Wilderness First Aid Certification Course - ESA 2026 Annual Meeting

Turn Left Adventures will provide their two-day (16 hour) course July 25 and 26 on site at the Salt Palace Convention Center; participants will not only learn the fundamentals of wilderness first aid, they’ll receive a certification that can be used as a prerequisite toward more advanced training in wilderness medicine.

Prior to enrolling, please review Turn Left’s Functional Position Description. The criteria in this policy allow students to self-assess their ability to meet the demands of a WMA International course as well as the demands of a certified wilderness medical provider in the field.

Evaluation: This course is pass/fail. 100% attendance is mandatory. Evaluation is based on practical patient simulations, hands-on activities, and a written test. WMA International is committed to making reasonable accommodation for any student with special needs.

Recertification: Certifications are valid for three years. Graduates of this course should take another WFA course or consider upgrading to the Wilderness Advanced First Aid or Wilderness First Responder. With sufficient demand, ESA will seek to include these courses at future Annual Meetings as well.

Course Topics

• Patient assessment and emergency care including CPR and AED use, basic life support skills, the patient assessment system, patient reporting, and calling for help.
• Treatment of musculoskeletal injuries, including splinting.
• Environmental medicine including illness and injuries related to temperature, lightning, submersion, and environmental toxins.
• Non-technical lifting, moving, and extrication of patients with an emphasis on spinal motion restriction when applicable.
• Management of wounds such as lacerations, burns, and blisters.
• Practical Skills including bleeding control, wound cleaning, bandaging, splinting, spine stable patient packaging, hypothermia management, medical kit preparation.
• Recognition of signs and symptoms associated with serious medical emergencies.
• WMA International wilderness protocols including treatment of anaphylaxis and wound management.

Certifications (Valid for three years.)

• Wilderness First Aid Certification
• Adult CPR Certification (Based on ILCOR/AHA standards)

Advanced registration is required.

This course is recognized by the American Camp Association (ACA) to meet specific ACA standards requiring certifications.

This course is U.S. Coast Guard approved to satisfy First Aid and CPR training requirements of 46 CFR 11.201(i)(1) for merchant marine licenses.

Turn Left Adventures is an Affiliate of the Wilderness Medical Society and a founding member of the Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative (WMEC).