Wilderness First Aid

WILDERNESS FIRST AID

Alfriston - East Sussex

This 16 hour course is designed for anyone who travels, lives or works in a remote geographical location more than one hour from definitive medical care. Whether you are an avid mountaineer, DoE leader, white water kayaker, traveling or working in the developing world or just love wild places; on our course you will learn the first aid skills needed in an outdoor emergency.

This course fulfills the necessary requirements of both the MLT Mountain and Walking Group Leader awards and the British Canoe Union coaching schemes. It is used by various DoE regions for those training for the BELA and associated NGB awards and includes paediatric protocols for those leading young people. Our instructors are qualified as professional trainers and deliver courses with a practical perspective gained from their background in emergency care - from here in the UK to Aid Work overseas.

Entry requirements

No previous training is necessary.

Course outline

You will learn both how to recognise and treat a wide variety of the illness and injuries that can arise in the outdoors. You will practice skills such as assessing a casualty, bandaging wounds, splinting fractures, reducing dislocations, and making and carrying improvised stretchers.

Below is a selection of the main areas we cover.

• What is Wilderness First Aid?
• Cold water casualties
• Legal and ethical issues
• Heat disorders
• Infectious disease precautions
• Travel Health and medication
• Scene survey and mechanisms of injury in the outdoors
• Common medical conditions- allergies, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy etc
• Foot care - friction blisters and trench foot
• Animal/snake/insect bites
• Controlling bleeding and wounds
• CPR
• Eye injuries
• Altitude Sickness
• Burns
• Medical evacuation/extrication from difficult locations
• Bone, joint and muscle injuries
• Seeking help - Mountain rescue etc.
• Frostbite, frostnip and hypothermia
• Wilderness first aid kits

Course manual, assessment and certification

All students receive a copy of 'Wilderness First Aid: Emergency Care For Remote Locations', the official collaboration between the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

To receive a Wilderness First Aid (Level 2) certificate valid nationwide for three years students must demonstrate first aid skills and pass a multiple answer exam. Successful students who intend to work outside of the UK are also issued a ECSI Wilderness First Aid: 16 Hours completion card valid worldwide for three years.

Expedition members may also find our Level 3 course Remote Care useful which includes advanced skills such as IM injections, suturing and IV drips.

Venue, Times, Accommodation and Meals

Our open programme Wilderness First Aid courses are held in and around Alfriston Youth Hostel. We take full advantage of its setting in the South Downs to do many practical sessions out on the hills. The location is a Sussex flint house, partly dating from 1530 with a Tudor beamed lounge, a mile from the the village of Alfriston. The Seven Sisters spectacular sea cliffs are nearby. Set in a large garden overlooking the Cuckmere Valley, the hostel is also an ideal base for exploring the South Downs where walkers and cyclists alike will find plenty of footpaths and bridleways to explore.

The course begins at 9.30am and ends and 6pm both Saturday and Sunday.

Our course costs are not residential. Accommodation is available at Alfriston YHA, but needs to be booked in advance. Bunk beds in rooms are £13.25 per night for YHA members, £16.25 for non-members. A limited number of two-bed rooms are available (including one with on-suite shower room) at £13.50 per member per night, £16.50 non-members. Alternatively, we can provide you a local accommodation list.

Light refreshments are provided in the training room throughout the day, but we may be out on the Downs at lunch times so bring a packed lunch. Breakfast, dinner and packed lunches are available from the hostel or you can use one of the self-catering kitchens.

When booking accommodation and/or meals at Alfriston YHA tell them you are attending our course. Their website has plenty of details about the local area and travel.

NOTE: Alfriston YHA cannot book course places, only accommodation and meals.

In-House Training - UK and Abroad

We provide tailored training for a wide range of organisations from local outdoor activity groups to national bodies such as the Environment Agency, and those with an international focus such as aid organisations and expeditions. Whether you want our standard course in Wilderness First Aid or an advanced one covering medical skills such as suturing and IV we can provide the training you need.