Wilderness First Aid NYC is making wilderness-based first aid courses more accessible to New Yorkers. Whether you are climbing in the Gunks, hiking with friends on Bear Mountain, or camping with your kiddos in the Adirondacks, there are skills every outdoor recreator should have. Get your Wilderness First Aid, CPR, and Wilderness Anaphylaxis training today.
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Your Instructor
Hi, I’m Ella (she/her). I’ve been an outdoor educator since 2014, primarily working out of Leadville, Colorado as an instructor, staff trainer, and emergency on-call responder for Outward Bound, and as a wilderness first aid instructor for Desert Mountain Medicine.
When I moved to Queens in 2020 (life moves in mysterious ways) I was excited to find that New Yorkers get after it! This city is full of climbers, hikers, kayakers, campers, backpackers, skiers, and bikers. However, I noticed the classic Wilderness First Aid and First Responder courses that are ubiquitous out West are hard to find here. I started Wilderness First Aid NYC to make fundamental wilderness-based first aid skills more accessible to outdoorsy New Yorkers.
In over a decade of personal and professional backcountry trips around the world, I have responded to multiple remote medical emergencies that inform how I prepare participants for their roles as responsible outdoor recreators, guides, and first responders. I’ve seen what can go wrong, and I’ve seen how effective these trainings can be for setting things right, even saving lives. So in these courses we train in risk management, preparation, and incident leadership as much as physiology and basic life support.
The time I spend outside is one of the great joys of my life. I hope these courses support veteran and aspiring outdoor lovers alike to enjoy all that nature has to offer, safely and with confidence. I am guided in my work by my responsibility to my students, my related and chosen families, the next generations, and the lands of the Ute, Canarsie, and Munsee Lenape peoples.
Course Types
Wilderness First Aid (WFA)
Who is it for:
Outdoor enthusiasts, trip leaders, camp counselors, and land agency field staff.
Hours: 16-20
Length: 2-6 Days
Training: Wilderness First Aid, CPR, Wilderness Anaphylaxis Training
Certification: 2 year certification
Prerequisite: None
Course Description:
The Wilderness First Aid course is an introduction to wilderness medicine and basic life support skills. It focuses on prevention, assessment, and treatment of environmental illnesses, recognizing and stabilizing life threats caused by trauma, and calling for a rescue in the event of a wilderness emergency.
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
Who is it for:
Professional outdoor recreation field staff that work multi-day, overnight trips in remote environments, as well as military, technical rescue personnel, and those working in disaster relief. Outdoor enthusiasts, endurance athletes, and adventure travelers may also be interested in a WFR training.
Hours: 80
Length: Self-paced online component + 5 days in person, or 10 days in person
Training & Certifications: WFR (3 year certification), CPR (3 year certification), WAT (2 year certification)
Prerequisite: None
Course Description:
The Wilderness First Responder course is the outdoor industry standard medical training, and is designed to train professionals working in remote areas with limited resources, unreliable communication, and the potential for delayed or self rescue. Participants develop strong patient assessment skills, adopt treatment tools to stabilize life-threatening conditions, and learn extended patient care in austere environments. WFR trainings prepare individuals to prevent many environmental illnesses, proactively manage pre-existing conditions in the field, and manage the evacuation of a medical or trauma patient.
Wilderness First Aid NYC is a provider of Desert Mountain Medicine curriculum. All courses meet the highest industry standards of wilderness first aid training curriculum according to Desert Mountain Medicine and the Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative.