Swiftwater Rescue First Responder

Duration: 2 days (8-10 hours daily)
Level: Operations

A basic level water rescue course for emergency services, designed to meet or exceed the proposed "competent person" guidelines of the N.F.P.A. 1670 Standard for operations level rescuers.

OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this course the student will:
1. Be able to list water safety guidelines for operations in and around the water;
2. Be able to describe the different kinds of open water environments and their potential
hazards;
3. Be able to explain the primary causes of drowning;
4. Be able to describe how to prevent such fatalities;
5. Understand the types and importance of personal protective equipment for rescuers;
6. Be able to implement an "assessment phase" at a water accident;
7. Be able to size up an incident for existing and potential hazards;
8. Be able to identify additional resources for safe water operations;
9. Have been introduced to water rescue pre-plans;
10. Be able to safely manage a water rescue site;
11. Be able to mitigate general hazards within the general water rescue site;
12. Have been introduced to generally accepted criteria for determining risk/benefit decisions--that is: is this call a rescue or a body recovery.
13. Be able to effect a shore-based aquatic rescue using generally accepted "reach, throw" techniques;
14. Have been exposed to generally accepted in-water self-rescue and safety techniques;
15. Been introduced to basic water-related medical emergencies, and how to deal with them, including near-drowning, hypothermia, and cervical spine injuries;
16. Been introduced to basic boat-based rescue concerns and techniques;
17. Been exposed to basic moving water self-rescue techniques.

STUDENT REQUIREMENTS
Bathing suit, thermals (depending on weather), towel, tennis shoes or wetsuit booties, and . Moreover, Students should have a pen, pencil and notepaper at all class sessions.