Wilderness First Responder

Wilderness First Responder (WFR) training is the hands-on medical course that is the industry standard for backcountry rangers, river guides, outdoor guides, as well as NOLS and Outward Bound instructors. The course includes engaging classroom sessions and outdoor scenarios taught by medical professionals from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).

All College Outdoors Trip Leaders and Assistant Leaders are required to be WFR certified in order to lead off-campus trips. College Outdoors at Lewis & Clark College has sponsoring Wilderness First Responder courses for LC students and the broader community since 1996.

Learn more at the NOLS website.

Courses Sponsored by Lewis & Clark College

Wilderness First Responder

Unfortunately, Covid-19 restrictions on campus won’t let us offer anything to the general public before Winter of 2021.  We typically offer an 80-hour Wilderness First Responder course at Lewis & Clark College each May immediately following the end of Spring Semester, and each January immediately prior to Spring Semester. We also offer a course in Florida each January, immediately prior to Spring Semester.  We expect these to be open for registration to the general public by sometime in the Fall of 2021.

Wilderness First Responder Hybrid Recertification

Covid-19 restrictions on campus won’t let us offer anything to the public before Fall of 2021. We typically offer recertification for WFR each November and May. We offer the hybrid format recertification, which includes roughly 4 hours of online pre-work followed by 2 days of in-person instruction and scenario practice.

Upcoming Events

Due to Covid-19, the May 8-16 course is tentative.  It’s also the only WFR currently scheduled for 2021, and only open to Lewis and Clark students cleared to be on campus. We anticipate  offering a Hybrid WFR Recertification in November 2021 which may be open to the public, and resuming normal January & May WFR course offerings in 2022, which we anticipate will be open to the public.