[ Rescue Dynamics Logo ] WEC - 80 hour Advanced Wilderness First Aid

Course Application Forms

RESCUE DYNAMICS
Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA, T6L 1K5
email:

website: http//:www.rescuedynamics.ca

WEC - 90 hour Advanced Wilderness First Aid

COURSE OUTLINES
COURSE APPLICATIONS

subject to revision without notice
Copyright 1994, 2023

No part of this document may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means whatsoever, without the expressed written permission of the copyright holder.

Revision WEC INFO/APP2023

Information Last Updated: Sunday, September 24, 2023


This document contains the following sections:

The printed versions of these documents are in PDF format.

WARNING: This information is subject to change without notice. Call or email before you book or make plans.


This letter will serve to introduce you to Wilderness Emergency Care or "WEC" Advanced First Aid courses that are scheduled in 2023. There are five WEC refreshers tentatively scheduled in 2023. The spring WEC 2023 refresher was postponed until autumn. No full 10 day courses are scheduled until issues pertaining to COVID 19 are more certain

WEC Refreshers are now normally only four days and are presently scheduled for:
a. September 25 to 28, 2023 (Monday to Thursday) in Jasper, AB - completed
b. October 2 to 5, 2023 (Monday to Thursday) in Revelstoke, BC - FULL
c. November 6 to 9, 2023 (Monday to Thursday) in Canmore, AB - 2 spots available
d. November 27 - 30, 2023 (Monday to Thursday) in Golden, BC - several spots available

Special Note: 90 percent of all of the WEC refreshers in the last five years were booked completely to capacity. Do not book your spot at the last minute or you may risk not getting on the dates that you prefer. Remaining spots will be listed in the future.

NEW BOOKING PROCEDURES FOR 2023

In order to book you must now complete the application form as well as read and sign the waiver and have it witnessed. Send in these documents before doing anything else. Once these documents are properly completed and received you will be tentatively be booked on a course. You will then receive a confirmation email at which point you can complete and send your payment using the credit card / eTransfer form.

Cost of the WEC refresher is $500 plus GST (total $525.00), which now includes a mandatory CPR refresher and handouts. Your textbook is not included in the fees for the refresher. A very limited number of textbooks may now be rented, but only by prior arrangement. If your certificate has expired, contact our office for special pricing on attending a full course. Course dates are subject to change without notice. (CMH employees contact the Ops Coordinator in the Banff CMH office to book your spot.)

A WEC full course was NOT scheduled for 2022 due to COVID 19 concerns. No full course dates will be posted for 2023 until we are fairly certain that the pandemic has dramatically cooled off. Cost of the full course is typically 850.00 including textbook and supplies. The course includes CPR, AED and Advanced Wilderness First Aid certifications. These courses often fill rapidly so please contact us as soon as possible to obtain an application form and further details.

NOTE regarding meeting location and times: All courses begin at 08:00 AM.

All locations are tentative at the moment. Typical locations: The Jasper courses begin at 08:00 AM at the Forest Park Hotel. The Canmore courses begin at 08:00 AM at the Bill Warren Training Centre. The Golden course begins at 08:00 AM in Golden, BC but may not be at the usual venue. The Revelstoke course begins at 08:00 AM in the Revelstoke Legion in Revelstoke, BC. All course locations are subject to change as conditions dictate. For all other courses please contact the office. Beginning in September you can visit the website Course Meeting Times and Places page to confirm starting times, dates and venues before any course you are attending.

Notice to Parks Canada personnel: If you are a warden, visitor safety specialist or resource management specialist and need a first aid refresher similar to PER please note that Rescue Dynamics has been delivering several 40 hour OWLS and 90 hour WEC courses to Parks personnel in Western and Northern Canada. Contact the public safety supervisor in your park to see if something special has been arranged in your area. Otherwise we invite you to attend any of the regularly scheduled WEC refreshers instead. If your requirement for training has now dropped from an 80 hour to a 40 hour course check out the OWLS course information.

To confirm a spot on a WEC course, you must first complete and sign the waiver and application form and send those in. You will then be billed for the course fee. To confirm a spot on a WEC course, you must then prepay a $100.00 non-transferable, non-refundable deposit. Please note, course fees include textbook price on the full course only and not the refresher. Cheques should be made payable to Rescue Dynamics. We also accept eTransfer, MasterCard(r) and Visa(r). If you wish to pay by eTransfer or credit card, you must download the WEC full course application forms or the WEC Refresher Course Waiver and Application Forms AND the booking and cancellation policy and credit card form which contain all of the forms you need to complete your application.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT WAIVERS: Our insurer requires that we have a two part process for using and administering waivers. If you sign up by mail or email you must included a signed and witnessed waiver as part of your application for all courses. Once we receive your waiver and application you will be billed for the associated fees. You will also be required to sign a second full colour paper copy of the waiver in the presence of one of our staff members. There are no exceptions.

If you have not paid, your spot is NOT booked. The balance of payment is due eight weeks prior to the course beginning. (If less than four weeks before a course, phone to ensure availability.) To avoid being disappointed, book immediately upon reading this letter. If enrollment is inadequate, we reserve the right to cancel a course and refund your course fees in full. (We have only ever cancelled two WEC courses in the last ten years!) See our website for complete cancellation policies and procedures.

For full courses you must have a valid standard first aid certificate or equivalent (EMFA is equivalent). For the refresher, you must have completed a WEC or equivalent advanced first aid course or refresher in the last 36 months. Equivalencies must be approved by Rescue Dynamics before the course begins.

IMPORTANT:

The "Rescue Exam" is now concurrent with a simulation practice. Skill Sheets which must be completed in FULL in order to attain a passing grade on the practical. The old practical exam will no longer take place, thus the emphasis on the skill sheets will be far greater. Missing class time that results in missing skill sheets will constitute a FAIL as all skill sheets MUST be completed properly. Missing a full day of class also constitutes a fail.

In addition, on refresher courses students now write their written exam on the last afternoon.

Also new starting in 2023 is a new written exam: At the end of the written exam, students are required to review the answer booklet so that they can learn from the written exam and discover what questions they may have answered incorrectly.

Again in 2023 we will be using a new pre-course homework assignment that is be handed in before your final exams are written. It has been revised several times since its inception. You must print the worksheet and complete it before the course begins.

The course content is outlined on the course schedule will be emailed out your completed application and waiver are received. If you have never been on a WEC course, you have never done anything like this before. The course is extremely intense. You average 9 hours a day in theory and practical sessions. This is longer than most people are used to. There may be a practical evening sessions on Wednesday if the group falls behind in skills practice. Do NOT schedule any other courses, activities or social engagements during the entire period of the course.

If you miss a class, we consider you to be an adult student and you are responsible to pick up information you missed. Experience also shows that missing an hour or two may not be fatal but missing a day of class automatically results in failure.

We will provide all of the instructional and first aid equipment. Your handouts and your student skill sheets are included in your fees. We continue to have high quality equipment on the courses including vacuum mattresses, vacuum splints, suction units, scoop stretchers, oxygen regulators and much, much more. Every two students on course have a complete kit of equipment to share for all of the skill sheets except spinal motion restriction where we have a maximum of five students per spine board or vacuum mattress.

On full courses we do outdoor simulations, so please be sure your clothing can handle changes in weather, including heat, cold, wind, rain, snow, sun and insects. Bring a set of clothing that can get wet and dirty. Please bring some outdoor equipment for improvisation sessions and for adding reality to simulations. Your instructors will tell you on which days they will be required. Packs, paddles, skis, poles, sleeping pads, throw bags, ice axes and any other gear you may use is great. The more variety, the better. On the weekend off during a full course plan to relax, study and practice. Experience shows that students need all their time to commit to the course to study and succeed without physical and psychological strain

You are responsible for your own meals, accommodation and transportation for the entire course. Bring your own pencil, pen and notebook / paper for taking notes in class. The meeting time and place for your specific course will be conveyed to you when you pay your course fees.

Questions? Call or send email to

Sincerely

Cyril Shokoples IFMGA
Chief Instructor / Mountain Guide


WEC Advanced Wilderness First Aid

DAILY COURSE OUTLINE
©2018 Rescue Dynamics

NOTICE: The course schedule below is due to be revised just before Autumn 2023, in large part to address changes in best practices. Use the information below as a general guideline only.

Unauthorized duplication is absolutely forbidden - revision 021212

Lesson Name Reference - 3rd Edition OEC Reference - 4th Edition OEC
1 Introduction & Orientation
2 Roles, Responsibilities & Legal (handout) (handout)
3 Trip Planning & Accident Prevention (handout) (handout)
4 Wilderness Accident Management (handout) (handout)
5 An Overview of Human Anatomy (chapter 2 & 3) (chapter 2)
40 Body Substance Isolation (appendix F & lecture) (Page 55-60 & lecture)
6 Diagnostic Signs (chapter 3) (chapter 3)
7 Body Survey & Vitals Practical (chapter 19 & skill sheets) (chapter 7 & skill sheets)
Day 2
8 Records, Reports & History Taking (chapter 4) (chapter 7)
9 Respiratory System (chapter 2 & 14) (chapter 4 & 6)
11 Chest Injuries (chapter 14) (chapter 22)
12 Oxygen Administration & Suction (chapter 5) (chapter 6)
13 Oxygen Administration & Suction Practical (skill sheets) (skill sheets)
14 Circulatory System (chapter 2 & 6) (chapter 4 & 8)
10 Artificial Ventilation Review (chapter 4 & 5) (chapter 6)
15 CPR review (chapter 4 / appendix B) (CHF materials)
Evening skills stations (practical) (practical)
Day 3
16 Bleeding & 17 Soft Tissue Injuries (chapter 6 & 7) (chapter 8 & 19)
18 Dressing & Bandaging Practical (skill sheets) (skill sheets)
19 Shock (chapter 6) (chapter 9)
20 Musculoskeletal System (chapter 2) (chapter 4)
71 Lifting & Moving - Practical (chapter 20 & skill sheets) (chapter 27 & skill sheets)
21 Orthopedic Injuries (chapter 9, 10, 11 & 21) (chapter 24)
22 Upper Extremity Injuries (chapter 10) (chapter 25)
23 Upper Extremity - Practical (skill sheets) (skill sheets)
Day 4
Review
24 Pelvis & Lower Extremity Injuries (chapter 11) (chapter 25)
25 Pelvis & Lower Extremity - Practical (skill sheets) (skill sheets)
26 Central Nervous System (chapter 2) (chapter 26)
27 Injuries of the Skull & Brain (chapter 12) (chapter 26)
28 Injuries of the Spine (chapter 13) (chapter 26)
29 Injuries of the Spine - Practical (skill sheets) (skill sheets)
30 Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat (chapter12) (chapter20 & 21)
Evening skills stations (practical) (practical)
Day 5
Review Session
31 Abdomen & Digestive System (chapter 2) (chapter 4)
32 Injuries to the Abdomen & Acute Abd (chapter 15, 16 & 17) (chapter 13 & 23)
33 Gastrointestinal & Genitourinary (chapter 16) (chapter 23)
34 Triage (lecture / chapter 22) (lecture / chapter 28 & 29)
69 Patient Positioning (lecture) (lecture)
70 Improvisation Techniques (practical) (practical)
Simulations (practical) (practical)
Day 6
Review Session
35 Cardiac Emergencies (chapter 17) (chapter 11)
36 CVA (chapter 17) (chapter 12)
37 Pulmonary Disorders (Dyspnea) & Asthma (chapter 16) (chapter 10)
38 Diabetes (chapter 17) (chapter 13)
Unconsciousness & Seizures (chapter 12)
41 Hypothermia (chapter 18) (chapter 15)
Day 7
42 Frostbite (chapter 18) (chapter 15)
43 Heat Emergencies (chapter 18) (chapter 15)
44 Burns & UV Injuries (chapter 7 & 18) (chapter 15 & 19)
45 Lightning & Electrical Injuries (chapter 18) (chapter 19)
46 Hazardous Materials (lecture) (Appendix 2)
48 Drowning & Near Drowning (chapter 25) (chapter 15)
72 Wilderness Patient Transportation (chapter 20 & practical) (chapter 27 & practical)
75 One on One Simulations Session A (practical) (practical)
Day 8
Review Session
52 Avalanche Related Injuries (chapter 18) (chapter 15)
54 Climbing Related Injuries (lecture) (lecture)
56 Medical Problems related to Altitude (chapter 18) (chapter 15)
57 Poisons (chapter 23) (chapter 13)
58 Allergies, Stings & Bites (chapter 24) (chapter 13)
60 Psychological Support (lecture) (page 49 - 52 & lecture)
75 One on One Simulations Session B (practical) (practical)
61 Helicopters & Aircraft (handout) (handout)
Evening skills stations (practical) (practical)
Day 9
Review Session
64 Non-Emergent Medical Problems (chapter 16 & lecture) (appendix D & lecture)
66 Medications (appendix C, D & lecture) (appendix C, D & lecture)
67 First Aid Kits (appendix D & lecture) (appendix C & lecture)
68 Emergency Communications (lecture) (lecture)
65 Prolonged Backcountry Care (appendix C & lecture) (appendix D & lecture)
75 One on One Simulations Session C (practical) (practical)
Day 10
Morning - Written Examination
Afternoon - Practical Examinations
Time
TOTALS 90.00



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Cyril Shokoples

Rescue Dynamics
Edmonton, AB, Canada

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