Greater St. Louis Area Council’s Wilderness First Aid 16-hour course meets guidelines established by the Boy Scouts of America.  This course is designed to meet the needs of those who go into areas beyond the reach of urban EMS. It is required for units going to BSA National High Adventure Bases (Philmont, Sea Base, Northern Tier) and is recommended for back country camping, hiking, canoeing, or other high adventure activities.  Certification is good for two years. 

Because of COVID-19, we are shifting to blended learning for all winter and spring 2021 courses, combining on-line learning with in-person skills training.  This will help mitigate risk of COVID-19 transmission between participants and comply with BSA and GSLAC guidance on group activities.  Our priority is protecting participants and staff while completing WFA certification.

The Emergency Care & Safety Institute (ECSI) developed a BSA Wilderness First Aid Awareness course (titled BSA Wilderness First Aid Navigate Course, Fifth Edition), an online course that will allow Scouts, Venturers, and leaders to learn the knowledge needed to prevent and respond to injuries or sudden illnesses when medical care is more than an hour away.  Through the online course, individuals can prepare for their upcoming camps in the safety of their own homes.  On completion of the on-line awareness-level course, which includes passing an on-line knowledge exam, participants will receive instructions to secure their course completion certificate.  Individuals can then complete a one-day on-site and in-person skills session to ensure comprehension of the material.  We will conduct the skills session from 8:00am-5:00pm. 

There are 2 components for full certification: 

1)  Successfully complete the WFA Navigate online course and test (with an 85% or better score).  Register for the ECSI WFA Navigate online course now at   https://checkout.jblearning.com/cart/Default.aspx?bc=22471-9&ref=ecsi&coupon=BSAWFAW9.  The price is discounted (from $40) to only $24 through the end of this year at this site:  https://www.ecsinstitute.org/Scouting-wfa.  Complete this before your WFA skills session.  Registration for the ECSI on-line WFA Navigate course is valid for one year.

2)  Successfully complete the one-day hands-on skills course with our council’s ECSI instructors.  Fee of $50 for this skills session will include a hard copy of the ECSI Wilderness First Aid Field Guide, which you will receive at the session. Register for one WFA skills session date only.  You may register for this at any time—completion of the on-line portion is not a prerequisite to register for a skills session.  Register for this at https://stlbsa.org/training/first-aid/.

On completion of both components, you will meet all Wilderness First Aid requirements for BSA National High Adventure Bases, and you will receive your Wilderness First Aid certification, honored by BSA’s National High Adventure Bases and good for two years.

Participants must be certified in adult CPR/AED before completing the WFA skills session.  We will conduct CPR/AED certification course the night before each WFA session, so if you need this, please sign up for the CPR/AED class to be held the night before your WFA skills session.  We will conduct this from 6:00-9:30pm.  If you are CPR/AED current, please bring proof of currency to your skills session.

We will follow CDC guidelines, current as of the class date, to meet COVID-19 risk mitigation.  Registration  is limited to 20 per session to provide adequate distance between participants.  You must  bring a mask with you and wear it properly over mouth and nose throughout the course, except while eating or drinking.  While we will do our best to maintain physical separation as much as possible, during skills session scenario work participants will work in groups of 4 or 5, at times closely with each other.  We will minimize time working together but will meet course requirements for certification.