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Advanced Wilderness Technician
July 17, 2020 @ 8:00 am - July 19, 2020 @ 5:00 pm
Description: The purpose of this course is to expose candidates to the rigors of extended mountain rescue operations using minimal technical gear. Over the course of three days candidates will be moving patients through rugged terrain, building rescue systems, raising and lowering patients in mid to high-angle terrain, and working through various technical challenges presented by the terrain and the instructors. Some operations will occur during the night. This course has no classroom time. Candidates will meet on the morning of the first day and proceed directly to the rescue area of operations and remain in the mountains until the rescue exercises are completed on the final day.
Prerequisites: Candidates should have qualifying rope rescue experience before taking this course. This is not a beginner course. Candidates should have an ability to:
- Operate as a member of a small team in challenging conditions
- Apply rope rescue rigging principles and system concepts
- Provide basic medical care in austere environments
- Perform land navigation both day and night
- Thrive in unsympathetic conditions and environments
Gear Requirements: Candidates should be packed for off-trail camping in the mountains, including bringing their own food and water (purification) for three days. Each Candidate should also bring a small tarp (for patient packaging and improvised shelter), fire building tools, fixed blade knife, and a folding saw (optional). Expect rain and cooler mountain temperatures. The only team gear provided will be ropes and a litter. Candidates will be carrying the team gear throughout the course. Rope sizes used in this course will be 9mm, no more than 150’ lengths. Knot passing skills may be required.
Required Personal Technical Gear: Six each locking carabiners, HMS Style (not being used to attach gear to your harness), ATC w/ guide mode or Scarab, 30’ body cord, three each prusik loops (6mm), one each short Dyneema sling, one each long Dyneema sling, one each single sheave pulley. No extra technical gear allowed. PPE: Helmet, harness, gloves, safety glasses, headlight.
Course Location: Pisgah National Forest. First day meeting area will be announced to the registrants before the course.
Course Dates: July 17-19, 2020
Registration: This class is instructed by wilderness rescue instructors from North Carolina and Alabama and hosted by Haywood Community College. All registrations for this course must go through the college: (828) 565-4241, email: dmassey@haywood.edu
COVID-19 STATEMENT
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the participation in group activities in which social distancing is difficult, if not impossible, is likely to result in the increased chance of exposure to the virus, which may increase the likelihood of contracting the disease. This exposure is possible through direct contact with other people, proximity to other people, and contact with surfaces that other people have had contact with. By participating in the activities, you represent that you do not have reason to believe that you have contracted the disease, have not experienced symptoms of the disease, or have been diagnosed with the disease. By participating in this activity, you represent that you have been informed of these risks and voluntarily assume the risks of potential infection of the disease. You also understand that there is the possibility that you may transmit the disease to others, even if you do not show symptoms of the disease.