Wilderness First Responder Course
Sponsored by WMI of NOLS and the
MSC Outdoor Program
May 20- 29, 2008

INFORMATION SHEET

LOCATION: Mesa State College, Grand Junction, CO
COST: $495 - Tuition (discount available for MSC students/staff/faculty with MAV Card)
$595 - Tuition

CONTACT: MSC OP Director
Chad Thatcher 248-1670
cthatche@mesastate.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The Wilderness Medicine Institute (WMI) of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Wilderness First Responder (WFR) training program is a nationally recognized program that trains participants to respond to emergencies in remote settings. The 80 hour curriculum includes standards for urban and extended care situations. Special topics include but are not limited to: wound management and infection, realigning fractures and dislocations, improvised splinting techniques, patient monitoring and long term management problems, up-to-date information on all environmental emergencies, plus advice on drug therapies. Emphasis is placed on prevention and decision-making, not the memorization of lists. WMI of NOLS website: http://www.nols.edu/wmi/
Upon successful completion of practical and written exams you will receive a two year Wilderness First Responder certification and a two year American Heart Association Adults Heartsaver CPR certification.

REGISTRATION
TUITION: A $300 minimum, non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot in the course. The balance is due by the first day of the course. The tuition fee covers: textbooks, syllabus, equipment, and all exam fees. A full refund will be given if we are forced to cancel the course for any reason.

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT: There is no registration form. Make sure you include the following when you register: Name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (if you use email). You may pay by check or credit card. Please call the contact person to pay by credit card. Please send checks, payable to "Mesa State College" to the address below.

MSC Outdoor Program
c/o Chad Thatcher
1100 North Ave.
Grand Junction, CO 81501

CLASS FORMAT: Check-in is at 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20, in the Mesa State College Outdoor Program office in the College Center. Course days run from 8:00 to 5:00 p.m. Two evening sessions will be scheduled (see enclosed outline). Classroom lectures will be integrated with practical scenarios, skills practice sessions, case studies, role-playing, and simulated rescues. Attendance is required for all scheduled classes. Scenarios and practice sessions will take place both inside and outside. Frequently stage (moulage) blood and make-up will be used to emphasize realism. There will be a day off on the 7th day (Monday, May 26th).

Equipment: Please bring a large daypack, water bottle, raingear, boots, a watch with a second hand, pen/pencil. A pair of comfy shoes or sandals and a crazy creek-type chair are nice too. No smoking, alcohol, or pets are allowed on the site.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ASSUMPTION OF RISKS RELEASE AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT: Please read the enclosed documents (WMI & MSCOP) carefully as it affects your legal rights. Please bring the signed documents to the first day of the course. If you are a minor the documents must be signed by both parents or guardians. Failure to provide signed documents will result in you not being able to participate in the course. WMI participants, including minors, will have unsupervised free time throughout the course. Any activities during free time are not part of the WMI program and are at the sole risk of the participant.

DIRECTIONS:
From Interstate 70, take Exit 31, Horizon Drive. Go southwest (left, if coming from the east, and right if you're coming from the west). Follow Horizon Drive past a cluster of hotels. When you get to the roundabout, get onto 12th Street. It's actually a left turn if the roundabout wasn't there. Turn right on Elm Avenue and then a quick left into the College Center parking lot. Enter the building from the parking lot entrance. There will be directional signs from here. NOTE: The College Center lot is a pay lot, but on-street parking is available on the other side of 12th Street.

From Highway 50, continue straight into town through several lights. Turn right at North Ave. Left on 12th Street. Left at next light, which is Elm Ave. Then a quick left into the College Center parking lot. Enter the building from the parking lot entrance. There will be directional signs from here. NOTE: The College Center lot is a pay lot, but on-street parking is available on the other side of 12th Street.

LODGING: There are many reasonable accommodations in Grand Junction. We recommend contacting the Grand Junction Visitor Bureau at (800) 962-2547 or www.grand-junction.net
If you are on a tight budget, camping is available in the area. The main campground in the Colorado National Monument is $10/night and is about 20 minutes from campus. There is also BLM land that is close to town.

LOCATION & RECREATION: Grand Junction is the gateway to western Colorado's incredible landscape. The Colorado National Monument and Grand Mesa National Forest, as well as endless BLM land surround the Grand Valley. Opportunities for biking, hiking, climbing, rafting, canoeing, kayaking are all within minutes from town. Wineries in nearby Palisade are open daily for tasting.

We hope this information is helpful. Please contact us with any questions you may have!!
Thanks for joining us and Happy Trails!

Mesa State Map

WMI Waiver

Course Outline
Wilderness First Responder Outline

DAY 1
8-9am Introductions: Wilderness vs. Urban
9-10am Initial Assessment
10-11am Patient Exam
11am-12pm Vital Signs: LOC, HR, RR, SCTM
1-2pm Vital Signs: BP, Pupils
2-3pm Focused History
3-4pm Documentation
4-5pm Medical Legal Issues

DAY 2
8-815am Problem of the Day
815-9am Review and Practical Session
9am-12pm CPR: Airway Obstruction
Respiratory Arrest
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
1-130pm CPR Considerations for Remote Environments
130-2pm Oxygen and Mechanical Aids to Breathing
200-230pm Scenario
230-330pm Shock and Bleeding
330-5pm Practical Session

DAY 3
8-815am Problem of the Day
815-9am Practical Scenario
9-1030am Chest Injuries
1030-11am Scenario
11am-12pm Head Injuries
1-2pm Spinal Cord Injury Assessment
2-330pm Lifting and Moving
330-5pm Spinal Immobilization
Litter Packaging, Carrying, and Long-Term Patient Management

DAY 4
8-815am Problem of the Day
815-9am Practical Scenario
9am-12pm Wilderness Wound Management
1-130pm Communicable Disease
130-330pm Athletic Injuries
330-5pm Fracture Management
6-730pm Traction Splinting
730-830pm Dislocations
830-9pm Practical Scenario

DAY 5
8-815am Problem of the Day
815-9am Review and Practical Session
9-1030pm Hypothermia
1030-1130am Scenario
1130am-12pm Frostbite and Immersion Foot
1-2pm Heat and Hydration
2-230pm Scenario
230-330pm Altitude Illness
330-5pm Practical Scenario

DAY 6
8-815am Problem of the Day
815-9am Scenario
9-10am Cardiac Emergencies
10-1030am Scenario
1030am-12pm Respiratory Emergencies
1-130pm Scenarios
130-2pm Neurological Emergencies
2-230pm Scenario
230-330pm Diabetes
330-5pm Scenarios

DAY 7
DAY OFF

DAY 8
8-815am Problem of the Day
815-9am Practical Scenario
9am-12pm Bites and Stings
1-130pm Poisoning
130-2pm Scenario
2-3pm Acute Abdomen
3-5pm Practical Scenarios

DAY 9
8-9am Practical Scenario
9-930am Common Simple Problems Wrap-up
930-10am Scenario
10-1030pm Lightning
1030-1130am Scenario
1130am-12pm Drowning
1-230pm Gender Medical Concerns
230-330pm Scenario
330-5pm Search Scenario
6-10pm Mock Rescue

DAY 10
8-10am Wilderness Drug and First Aid Kits
10am-12pm Written Exam
1-4pm Practical Exam
4-5pm Closing Ceremony