Wilderness first aid at a glance
- Typical length
- 16 hours
- Two to two and a half days
- Certification
- Valid 2 years
- NOLS WFA
- Minimum age
- 14
- Red Cross course, with adult CPR/AED
- Next level up
- Wilderness First Responder
- 80 hours at NOLS
How is wilderness first aid different from ordinary first aid?
Ordinary first aid assumes an ambulance is coming and your job is to keep someone stable for a few minutes. Wilderness first aid assumes it is not. Help might be hours or a day away, so the care has to last, and part of the job is deciding whether the injured person can walk out, needs carrying, or needs a rescue called.
That changes what gets taught. A wilderness course spends far more time on a structured patient assessment and on improvising splints and dressings from gear you already carry. It also adds training on environmental problems that a standard first aid course gives little time to: cold, heat, altitude and lightning.
What does a WFA course cover, and how long does it take?
The standard entry course is 16 hours, taught over two or two and a half days. The NOLS version covers its Patient Assessment System, wound care, fractures and dislocations, head and spinal injuries, shock, heat and cold illness, altitude and lightning, and the decision to evacuate. The certification is valid for two years.
The Red Cross teaches a comparable Wilderness and Remote First Aid course for students 14 and older, who must already hold an adult CPR/AED certification. Other wilderness medicine schools teach their own versions to much the same outline.
Where does WFA sit among the wilderness medicine levels?
It is the first rung. Above it, Wilderness Advanced First Aid runs longer, and the Wilderness First Responder is the standard for guides, trip leaders and search and rescue volunteers: NOLS teaches it in 80 hours over nine or ten days, for students 16 and older.
For someone who hikes on weekends, WFA is the right size. The course itself fits in a weekend, and it covers what NOLS calls the injuries and illnesses common in the outdoors.
What this means when you're choosing
- Hands-on scenarios outdoors, not only classroom slides
- A provider whose certification your scout troop, school or employer accepts
- Whether CPR is included or has to be taken separately
- A recertification schedule you will actually keep, usually every two years
Wilderness first aid vs Wilderness First Responder
| Wilderness first aid | Wilderness First Responder | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 16 hours over two or two and a half days | 80 hours over nine or ten days at NOLS |
| Who it is for | Hikers, parents and scout leaders on day and weekend trips | Guides, trip leaders and search and rescue volunteers |
| Minimum age | 14 for the Red Cross course | 16 for the NOLS course |
| Certification | Two years at NOLS | Two years at NOLS |
Which to pick: Take WFA if you hike for fun and want to know what to do when a friend gets hurt. WFR is worth its nine or ten days once other people rely on you professionally, or if you spend long stretches far from a road.
The common mistake
Treating a first aid kit as the qualification
A well-stocked kit in untrained hands mostly produces well-meant bandaging. The assessment and the decision about evacuating are what a course teaches, and neither comes in a box. Buy the kit, then book the course.
Common questions
Do you need wilderness first aid training to go hiking?
No, and nothing requires it for recreational hiking. It is well worth taking if you hike with children, lead groups or go anywhere a rescue would take hours, because it teaches you what to do in the time before help arrives.
How long is a wilderness first aid certification good for?
Two years for the NOLS course, after which you retake it or take a recertification course. Other providers set their own periods, so check the one you book.
Is wilderness first aid the same as a first aid kit?
No. The kit is the supplies. The course is the skill to use them and, just as important, the judgment to decide when someone needs to be evacuated. Someone who does not know what to do will not get far with even a good kit.
Where this is defined
- Wilderness First Aid (WFA), NOLS
- Wilderness First Responder (WFR), NOLS
- Wilderness and Remote First Aid, American Red Cross