Wilderness First Responder (WFR) is an 80 hour wilderness medicine course from Desert Mountain Medicine, hosted by Outbound Mountain Gear. This is the hybrid format: 30 hours online followed by 50 hours of hands on training over five consecutive days.

What it's for

The WFR is the standard level of medical training for professional outdoor recreation field staff who work on multi day, overnight trips in remote places. It also suits search and rescue personnel, people working in remote industries or disaster relief, and outdoor enthusiasts, endurance athletes, and adventure travelers who go where resources are limited, communication is unreliable, and rescue may be delayed. You build patient assessment skills, learn to stabilize life threatening conditions, learn prolonged field care, and learn to prevent environmental illness and manage pre existing conditions in the field. You also learn to request a rescue professionally and carry out the evacuation of a medical or trauma patient.

How it works

Online portion: 30 hours of reading assignments, case studies, videos, photos, animations, quizzes, and discussion forums. It usually opens about 1 month before the in person days, and you work through it at your own pace.

In person portion: 50 hours over five consecutive days of drills, skills stations, and simulations that apply what you learned online. The same instructor team teaches both parts.

Who the hybrid format suits: self motivated students with strong time management skills.

Standards: the 80 hour curriculum follows the certification standards set by the Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative (WMEC), which allows recertification reciprocity and supports employer recognition.

Features

• Foundations: Urban vs Wilderness Medicine, Wilderness Medicine Guidelines, Wilderness Recreation Law and Liability, Wilderness Risk Management
• Assessment and life support: Patient Assessment, Basic Life Support, Airway Management and Adjuncts
• Trauma: Complex Traumatic Injuries, Dislocations, Spine Injury Management, Vacuum Spine Board, Improvised Litters
• Medical: Complex Backcountry Medical Problems, Backcountry Medication Management, Wilderness Anaphylaxis Training, Genitourinary Issues, Mental Health Illnesses, Micromedics
• Environment: Complex Environmental Medicine, Avalanche Burial Resuscitation
• Rescue and leadership: Backcountry Communication Devices, Professionally Calling a Rescue, Incident Management, Leadership and Critical Thinking During an Incident, Professional Incident Documentation
• Also covered: Basic vs Expedition First Aid Kits, Psychological First Aid, Complex Night Scenario Simulation

Specs

• In person dates: September 23 to 27, 2026
• Course hours: 80
• Structure: 30 hours online plus 5 days in person
• Certifications: Wilderness First Responder (3 years), Wilderness CPR/AED (3 years), Wilderness Anaphylaxis Training (2 years)
• Prerequisites: none
• Continuing education: eligible for 80 CEHs for EMS professionals through CAPCE
• College credit: available through Desert Mountain Medicine's partnership with the University of Colorado Denver

You will also need

• A device: a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer for the online portion
• Internet: reliable high speed internet