April 18, 2019
Wilderness medical training class coming to SIU’s Touch of Nature Environmental Center
CARBONDALE, Ill. — You can be prepared for an emergency, no matter what happens where, thanks to a course Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Touch of Nature Environmental Center is hosting.
The Wilderness First Responder Certification Course is set for May 25-31 and anyone age 18 or older may participate. The class is designed to prepare participants to handle medical emergencies of all kinds, particularly in wilderness settings or other locales where calling 911 isn’t possible or where medical assistance isn’t readily available.
The course takes place at Touch of Nature, located about eight miles south of Carbondale on Giant City Road.
Media Advisory
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the Wilderness First Responder Certification Course May 25-31 at Touch of Nature Environmental Center. To arrange a visit, contact Erik Oberg at 618/453-3945 or eriko@siu.edu.
Classwork is comprehensive and beneficial
The course covers a wide variety of topics, including patient assessment, body systems, trauma, toxins, back-country medicine, wilderness rescue, environmental medicine and other relevant subjects.
Participants will learn how to handle diverse emergency medical situations, using improvised equipment, even under harsh conditions. The intensive program features classroom instruction each morning and hands-on practice activities each afternoon. This format gives those in attendance a chance to learn then test their skills at handling real-life emergencies, from building stretchers to making a complete simulated emergency rescue.
Outdoor educators, guides, military personnel, professional search and rescue team members, researchers, those involved in disaster relief and anyone who may face a situation where there could be a need for medical assistance or rescue when the usual assistance is inaccessible or far away could benefit from the class.
Certificates for completion
Everyone who finishes the course will earn a three-year certification from Wilderness Medical Associates, the wilderness medical training company that provides professional instructors for the course. Darren Stokes, a certified wilderness medical technician who has more than 30 years of professional outdoor guide and instruction experience, will lead the class.
Register now
Advance registration is required for the class. Find details about how to sign up online. The cost is $750.
Meals and lodging are also available for an additional fee; signup details are on the website.
For more information
For additional information, contact Erik Oberg at 618/453-3945 or eriko@siu.edu or call 1-888-wildmed or visit wildmed.com.