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Missoula Rafting: Montana’s Best Summer Adventures
We’ve wrapped up most of our swiftwater rescue classes for the season and are out enjoying Missoula’s best rafting & kayaking on the Alberton Gorge. Summer water levels have arrived with warm friendly class II and II rapids. We know you are all wearing the right gear and keeping an eye on each other. If you know…
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Navigating New Currents: Whitewater Rescue Institute Goes to India
Navigating New Currents: Whitewater Rescue Institute in India In November 2024, WRI Instructors Ben Schmidt and Sam Johnston travelled to Northwestern India to teach swiftwater rescue and instructor practices to river guides for Aquaterra Adventures. They were excited to share our swift water rescue curriculum with Aquaterra’s talented guides on the picturesque banks of the…
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In between a Rock and a Wet Place: Is your “Un-Pin Kit” Adequate?
In Between A Rock and a Wet Place: Is Your Pin Kit Adequate? Accidents happen. How we prepare for and resolve those situations affects how the tale is told. Getting a boat unpinned is a fundamental skill for river runners. The equipment used is also critical to your safety and success. Folks often just buy…
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Inland Spill Response : ICE RESPONSE
Inland Spill Response: Cold Weather Fastwater Spill Response in Winter Inland spill response in cold weather is difficult and risky. Responding to oil spills along rivers in winter requires additional risk management and emphasis on standard operating procedures for all responders on site. Obviously we try to work off ice whenever possible. Several spills in…
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Inland Oil Spill Response: DeCon
Fastwater Spill Response Inland Oil Spill Response Notes Personnel Decontamination Inland Oil Spill Response responders must be proactive and assertive about decon. This is one area of response that is often overlooked or incomplete in the early phases of a spill. Establish work zones and clearly communicate them to all responders. Create a site map, with…
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Inland Spill Response
New Technologies for Inland Spill Response At WRI we specialize in fastwater spill response and inland oil spill response. Our goals are always to respond safely and effectively. We want to contain the spill as quickly as possible and then take steps to minimize its impact. Over the past few years we have been experimenting…
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Grand Canyon of Colorado Kayak Self-Support
On January 26, WRI instructors Paul Heffernan, Matt O’Reilly, Frank Preston and Cody Harris launched from Lees Ferry, Arizona for a 10-day kayak self-support down the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Below are a series of letters and photos discovered in the bottom of a drybag after the trip. One of our crew wrote…
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WRI in India
The River Ganga: A trip to India Mike & Cody recently returned from India where they trained with instructors from the Hannibal Outdoor Center and ran the Ganges river in northern India. They stayed with some guides on the Ganges to learn about rafting standards in India and got a brief immersion in this amazing…
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Costa Rica Swiftwater Rescue Training
Whitewater Rescue Institute Instructor Paul Heffernan and I recently returned from Costa Rica Swiftwater rescue training where we led five days of classes with 50 Costa Rican whitewater rafting guides. We gained an appreciation for the knowledge, skill and dedication of the Costa Rican guides and some of the challenges they face for emergency response…