When you spend time outdoors in Maine, you learn pretty quickly that help isn’t always right around the corner. A day on the river, a hike in the woods, a hunting trip, or even a day at work can put you miles from the nearest ambulance, hospital, or sometimes even reliable cell service.
If something goes wrong, would you know what to do?
That’s exactly what Wilderness First Aid is designed to teach.
What Is Wilderness First Aid?
Wilderness First Aid goes beyond traditional first aid by preparing you for situations where professional medical help may not be immediately available. It teaches you how to assess an injury or illness, provide appropriate care, make decisions with limited resources, and care for someone until additional help can arrive.
Our 16-hour Wilderness First Aid & CPR course is designed for anyone who works, recreates, or spends time in areas where EMS response may be an hour or more away.
The course is based on the Scouting America Wilderness First Aid Curriculum and Doctrine Guidelines, with enhanced content designed to meet OSHA’s Best Practices for Workplace First Aid Programs. The curriculum has also been reviewed and/or supported by organizations including the American Camp Association, American Canoe Association, National Recreation and Park Association, and JCC Association.
Wilderness First Aid Isn’t Just for Guides
You don’t have to make your living in the wilderness to benefit from this training.
Wilderness First Aid can be valuable for Maine guides, camp staff, outdoor recreation and tourism employees, teachers and coaches, hunters, anglers, hikers, paddlers, snowmobilers, ATV riders, scouts, parents, and anyone who enjoys spending time outdoors.
It’s also a great option for anyone who needs Standard First Aid or CPR certification or recertification for work. Wilderness First Aid covers standard first aid skills and goes beyond them with additional training for situations where professional medical care may be delayed. For positions or organizations that require Standard First Aid, this course may satisfy that requirement while providing a much broader level of training.
Hands-On Skills for Real-Life Situations
Emergencies rarely happen in convenient places or under ideal conditions. That’s why a major part of this course is designed to be taught outdoors, giving participants the opportunity to practice skills in a setting that more closely resembles situations they could actually encounter.
Throughout the course, participants learn how to perform primary and secondary patient assessments and respond to head, brain, neck and spinal injuries, wounds and infections, bone and joint injuries, burns, allergies and anaphylaxis, heat-related emergencies, hypothermia, altitude-related illnesses, and more.
Adult CPR/AED training is included with the Wilderness First Aid course, giving participants an even broader set of skills to draw from when an emergency happens.
Living and working in Maine gives us incredible access to the outdoors, but it also means we can find ourselves farther from immediate medical care than we realize.
You may never need to use the skills you learn in Wilderness First Aid. But if the day comes when you do, you’ll be glad you know what to do.
