Build the skills you need to feel confident in the backcountry.
COURSE DATES COMING SOON
Wilderness Medicine Courses
Our Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course is designed for the outdoor enthusiast, trip leader, raft guide, or land agency field staff who want more than what an urban first aid course provides. The WFA is a great introduction to wilderness medicine and basic life support skills. This training focuses on prevention, assessment, and treatment of environmental illnesses and the most common injuries in the backcountry. From handling blisters, burns stain and sprains in the field to recognizing and stabilizing life threats caused by trauma and calling for a rescue in the event of a wilderness emergency, participants will be given hands on skills training so that they will be capable for their level of care. More in depth than many of its counterparts this this two day course is jam packed with information and hands on skills giving participants the tools they need to manage minor emergencies in the field, to know when and how to call for help, and the confidence to takle on the challenges of wilderness first aid. Camping is provided but not required. All participants must be age 15+
COURSE DATES FOR FALL AND SPRING 2026-2027 COMING SOON
LWSI offers a robust risk management curriculum for outdoor educators which focuses on identifying hazards, building a culture of safety, and establishing crisis protocols. If you are a scout leader, fishing guide or backcountry educator and want to understand the principles of risk management in the field LWSI offers this two day workshop to help bring your practices in line with industry standards and help keep saftey the number one priority on your adventures.
Lesson focus on the factors involved in incident causation, risk-benefit assessment, legal principles, and emergency response.
Our comprehensive training framework for field instructors and guides covers
-Hazard Identification & Assessment of Environmental Risks: Recognizing and adapting to weather extremes, terrain challenges, wildlife encounters, plant hazards.
-Human Factors: Managing group dynamics, communication and conflict resolution, participant fatigue, emotional state, and decision-making biases
-.Equipment & Logistics: Ensuring proper gear inspection, food safety, and transportation protocols.
Our curriculum covers the 4 Ts of Risk: Understanding how to transfer, terminate, tolerate, or treat risks in a wilderness setting and teaches those in a leadership role how to balance the educational and developmental benefits of outdoor challenges against potential hazards.
LWSI helps leaders train their Judgment & Decision Making skills through applying established models (like the NOLS decision-making framework) to assess situations and adjust plans safely.
This LandWise Risk Management course dives into understanding Emergency & Crisis ResponseI including incident Command, laying out the clearly defined roles and responsibilities during a medical or environmental emergency including Assessment, Evacuation & Rescue. Participants will leave with an understanding communication protocols, evacuation techniques, and coordinating with local Search and Rescue (SAR).Wilderness First Aid (WFA) / Wilderness First Responder (WFR): Certifications that teach immediate, backcountry medical care.
The course ends with a discussion of the Legalities including Duty of Care which includes understanding the legal obligations and industry standards of operating an outdoor program, Standard of Care which includes operating within recognized legal principles and industry best practices and Levels of Care: Operating within your scope of practice. We will also cover Documentation & Reporting including the best practices for incident reporting, and maintaining medical logs.
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
The WFR course is the standard level of medical training for professional outdoor recreation industry field staff who work on multi-day, overnight trips in remote environments. The WFR training is an excellent choice for search and rescue personnel and those working in remote industries or disaster relief. Our robust, comprehensive, and practical curriculum has gained popularity among outdoor enthusiasts, endurance athletes, and adventure travelers who push their boundaries in remote areas with limited resources, unreliable communication, and the potential for delayed or self-rescue.
Course participants will develop strong patient assessment skills, adopt treatment tools to stabilize life-threatening conditions, and learn prolonged field care in challenging environments. Most importantly, this training will prepare individuals to prevent many environmental illnesses and proactively manage pre-existing conditions in the field. Individuals will also develop the confidence to request a rescue professionally and to execute the evacuation of a medical or trauma patient.
Our 80-hour course curriculum follows the Certification Standards established by the Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative (WMEC), not only enables recertification reciprocity but also ensures employer recognition, validating the importance of your certification.
The WFR course is eligible for 80 continuing education hours (CEHs) for EMS professionals through the Commission on Accreditation for Prehospital Continuing Education (CAPCE).
HYBRID COURSE FORMAT
Our hybrid Wilderness First Responder course combines an online component with an in-person practical classroom session. The course consists of a 30-hour online segment followed by a 50-hour hands-on section conducted over five consecutive days. The online portion is typically accessible about 1 month before the start of in-person classes and includes reading assignments, case studies, videos, photos, animations, quizzes, and discussion forums. The same team of instructors engages students in both online and in-person settings, facilitating the application of knowledge and skills learned online through drills, skills stations, and simulations during in-person sessions.
Please note that this hybrid format is best suited for self-motivated individuals with strong time management skills who have access to a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer and reliable high-speed internet. This instructional format allows participants to learn at their own pace, in their own environment, and on a schedule that works for them.