Take Wilderness First Aid classes at Sierra Club Bay Chapter

Saturday, February 2, plus optional Sunday, February 3 - 8:30 - 5, Chapter Office, 2530 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley.

Come to a special all-day class in Wilderness First Aid sponsored by the Sierra Club Bay Chapter Activities Committee. It satisfies the first-aid requirements for most outing leaders (confirm requirements with your section/group officers). The Chapter pays the class fee for the first day for leaders, and other members get a substantial discount from the usual cost.

Instructor Steve Donelan trains you with vivid slides, an interactive teaching style, and creative skills practice. You'll learn how to improvise with whatever you carry on your outdoor trips or find on the scene. Topics include hypothermia and frostbite, altitude, heat illness, sunburn, lightning, hazardous animals and plants, bites and stings, water disinfection, assessing and treating injuries, wilderness medical emergencies, and first-aid kits.

Students have two options:

do the one-day class on Saturday and receive the Basic Wilderness First Aid (BWFA) certification of the American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI); or
sign up for two days (Saturday and Sunday) for an additional $30, and receive ASHI's higher-level Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification. The Sunday class will be outdoors (weather permitting) and feature more advanced skills as well as many role-playing scenarios.

Registration for leaders

If you are a current trip leader in any Bay Chapter activity section or regional group (that is, on the list of current leaders provided by your section or group to the Chapter Activities Committee), you should register by the Tuesday preceding the course by contacting Joanne Drabek at (510) 848-0800, ext. 315, or email wfa -at- sfbaysc.org

Then mail a $30 deposit check (made out to the "Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter") to:

Joanne Drabek
Sierra Club
2530 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94702.

This check will be returned in class; it will be cashed if you don't show up. Include your mailing address, e-mail, phone number, and which section you are a leader in. Indicate if you are attending the Sunday class; you will pay the $30 for the second day at the class.

Non-leaders

People who are not current leaders can register by contacting the instructor at donelan -at- mindspring.com

People without e-mail may write him at:
P.O. Box 1227
Berkeley, CA 94701

If the class fills, Sierra Club members get preference over non-members; include your membership number. Be prepared to pay the $50 fee (which includes the instructor's comprehensive textbook) in class.

Indicate if you are attending the Sunday class; you will pay the $30 for the second day at the class.

Second day only

People who have taken Steve Donelan's one-day class in the last three years can also sign up, for the second day only, for $30: and those who have taken Steve's two-day class can repeat the second day for free. To come to the second day only, please pre-register with Steve at the addresses in the preceding paragraph.

Wilderness First Responder

Tuesdays and Thursdays, January 3 - March 6 - 7 - 10 pm; Saturdays, January 26, February 9 and 23, March 8 - 9 am - 5 pm, Piedmont Adult School.

Wilderness First Responder is professional-level training in emergency care for wilderness or any other situations, but is open to everybody. Sponsored by the Sierra Club Bay Chapter Activities Committee, the course more than satisfies first-aid training requirements for all trip leaders and is great preparation for anyone doing serious wilderness activities far from medical care. Our many instructors work with you individually and in small groups. Realistic simulated accidents help you put your skills together and develop your leadership abilities.

Steve Donelan, the lead instructor, has been teaching this course in the Bay Area for 25 years. It is now a national course of the American Safety & Health Institute.

which publishes Steve's textbook. All of our instructors have many years of wilderness and teaching experience, and several are physicians recognized as wilderness-medicine experts. For more information, see Steve's web site.

ASHI certification in WFR, valid three years, is accepted throughout the United States and in many other countries. The San Francisco Paramedic Association (SFPA) offers continuing-education credits at no extra cost, and is a good place to take BLS-HCP (professional level CPR), which is required before graduating from WFR.

Register for WFR with the SFPA or (415) 543-1161. Fee for WFR: $300. Buy the textbook in class from the instructor ($20).

Steve has also scheduled a Wilderness EMT Upgrade through the SFPA starting Mon., Jan. 28, for EMTs and other medical professionals. See the SFPA website for details.

Steve will also teach Basic Wilderness First Aid at Castro Valley Adult School on Sat., July 8, from 8:30 - 5. To register call (510) 886-1000; fax (510) 538-8537; or register on-line.

Cost is $48, not including optional textbook.