Wilderness first responder training in the wilderness

By Phoebe Robinson

We are very excited to be planning our staff’s first expeditionary Wilderness First Responder (WFR) training at Ogichi Daa Kwe, completing all the practical training on a seven-day staff canoe trip. The online portion will be completed prior to arriving at Ogichi. The first two days at camp will be spent packing and covering the equipment-intensive modules so we don’t need to haul our manikins, AEDs and oxygen tanks in our canoes. We’ll then leave for a seven-day expedition during which we will practice all the skills needed for WFR certification in the actual context in which they would be applied. 

I first came to Ogichi Daa Kwe to give WFR training to the staff in 2011 but after a few years, had to stay closer to home with my two girls and my job as an ER nurse. I was thrilled to be able to return to Ogichi in 2021. This summer, I’ll lead the WFR part of the trip and Emmy Krill will lead the rest. We anticipate some bumps and wrinkles along the way, however one of the best skills learned in WFR training is adapting and improvising.

Emmy Krill remarks, “Our preseason training is always thorough, but there is little chance to experience the grit required to truck through knee-deep muskeg, the challenge and thrill of navigating whitewater, the satisfaction of devouring quesa-dangs at the end of a long day, or wrapping up the night with a grateful circle before running into the tents to escape the bugs. We finally get our chance to experience all of this together as a team, and grow our knowledge of wilderness trips, before showing it to the campers. And importantly, this trip will build a strong community among the staff.”

This new, seven-day WFR training trip provides our staff the training and the full range of experiences that will create a strong foundation for our wilderness trips program.