Course Description

This course is the standard for professional swiftwater rescue teams.  If your agency responds to moving water accidents, the Technician certification is a must.  It is compliant to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) standards 1006 and 1670.  The intensive 20 hour swiftwater rescue class has four hours of classroom instruction followed by two and a half days developing and practicing skills on the river.  Like all WRI courses, the S/FRT is taught through scenarios.  Giving the students an opportunity to work in real time to solve realistic problems.  While the initial emphasis is safety and self rescue, the class offers an in-depth look at reading water, recognizing and avoiding hazards, quick rescue techniques, boat-based rescues,  entrapment scenarios, and technical rescue systems.  We analyze footage of actual river rescues in the classroom and progress from a solid foundation of rescue skills and practice into rescue scenarios on the river.  The class is challenging, fun and tailored to your needs. This swiftwater rescue course is good for 12 hours of CEU’s for licensed Montana EMTs.

Topics Covered:

  • Hydrology
  • Rescue Organization
  • Communication
  • Entrapment/Extrication
  • Stranded swimmers
  • Self-Rescue Techniques
  • Mechanical Advantage
  • Tension Diagonals
  • and much more

Included in the Course:

  • Swiftwater Rescue text by Cody Harris and Mike Johnston
  • Access to WRI online rescue resources and materials
  • Certification I.D. Card
  • Patch
  • Sticker

Safety

Because of the risk inherent in any whitewater or river activity, we want to make sure you are aware of these risks and acknowledge them prior to the class.  Simply put, we cannot guarantee your safety. If a river rescue or safety class is to be effective and give students whitewater experience and hands-on training, it is not going to be safe. In order for our instructors to provide realistic training with challenges that simulate actual rescue conditions, we recognize there is always the chance that someone is going to get injured. We may be walking along slippery rocky shorelines, swimming in cold whitewater, and working with ropes and rescue equipment in very realistic scenarios. All of this involves risk, and we will try our best to manage risk in a way that creates a balance between the risk students are exposed to and the levels of challenge presented during the training.

To receive a WRI certification from this class you will be expected to demonstrate the ability to perform some specific skills we cover in the course, such as defensive and aggressive swimming, throwbagging, live bait, z-drags, etc.  You may be asked to perform these skills in test stations or drills, or you may be asked to perform them in scenarios.

We encourage you to talk with our staff if you have any questions concerning safety.  We are proud of our safety record and know that our instructors do not achieve this alone, it takes the help of our students.

  • Course Length:20 hours
  • Certification Received:
    • Swiftwater/Flood Rescue Technician
  • Cost:$ 395.00

Course Calendar & Registration Info

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