Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA)

Learn advanced medical treatments for wilderness settings. Emphasis is on providing care for extended periods while waiting for additional resources.

• Learn through hands-on training sessions, as well as classroom lecture and discussion
• Prepare for backcountry emergencies in realistic scenarios with stage blood and simulated wounds
• Gain skills on one of the best courses you’ll ever experience—delivered by professional, dynamic and fun instructors

• Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) certification
• CPR A (CPR for adults, includes AED training) certification
• Included materials: Textbook, notebook (with WMA lecture notes), SOAP note booklet, waterproof WMA field guide

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

Graduates of Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) can upgrade to Wilderness First Responder (WFR) by taking the WFR-Bridge course within 3 years of their original certification.

• General concepts of wilderness medicine and the Patient Assessment System
• CPR, AED, and basic life support skills
• Anatomy and major problems of the respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems
• Musculoskeletal injury assessment and splinting
• Spine injury assessment and management
• Allergies and anaphylaxis
• Medical emergencies such as asthma and diabetes
• Wound and burn management
• Environmental problems such as hypothermia, heat illnesses, lightning, and drowning
• Backcountry medicine and toxins, bites, and stings
• Medical legal issues
• And more…

Prerequisites

You must be 16 years of age to participate. 16 and 17 year olds need parental consent.

There are no course prerequisites for Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA). However, once registered, you’ll be sent a link to our online learning platform. Here you can:

• access optional pre-course material for you to review
• read and sign your course waiver forms

Daily schedule

After registering, participants will receive a Student Information Package by email with specific meeting times for their course. Typically classes are from 8:30am – 5:30pm.

Assessment and evaluation for certification

Practical assessment is ongoing. There is a written test on the last day of the course;  students must receive a grade of 80% or higher.

Instructors will do everything they can to accommodate students with different learning styles and needs. Let us know what we can do to help you succeed.

Attendance is mandatory

Attendance for 100% of class time is mandatory. If you cannot make a session you must get permission from the instructor in advance. Students who miss a section of the course without pre-approval may be asked to leave the course for the sake and safety of the other students.

✔ COVID-19 UPDATE

Due to COVID-19, your course is taking place entirely outdoors. You will have access to indoor bathrooms and showers.

Please bring appropriate clothing and equipment to be comfortable outside for the entire day. If your course is in late fall, winter, or early spring this means:

• lots of thick, warm layers
• extra toques, mitts, socks, and footwear
• and lots of snack food

If you eat well, layer-up, and have extra dry items to change into, you’ll stay functional, get the most out of your training, and have the best chance of achieving certification. certification.

Checklist

EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

• A large backpack so you can carry extra food, water, clothing, and equipment for yourself, plus the ‘hypo-wrap’ and splinting materials (see below)

Note: you can rent a ‘splinting and hypo-wrap kit’ from us for $30 + tax. The rental kit includes an (old and well-used) large backpack

• Day pack for storing your clothing and belongings during class
• Drybag or waterproof stuff sack to keep your textbooks and learning materials in throughout the course (to leave in the outdoor ‘classroom’ area)
• A set of clothing that can be stained and cut during simulations (expect to throw these away)
• Face masks (non-surgical) which covers your nose, mouth, and chin—arrive wearing one plus bring a couple extra
• Eye protection: this must be commercial eye protection with side guards. Prescription glasses alone are not safety eyewear. The eyewear must have side shields. Full face shields are also acceptable.
• Thermometer: starting 3 days before your course, start taking your temperature once a day at the same time. Log these results and bring them as well as your thermometer to class
• Hand sanitizer with 80% alcohol
• Notebook and pens
• Waterproof digital watch (for taking vital signs). This is mandatory, you can’t use a smart phone.
• Water bottle(s) or hydration pack x 2 litres
• Snack foods (lots!)
• Lunch
• Sunscreen
• Bug repellent and headnet (season dependent)
• Headlamp with extra batteries
• Something to sit and lie on outside such as an insulate pad
• Personal medications
• Personal hygiene products
• Optional: Sunglasses
• Optional: Coffee or tea thermos
• Optional: Waterproof paper and pen
• Optional: Skis, snowshoes (for winter courses), bicycle, or hiking gear (for spring, summer, fall)

CLOTHING

• Synthetic or wool base layers top and bottom Synthetic or wool insulation layers
• Waterproof jacket and pants
• Warm socks (pack extras)
• *Shoes or boots appropriate for weather and rough terrain – an extra pair in case one get’s wet is a good idea.
• 2 x Toque (warm hat), scarf or neck warmer (winter courses), or sun hat
• 2 or 3 x Liner gloves / mitts and *over mittens (winter courses)

*Note: in cold conditions, roominess in your boots and mitts makes all the difference for warmth. If they’re too tight fitting—your feet and hands will be cold.

SPLINTING AND HYPO-WRAP MATERIALS

These items are for you to use outdoors, so you should be able to get them dirty and wet.

You can rent a ‘splinting and hypo-wrap’ kit from us for $30+tax. The rental kit contains the following items in old and well-used condition, plus an old and rough condition large backpack to store it all in.

Splinting

• 1 small fleece or wool blanket for splint padding
• 3 old fleece or wool shirts for splint padding
• Some cord, straps, or webbing —several 1.5 metre strands would work well
• We can use sticks for rigid splinting materials but if you have telescoping hiking poles, those work great

Hypo-wrap

• 1 insulate pad or Therm-a-rest style lightweight inflatable camping mattress
• 2 tarps (8’ x 10’ or bigger) or an old tent flies
• 1 sleeping bag
• 15 metre strand of rope (7mm to 10mm diameter)
• Garbage bag

*Old outdoor supplies work great for training (splinting and hypo wrap practice). Please don’t feel like you need to go buy any of the above items for this course . If you don’t have one of these items, you can borrow from a friend, find used, or rent from us.

CAMPING SUPPLIES (OPTIONAL)

From April 20th – Oct 20th, you can camp onsite for $19/night. You’ll have access to indoor bathrooms and showers and drinking water (outdoor tap), but no other facilities.

Please bring:

• All of your camping and cooking equipment
• Breakfast and supper food