Typically, we schedule a WFR course each year in April. This course runs in conjunction with our SOAR school, so students will join with the SOAR students during the course. The course has been hosted in a different location each year – so far it has mostly been run in Salem, OR, and Bishop, CA, but it has also been hosted in Colorado and Los Angeles. Next years site will be determined and posted some time after this years course.

The course typically begins at 9am of the first day, and finishes after 4pm on the last day. The cost of the course includes all meals plus accommodations for the nights between those meals.

The price of the course includes all training, book, food, and housing accommodations. You may or may not need to drive and/or help shuttle between the lecture site and the practicum site.

If in Bishop, CA, you will need to bring winter clothing as we will be out working in the snow for hours at a time. If in Salem, OR, you will need to bring rain gear as this reflects typical weather in April. Be prepared to sit in the cold for long periods. We encourage you to bring any typical medical equipment and first aid kits that you or your program use, though it is not essential.

Click here for a complete packing list.

For 10 years we have used a tremendously gifted emergency medicine teacher and avid wilderness adventurer, Stephen Messer. Stephen has been an active paramedic for 20 years, is a training Captain and key medical instructor for the Dothan, Alabama Fire Department, is a Major in the Alabama Army National Guard, and has established his own emergency medicine training company. He is a graduate of the Wilderness Medical Associate’s Instructor’s Course. Stephen is assisted by several staff, all of whom have been WFR certified multiple times over.

This course far exceeds the curriculum and hours required by the US Department of Transportation for a First Responder certification. Additionally, our material exceeds other similar courses and industry standards for a Wilderness First Responder. The course curriculum has been primarily developed by Steven Messer, and our text book is Wilderness First Aid: Wilderness Care for Remote Locations, published by Jones & Bartlett, and produced by the Wilderness Medical Society & the National Safety Council.

Our certification has been accepted everywhere our students have gone, including numerous outdoor adventure programs, as well as National Forest, Park, and BLM agencies.

If the course is held in or near Bishop, CA, we’re sorry to say (no, not really) that we are remote and public transportation is very limited. The nearest reasonably priced commercial airports are Reno, LA, and Las Vegas. Smaller, closer, and higher priced airports are Lancaster, CA and Ridgecrest, CA (not much closer). All of these are 3 to 5 hours drive away. There is a bus line to Bishop from LA and Lancaster/Ridgecrest, and also from Reno – find scheduling info at The Crest. However, we recommend driving to Bishop, and renting a car if you have to (saves A LOT of time and messing around). For driving directions to Bishop and Cardinal Village, visit the Cardinal Village Resort website.

If the course is held at the YWAM Salem base in Oregon, transportation is easier. The nearest major airport is in Portland, but you can also easily fly into Salem itself. Interstate 5 goes right through Salem and is very close to the base, so contact Greyhound or Amtrak for bus and train schedules. For driving directions to the base, visit the YWAM Salem website.