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Wilderness and Backcountry Medical Care and Training

(Click HERE for STS Training information)

(Updated March 10, 2008)

Basic and Advanced Wilderness First Aid (16/36 Hours)

No Classes Scheduled

  Please read the following information and links carefully! Answers to almost every question we are commonly asked about the Wilderness First Aid classes can be found on these pages.

For further information, contact:

E-mail emergicare@nospamtrailpatrol.org (Remove the "nospam" for emailing us.) for more information.

Registration and refund policies:

Please read: Individual enrollment in all Backcountry Trail Patrol Association/Emergicare Medical Training, Inc. (Emergicare) courses is limited. To reserve a space in an Emergicare course, please return your application form and the appropriate tuition/deposit in check or money order only (We do not accept credit cards at this time.) to Emergicare. Courses under $200.00 require tuition payment in full at the time of registration. (A non-refundable deposit of $100.00 is required for Wilderness First Responder-level courses, and will be applied to the course cost.) Full, non-refundable and non-transferable tuition is due 14 days prior to the course. However, in the event of a student being unable to attend a course they have registered for, their payment may be applied to another Emergicare course at the same level, upon approval by Emergicare Medical Training. Prior to 14 days before the course date, tuition may be refunded, minus a 15% administrative fee to cover expenses.

If a program is cancelled by Emergicare due to low enrollment, the full deposit/tuition will be refunded.

Special Notice to Missionary Organizations, Summer Camps, Guide Services and Outdoor Groups:

Emergicare can conduct wilderness and backcountry and missions medical training programs at your location, and customized to meet your needs. E-mail Backcountry@nospamtrailpatrol.org (Remove the "nospam" for emailing us.) for more information.

Cold Weather Medical Problems

Consider the Sun a Bad Guy

(This information is provided in memory of Anoka County Park Ranger Sgt. Warren Helsene, who succumbed from the effects of skin cancer, only six months after detection.)

The dangers of the sun are year round, but are especially bad in the summer.

By Officer Gary McLaughlin

Sacramento Police Department (CA)

Reprinted by permission of IPMBA News

Young skin can repair itself, but sun damaged skin can’t repair itself as well. Not only does ultra violet light from the sun cause mutation of healthy cells into potentially cancerous cells, but sun damaged skin is less able to defend itself against these cells, which grow and multiply, possibly into cancer.

Melanoma is the most serious, most common cancer among young adults. Melanoma kills over 7,000 Americans every year, with 35,000 having to endure the miseries of aggressive cancer treatment to beat it. If detected early, melanoma is 90% curable.

It’s never too late to have a sunscreen strategy. Listed below are six steps for safe sunning.

1.      Schedule it: Avoid the sun between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. – the sun’s most powerful time. Since most of us are not able to modify our schedules to miss these times, please be sure to take note of the following steps to prevent the harmful effects of the sun. Remember that it’s not only the direct sun, but also the reflection and bouncing of the sun’s rays off of the white cement and glass covered buildings that intensifies the sun’s damaging effects.

2.      Try it: Experiment and test several products to find the one that suits you best – especially if you have sensitive skin.

3.      Number it: Use at least SPF 15 on your legs and SPF 30 on your face, ears, neck and arms. SPF 15 blocks 94% and SPF 30 blocks 97% of the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays.

4.      Time it: Apply sunscreen ½ hour before you go out in the sun and reapply halfway through the shift because if you sweat a lot you will lose some of the protection. The chemicals need time to be absorbed into, and to create a barrier on, your skin.

5.      Cover it: Use sunscreen on all exposed parts of your body, make sure you cover the ears and nose. Dermatologist Dr. Gravenese states that 90% of the basal and squamous cell cancers she removes are from ears and noses. Choose moisturizers that have sunscreens and use them on your face, ears, neck and hands everyday and on other parts if they’re exposed.

6.      Pale it: Protect yourself from burning but also consider avoiding a tan altogether. A tan is a sign that ultraviolet rays are reaching your skin and causing changes. If your sunscreen lets you tan, consider a higher SPF. Because bike units are exposed to ultraviolet rays at the worst time of the day and officers are not able to protect their skin with clothing, it is very important to know how to care for your skin. Using common sense and the proper sunblocks can minimize or eliminate the chance of skin cancer. Please read the following article and live longer and pain free.

The following information was taken from the April/May 1997 issue of a Fitness Swimmer article, "Stay Safe in the Sun" by Kathryn C. Kukala:

Sunscreen will protect you against burning and pre-mature aging, but it won’t stop the spread of skin cancer. For that, you’ve got to examine your skin and become familiar with existing moles.

Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, often begins as a new mole or a change in an existing mole. "If a mole changes over months, rather than years, see a dermatologist," advises Patrick Bitter Jr. M.D., a dermatologist from Los Gatos , California .

New, non-cancerous moles can appear on adults into their 30’s. When a new mole appears, or changes occur in an existing mole, look for the ABC’s (and D) of melanoma.

ASYMMETRICAL shape

BORDERS that are irregular

COLOR variations in the mole

DIAMETER of more than 6 mm (pencil eraser size)

Enlist a partner to keep an eye on hard to see areas, Bitter recommends. It could save your life: on men, melanomas are most common on the upper back or the shoulder blades; on women, the back of the calf.

Don’t be shy with your dermatologist. Ask them to look at all of your skin. Bitter finds three melanomas a year on average while performing total skin exams on patients who come in for other complaints, such as warts on a finger or facial acne. "If you have a new dermatologist, ask for a total body skin exam," he says.

You’re at high risk for melanoma and should get an annual total skin exam if you have fair or freckled skin and light eyes, if you have a family history of melanoma or if you had more than one sunburn as a child.

About Emergicare Medical Training:

Emergicare and Wilderness Rescue Associates, have been providing training in EMS and backcountry rescue since 1978. They were merged together to form Emergicare Medical Training, Inc., a non-profit, educational organization. New quality control programs were instituted to better respond to the suggestions and needs of trainees, and new, custom training materials are continually under development. Emergicare Medical Training specializes in wilderness first aid and medical care, and Minnesota DOT special-needs transportation (STS) driver training at reasonable tuition rates. Our primary operating philosophy is that you are more likely to take specialized training if it is informative, enjoyable and affordable. Emergicare Medical Training, Inc. is a non-profit, educational program of the Backcountry Trail Patrol Association, Inc. For further information on Emergicare Medical Training programs, please Click to send us e-mail