Wilderness First Aid Course (WFA)- Gray Bearded Green Beret Survival School

Wilderness First Aid Course – SOLO WFA Certification

Build real, usable medical skills for the backcountry with the Wilderness First Aid (WFA) Course, a SOLO-backed, two-day training designed for hikers, skiers, hunters, anglers, trip leaders, camp staff, and anyone who spends time in remote environments. This 16-hour, fast-paced, hands-on wilderness first aid course teaches you how to care for sick or injured people when definitive medical care is hours—or even a full day—away.

Through a mix of short lectures, demonstrations, and realistic patient scenarios with moulaged “casualties”, you’ll learn to assess, treat, and make sound decisions in emergencies. Upon successful completion, you’ll earn a two-year SOLO Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and BLS/CPR certification, plus an ACS Stop the Bleed certification. For eligible students, this course may also serve as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) recertification under current SOLO policies.

Why Choose This Wilderness First Aid Course?

This Wilderness First Aid course is built for people who actually go into the field—not just classroom learners.

• Recognized SOLO curriculum from the oldest continuously operating wilderness medicine school
• 16 hours over two days – focused, efficient, and highly practical
• Hands-on scenarios that force you to apply what you learn under realistic stress
• Certifications earned (upon successful completion):
  • SOLO Wilderness First Aid (WFA) – 2 years
  • BLS/CPR certification – 2 years
  • ACS Stop the Bleed certification

You’ll walk away with a repeatable assessment process, clear treatment priorities, and the ability to decide when to treat in place, when to evacuate, and how—using both dedicated medical gear and the equipment you already carry.

Event Status and Travel Policy

Courses listed as “Scheduled” are planned events pending minimum enrollment. Once minimum enrollment is reached, the status changes to “Confirmed” and the course is guaranteed to run. “Confirmed – Limited” indicates only a few seats remain.

Students are advised to make travel arrangements only after a course is marked Confirmed. Gray Bearded Green Beret LLC is not responsible for airfare, lodging, rental vehicles, or other travel expenses in the event a Scheduled course does not meet minimum enrollment or must be rescheduled due to circumstances beyond our control.

What You’ll Learn in This Wilderness First Aid Training

Response and Patient Assessment

• Scene safety and standard precautions
• Understanding the “anatomy of a crisis” in the backcountry
• Step-by-step patient assessment in remote settings
• Using SOAP notes for clear documentation and handoff
• Patient lifting and moving without making injuries worse
• Recognizing and treating shock before it becomes life-threatening

Musculoskeletal Injuries

• How the musculoskeletal system fails in the field
• Differentiating sprains, strains, and fractures
• Building effective improvised splints with common outdoor gear
• Basics of spinal cord injury management and when to suspect spine involvement

Environmental Emergencies & Survival

• How the “human animal” responds to heat, cold, stress, and exertion
• Cold-related injuries: hypothermia and frostbite
• Heat illness: dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke
• Bites and stings: common North American concerns
• Managing lightning and drowning incidents in the field
• Backcountry essentials: simple bivouac and survival skills that support good medical outcomes

Soft Tissue Injuries

• Stopping the bleed with direct pressure, wound packing, and pressure dressings
• Wound cleaning and irrigation to reduce infection risk
• Bandaging skills that actually stay in place during movement
• Recognizing and managing wound infections in remote areas
• Basic burn care in the field

Medical Emergencies

• Recognizing changes in level of consciousness and what they mean
• Breathing problems: asthma, respiratory distress, and allergic reactions
• Signs and symptoms of chest pain and heart attack
• Working through medical problems with limited tools and delayed evacuation

Scenario-Based Practice

Throughout the course, you’ll rotate between patient, rescuer, and observer, practicing:

• Scene management and leadership under stress
• Team communication in noisy, chaotic, or low-light environments
• Improvised solutions using only what’s in your pack or around you

This is where the course comes alive—and where your confidence really gets built.

Professional Instruction from Experienced Wilderness Medicine Instructors

This SOLO Wilderness First Aid Course is delivered by the GB2 Cadre using SOLO’s official WFA curriculum.

Primary Instructor – Rick Swain

Rick Swain is a retired Army combat veteran with more than 20 years of experience as a Special Operations Combat Medic and Paramedic/HAZMAT Technician, serving in both technical and tactical units in Iraq, Afghanistan, Panama, Ecuador, and other challenging environments. After retiring, he mentored and evaluated National Guard CBRN response units and trained extensively at multiple outdoor and wilderness schools—including GB2 and SOLO—before becoming a registered Maine Guide and certified SOLO Wilderness Medicine Instructor. Rick brings hard-earned experience and a clear, practical teaching style to every course.

Additional Instruction – Joshua Enyart

Joshua Enyart, the Gray Bearded Green Beret, is a former Army Ranger and Green Beret with decades of experience as a professional instructor for military and civilian organizations. As founder and head instructor of Gray Bearded Green Beret, he blends wilderness survival, bushcraft, preparedness, and wilderness medicine into a cohesive, no-nonsense system focused on real-world application.

All instructors maintain current WFA/WFR and BLS/CPR credentials at a minimum.

Who Should Take This Wilderness First Aid Course?

This WFA certification course is ideal for:

• Day hikers and backpackers who regularly travel on remote trails
• Skiers, climbers, and paddlers who recreate in rugged environments
• Hunters and anglers who spend long days far from trailheads
• Trip leaders, camp staff, and outdoor educators responsible for others
• Anyone who wants a solid foundation in wilderness first aid but doesn’t yet need the full WFR

For current Wilderness First Responders, this course may also serve as a WFR recertification option, depending on SOLO’s current recertification policies and your existing certification dates.

Course Details

• Course Provider: SOLO Wilderness First Aid (WFA) – delivered by GB2 Cadre
• Duration: 2 days (approximately 16 training hours)
• Certifications Earned (upon successful completion):
  • SOLO Wilderness First Aid (WFA) – valid for 2 years
  • BLS/CPR certification – valid for 2 years
  • ACS Stop the Bleed certification
• Format: Mix of lecture, hands-on skills labs, and realistic wilderness scenarios

Why This SOLO WFA Course Stands Out

This Wilderness First Aid course is built to bridge the gap between front-country first aid and true wilderness medicine:

• Uses a recognized SOLO curriculum that aligns with modern wilderness medicine standards
• Focuses on simple, effective interventions you can perform with limited gear
• Taught by instructors with deep field, combat, and wilderness experience
• Pairs perfectly with GB2’s survival, bushcraft, and land navigation training, giving you a more complete backcountry skill set

You won’t just memorize protocols—you’ll practice thinking clearly and acting decisively when things go wrong far from help.

Be Ready When Help Is Hours Away

Most emergencies in the outdoors are handled long before an ambulance is ever involved. The decisions you make in the first minutes and hours matter.

Enroll in the Gray Bearded Green Beret Wilderness First Aid Course – SOLO WFA Certification and gain the skills to stabilize, treat, and make smart evacuation decisions in the backcountry.

Reserve your spot today and build the medical skill set to match your time in the wild.