Accidents and injuries happen in wilderness settings everyday (just watch a good carnage video if you need convincing). Knowing what to do in these situations can not only be the difference between life or death, but more often the difference between quick and effective treatment or a time-consuming, painful, and expensive rescue. One of the best ways to be prepared for these situations is by taking a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course. A WFR course will teach you what to do when you can’t just dial 911. Courses typically cover diagnosis, treatment, and evacuation; skills that come in handy when the shit hits the fan.
Here are a few of the courses available in Utah:
Wilderness Medicine of Utah (WMU)
Website: wmutah.org
Cost: $390
Locations: Salt Lake, Moab, Logan, Zion National Park
Dates: Usually once a month at various locations throughout the state.
WMU is run by the University of Utah School of Medicine and is definitely a great course for the money. I took a one-week WFR course from WMU in Moab this past October. The instructors were top-notch and very knowledgeable. The class focused on applicable scenarios and gave me what I needed to feel comfortable and confident in rescue situations. My only gripes were that we didn’t do any scenarios out in the field, and the textbook was more of a set of lecture notes and less of a resource I will be able to use as a future reference. But overall a solid course.
NOLS Wilderness Medicine Institute (WMI)
Website: nols.edu
Cost: $600 – $800
Locations: Salt Lake, Moab, Orem, and other locations as announced
Dates: Less frequent and consistent than WMU. Half a dozen or so throughout the year.
NOLS sometimes gets a bad rap for being snooty, and while I have met my share of “NOLS it alls,” I’ve still been impressed with their classes. I took a Wilderness First Aid course (basically a WFR recert) from NOLS a few years ago and was fortunate enough to have Buck Tilton, America’s Medicine Man, as the instructor. Buck literally wrote the book on wilderness medicine and was one of the most engaging instructors I’ve ever had. The course was incredibly thorough, to the point of using Hollywood make-up for fake injuries in scenarios. If you’re looking for quality above all else, it’s hard to beat a course from WMI.
Universities
Utah’s universities often sponsor WFR courses but rarely teach the courses themselves. Most courses you’ll find at The U, USU, UVU, SUU, WSU, or BYU are actually taught by NOLS or another outside organization. Your best bet is usually to reach out to the school’s outdoor rec center to inquire of any upcoming courses.
Additional Organizations
WMU and NOLS offer the most frequent courses in Utah. However, there are a few organizations that do offer WFR courses once or twice per year. These include:
- Boulder Outdoor Survival School (In Boulder, UT)
- Canyonlands Field Institute (Recertification only)
- Wilderness Medical Associates
- Wilderness Medicine Training Center
- International Wilderness Leadership School
- Desert Mountain Medicine
- Wilderness and Rescue Medicine
- SOLO
- Colorado Mountain College
Wherever you take the course, learning the skills taught in a WFR course will pay dividends for years. You often won’t need it until the worst possible scenarios, and at that point you’ll be happy you did it.