Not exactly wilderness but I got my Emergency Responce Cert through the red cross and used it in the mountians. I was near the tram station on Mt. San Jacinto and came across a sledder who crashed and whos C.C. was lower back pain... so you guys can guess what that meant. Holding manual C-Spine in the snow is a little bit less then fun, at least he was A/Ox4

-CS

Just received my WFR certification. Did it due to fact I'm often out alone on the trail as well as future employment aspirations. Crazy cool class...hoping to get my W-EMT next summer.

mtnkid85 wrote:Do those of you who went WFR wish you could have gone WEMT?
Those of you who are WEMT certified do you feel it would be overkill if you where not using it for your job?

I can't speak for others but for myself it simply comes down to $$$. A WFR course costs in the neighborhood of $600-$700 while a W-EMT runs upwards of $1500.

If all you want is just a good, basic understanding of wilderness medicine for personal use I'd just go for the WFR. The only reason I, personally, would like to go for the upgrade is for future job prospects.

Also, I loved the experience I had with Wilderness Medical Associates and would highly recommend them. Regards!

I got my WFR. I guide part time and it is required, but mainly I just wanted to have it for all my little off the chart adventures.

dwhike wrote:

mtnkid85 wrote:Do those of you who went WFR wish you could have gone WEMT?
Those of you who are WEMT certified do you feel it would be overkill if you where not using it for your job?

I can't speak for others but for myself it simply comes down to $$$. A WFR course costs in the neighborhood of $600-$700 while a W-EMT runs upwards of $1500.

Money and time.

I'm not sure why a non-professional would want to jump in and do the WFR.

Wilderness Medical Associates offer a four-day WAFA which is pretty comprehensive (in fact, when I took mine the text was the WFR course text). If you decide you want the WFR after all, they offer a four-day bridge course to achieve that certification on top of the WAFA. This also allows you to break the course up into two four-day classes instead of a single eight-day one.

For a non-professional, that would seem like a better approach.

My take is to enroll in the class that fits your needs. Most people don't need a WFR and a WFA class or 1st Aid with CPR would do fine for them. As I guide clients in a 3rd world/mountain setting I feel I have a greater responsibility so a WFR makes sense for me. WEMT has other restrictions as EMT's of any type are typically regulated by each state and have more rules to follow than a WFR (with a control physician).

Here is a good article on current thoughts on wilderness med. Cheers!

I obtained my WEMT through SOLO in Colorado during medical school in the mid-1990s. If I remember correctly SOLO was near Crested Butte.

I was an EMT-B in New Mexico at the time. I obtained my EMT license just for the experience and training, I did not work as an EMT, ever.

WEMT was one of the most helpful courses I have ever taken. SOLO was a fantastic school, very well run and very well organized. I loved it. I think the combination of EMT with a wilderness emphasis was invaluable.

WFR in 1997, 5 recerts since. In the past I used it in my full-time job leading wilderness programs, but now I mostly just don't want to let it lapse and have to pay for the full course again. As a teacher it seems that I'm dealing with bloody noses, cuts, and sprains constantly. As a parent, it's definitely more of the same!