Wilderness First Aid for Cavers

Dogwood City Grotto is hosting a discounted wilderness first aid class for cavers. The cost is $80/person. You must be a DCG member to participate. This class provides certification in Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and in Adult CPR through American Red Cross and is taught by two certified ARC instructors who also happen to be cavers. Your instructors are Chris Lee, WEMT and Jennifer Young, WFR with guest speaker Darien Dopp to provide insight into how WFA can impact cave rescue.

Discussions and scenarios will be caving focused. While we will cover all required material for certification, we will be brief on aspects not commonly found in caving so we can spend more time on things you may encounter. To fit this into a little over 2 days requires that this be an intensive course. The material is fast-paced, and participants are encouraged to read topics in advance using resources we will provide. Please come to each session 15 minutes in advance so that we can begin on time.

• IF YOU ARE ALREADY CERTIFIED IN ADULT CPR, you will not need to start the course until Saturday morning at 7:45am. Please provide proof of certification at least one week prior to the course. The fee for the course will be decreased to reflect your current certification.
• IF YOU ARE NOT CERTIFIED IN ADULT CPR, you will need to complete a small amount of online coursework prior to the class and also come Friday night by 5:45pm to get CPR certified in advance of the WFA course. CPR is a prerequisite for WFA!! If you do not obtain certification in CPR, you will not be able to get certified in WFA.

Camping is available on Jeff & Nina’s property. This is a COMMUNITY FOCUSED course. Each person is responsible for helping out as an active part in the group’s everyday camping tasks including: cooking, cleaning, equipment set up and break down, etc. Living with other people in close conditions requires practice in understanding and tolerance. All participants should be prepared to work within the group’s dynamics. Please bring a camp chair for class time, and plan to bring food to share (potluck style) for breakfast and lunch. There will be adequate time during dinner to run into town. This course will be held both indoors and outdoors, rain or shine. Come prepared for the weather.

This course is capped at 18 participants with a waitlist option. Waitlist participants will be prioritized for a future course in the Fall. The cost is $80/person. This covers your ARC certification with a small fee for consumable materials used during the course. Chris and Jennifer are 100% volunteer, and this is the price to barely break even, with course start-up costs covered by the Grotto. Typical providers charge $250-300/person for this course, and it will be no less robust or valuable for the discounted price. Cost and proof of DCG membership is due 5 days before the course begins.