Bowling Green , Ky. - Emergency providers, outdoor professionals and Western Kentucky University students will be able to receive Wilderness First Responder (WFR) training during the 2007 WKU Winter Term.

Hands-on training will help enable participants to provide first aid in areas where advanced medical care may be hours away. The Wilderness First Responder curriculum uses the principles of long-term care, improvised resources, and varying environmental conditions as the framework for learning.

The course is scheduled for Jan. 12-20 at WKU and various field locations in Warren County. Students who successfully complete the Wilderness First Responder course will receive a Wilderness First Responder card and an American Heart Association Adult Heartsaver CPR card (or equivalent).

The WFR training course will be taught by David Calvin, a lecturer in the Indiana University Department of Recreation and Park Administration. Calvin is certified as a National Standards Program Certification Instructor from the Wilderness Education Association. Assisting with the class will be Dr. Steve Spencer, a professor in the WKU Physical Education and Recreation Department.

Class participants will learn how to deal with medical emergencies when they are miles from help and dialing 911 is not an option. Wilderness medicine differs from traditional first aid in three respects. First, many phases of patient care must occur in the field because transportation to medical facilities may take hours or days. Second, severe environments increase the complexity of any emergency and heighten risks to patients and rescuers. Third, limited equipment makes resourcefulness essential.

The WFR training course is open to students seeking college credit as well as to the public. Anyone interested in taking the course for credit needs to contact Dr. Steve Spencer at steve.spencer@wku.edu. If you are not a student but are interested in the course, the fee is $550 and you should contact Sharon Woodward, director of Continuing Education, at (270) 745-1910 or by email at continuing.education@wku.edu.  

The WKU wilderness first responder website (www.wku.edu/winter/WFR) has more information on the course as well as a registration form for non-credit students and a gear list.

The WKU Winter Term is a three-week term that runs between the fall and spring semesters, provides opportunities to help move students toward graduation in a timelier manner than the traditional two-semester system.  For information on the WKU Winter Term, go to www.wku.edu/winter.

Continuing Education is a unit of the WKU Division of Extended Learning and Outreach (DELO). DELO delivers quality credit and non-credit educational opportunities to individuals, organizations and the public using flexible and accessible formats. For more information on DELO, go to www.wku.edu/delo.  

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Bill Oldham at (270) 745-1926.

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