Wilderness first aid, river safety courses offered at Si View Parks

Published 11:08 am Thursday, February 23, 2012

Helping locals get ready for recreation in the wilderness, Si View Metro Parks is offering several emergency preparedness courses.

The American Red Cross adult CPR/AED class is offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 25, at Si View Community Center. Participants learn to recognize and respond to emergencies in adults including breathing and cardiac emergencies.

The course fee of $62 includes ARC certification valid for two years, digital refresher, and printable participant textbook.

Wilderness and Remote First Aid, also an American Red Cross course, includes 19 hours of outdoors training providing participants the skills and confidence needed to respond to an emergency when help may be delayed. This includes wilderness, remote environments and urban disasters.

A two-year wilderness first aid certification by American Red Cross is included in the $184 course fee along with course textbook and weather-resistant field guide. Participants must be at least 14 and have current CPR/AED certification.

The course runs Friday March 2 from 6 to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday March 3 and 4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Meadowbrook Farm Interpretive Center.

A River Awareness and Safety course is offered from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, March 17. Topics to be covered include river hazards, hypothermia, identifying safer places on a river, “river position”, self-rescue and universally recognized river signals. Students will practice using throw ropes and how to assist others in a river emergency without endangering oneself. The instructor is a professional whitewater raft guide and whitewater rescue technician. Participants will not be in the water.

The course fee is $25. Participants ages 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information and to register, visit www.siviewpark.org or call 425-831-1900.