Swiftwater Operations

Rescue

Private

No public dates available

Consider a private booking

Private Courses

Overview

This 2-day Swiftwater Operations course prepares emergency responders to work from a shore-based position near (within 10’ of) moving water, an area sometimes called the “warm zone”.

This course is appropriate for those who will be providing shore-based support for others trained to the Swiftwater Technician level.

Duration

2 days (16 hours)

Format

1 day classroom, 1 day on the river

Participants

Minimum 10. Maximum 12.

Prerequisites

8+ years of age
Basic swimming ability
In good physical condition

Price

$409

Recertification

Repeat the entire course at a 15% discount every three years

Annual Training Maintenance

Click here to read about the options available for annual guided practice

Required Equipment

Drysuit or wetsuit*
Personal flotation device (PFD: Type III or V)*
Water-sports helmet*
Neoprene gloves (optional)
Neoprene footwear with a good walking sole, wading boots, or running shoes
Layers of wool or fleece clothing for under the drysuit/wetsuit including sweater, pants, gloves, socks

*Rental options available

Takeaways & Documentation

Water Rescue Field Guide
Personalized skill sheet signed by the instructor
Registration of training record in Rescue 3’s international database
Wallet card with personal Rescue 3 registration number
Certificate of completion
Rescue 3 ID card

Swiftwater Operations Course Outline

Classroom Session

Rescue 3’s philosophy of safety and rescue
Risk management, risk vs recovery, low to high risk options
Hazard assessment, size up, and pre-planning
Swiftwater dynamics/hydrology
Personal equipment
Shorebased rescue skills and techniques
Drowning and medical conditions related to swiftwater
Scenarios and real-life examples

River Session

Review of key concepts
Site safety assessment
River signals and on-river communication
Shore-based “reach and throw” techniques
Shallow water crossings
Self rescue swimming skills
Written test
Debrief, completion of training records and issuance of certifications

FAQ

Click here for more details including what to expect and how to prepare

We only offer this as a private course

Our private training courses ensure personalized hands-on training through human-based scenarios

Private Courses

Annual Training Maintenance

If you have a group that would like to review their training together, the training maintenance program may be right for you.

Your group pays the instructor’s daily teaching fee and travel costs associated with bringing the instructor to your training location, along with an annual fee to be part of the maintenance program. This is generally a pretty reasonable approach for training departments because:

it allows us to deliver the training in small chunks every year, rather than in one big chunk every three years
it gives department members more annual hands-on time with their skills
new members can integrate into maintenance programs by jumping on an open course from our public schedule

We track your members, and their status on course content completion within a three year cycle, which mirrors a traditional three year recertification cycle. It’s an excellent value for the cost, and allows you to review your skills in your own backyard.

The training maintenance program replaces the need to recertifiy your training on a traditional three year recertification cycle.

Sorry – there’s no individual audit program available for this course.