BC SAR Swiftwater Rescue Technician
Overview
Swiftwater Rescue Technician is a comprehensive course that prepares personnel to enter moving water to perform “go” rescues. It emphasizes identifying risks, self rescue, and the various options for rescuing others, as well as the decision-making process required to choose the most appropriate rescue approach.
This course meets and exceeds NFPA 1006 and 2500 Swiftwater requirements.
Delivered for SAR in small cohorts of 6 or fewer for maximum skill transfer and field-readiness.
Swiftwater Rescue Technician Details
- Duration
3 days (24 hours)
- Format
1 day classroom, 2 days on the river
- Participants
Maximum 6.
- Prerequisites
- 18+ years of age
- Basic swimming ability
- In good physical condition
- Price
$5,825 per course (+travel)
- Recertification
Receive a discount of $138.75 for every member who’s completed this course in the last three years.
- Required Equipment
- Drysuit or wetsuit*
- Personal flotation device (Type III or V)*
- Water-sports helmet*
- Neoprene gloves (optional)
- Neoprene footwear with a good walking sole or running shoes
- Layers of wool or fleece clothing for under the drysuit/wetsuit including shirt, pants, socks
*Rental options available
- Takeaways u0026 Documentation
- Rescue 3’s River Rescue field guide
- Personalized skill sheet signed by the instructor
- Registration of training record in Rescue 3’s international database
- Certificate of completion
SRT Course Content
- Rescue 3’s philosophy of rescue
- Pre-planning for swiftwater rescues
- Incident size-up and risk management
- Incident Management and swiftwater ICS
- Swiftwater hydrology and hazards
- Introduction to vehicles in swiftwater
- Helicopter rescue considerations
- Personal protective equipment
- Medical and decontamination considerations
- Introduction to ropes, knots and gear
- Drylands rope work including anchor basics and mechanical advantage
- A review of key concepts
- Site safety assessment
- Basic river signals
- Swiftwater swimming techniques
- Self rescue techniques
- Shore based rescue techniques – throw bagging and reach rescue
- Shallow water crossing and wading techniques
- Use of quick release swiftwater harness
- Strainer entrapment exercise
- Hazard avoidance
- Foot and body entrapment techniques
- True rescue techniques (in water) including tethered and non tethered rescues
- Horizontal swiftwater rope systems – tension diagonals, tethered boats
- Scenario based training
- Boat or board-based techniques including pins flips and rights (if used by agency)
We also offer this as a private course
Our private training courses ensure personalized hands-on training through human-based scenarios.
Private Courses