Whitewater Rescue Technician – Recreational (WRT-REC)

The Whitewater Rescue Technician – Recreational course is designed for recreational paddlers with existing river experience, to provide you with the necessary skills to perform rescues in whitewater river situations. Whitewater professionals (eg raft guides, safety kayakers) should take the Whitewater Rescue Technician – Professional (WRT-PRO) course.

Contact hours

12 hours (2 days)

 Prerequisites:

• Confident swimmer, with experience of water-based activities (rafting, canoeing, canyoning, sea level traversing etc)
• Minimum age: 18

Course content includes

• Rescue 3 philosophy
• Training standards
• Best practice guidelines
• River hydrology and hazards
• Personal equipment
• Technical and group equipment
• River running considerations
• Assessing risk
• Managing an incident
• Medical considerations
• Night/poor visibility considerations
• Communications
• Strainer considerations
• Whitewater swimming techniques
• Conditional rescues – throwbags
• Introduction to shallow water techniques
• Foot/body entrapments
• Introduction to knots and anchor systems
• Introduction to mechanical advantage
• Tethered rescues
• Line crossing methods
• Handheld diagonals/zip lines
• Simple boat wraps/pins
• Victim/casualty management
• Scenarios