sunny days and in warm water).
• Surf shorts
• Rash guard
• Snacks, lunch, and water bottle or thermos
  Keeping yourself fuelled with calories is one of the keys to staying warm and happy. We usually don’t stop for a long lunch break but instead, take several shorter eating breaks throughout the day so it is good to bring lots of food and things that don’t require much preparation on the side of the river. Also make sure to have some high calorie snacks that you can keep in your PFD pocket.
• Sunscreen, lip protection, bug repellent
• Neoprene gloves (optional)
• Neoprene head warmer (optional)
• Camera (optional)
• Sunglasses or prescription glasses with strap (optional)

For on land:

• Comfortable clothing
• Comfortable shoes
• Tuque (warm hat), gloves, or mitts for early and late season courses
• Sun hat, visor, or baseball cap
• Raingear
• Gear bag or container to store your equipment for transport
• Day pack or drybag to store your belongings during class
• Pens and notepad

Consider the following items but refer to the ‘student information package’ for your course to see the accommodation options available and a more specific list:

• Meals and cooking equipment
• Camping equipment or bedding
• Towel
• Personal hygiene products and medications
• Indoor clothing and shoes

If you’d like to take your Whitewater Rescue Technician course, but can’t make it to one of the scheduled 5-day blocks or two-weekend courses:

• combine any 2-day WWR I&II and 3-day WRT-Bridge III across Canada in the same year
• pay the price of the 5-day course, instead of the two separate courses
• this will save you $100+

How to do this:

• Register for any 2-day WWR I & II course
• Then, contact our office and let us know which 3-day WRT-Bridge Level III course you want to join
• We’ll then set you up with a discount code for the second part of your combo—or we can register for you
• You can combine this discount with any other pro-deal or multi-student special that you have