Swiftwater Rescue Course by Raven Rescue in B.C. Canada

River Rescue for River Runners

River Rescue for River Runners (RRRR) features essentially the same content as our Swiftwater Awareness course, but is specifically tailored to the unique needs, challenges and skills of whitewater kayakers and canoeists. This course is must for whitewater boaters who do not require professional certification but want to develop the skills and confidence necessary to deal with all moving water situations, including use of standard river rescue gear and self rescue skills. Tired of being lucky? Don’t leave home without it!

Duration: 1 1/2 days (1/2 day classroom, 1 day on river)

Cost: $ 149.00

General Objectives

  1. Develop a sense of confidence and the necessary skills to deal with moving water situations.
  2. Develop ability to self rescue and rescue others in moving water situations
  3. Familiarize and train the student in utilization of standard river rescue gear.

Behavioural Objectives

  1. Have a working knowledge of standard river equipment including clothing, boat preparation, rope and related equipment and some specialized gear.
  2. Have a working knowledge of river dynamics and hazards, e.g. holes, strainers and foot entrapment.
  3. Self rescue and rescue fellow river users from the water.
  4. Safely swim swiftwater and be able to maneuver so as to negotiate river hazards at various water levels.
  5. Have a good knowledge of applicable communications methods, e.g. hand and whistle signals.
  6. Be able to pre-plan for river trips and develop low to high risk decision-making skills.

Course Outline

Equipment
Personal safety equipment & clothing; rope; boats (outfitting and selection).

Rope
Knots; webbing; throwing techniques; tag line & stray swimmer rescues.

Entrapments and Extrications
Boat pins; entrapments; equipment retrieval; rigging and hauling systems.

Organization
The rescue process; leadership; team organization; liability & risk management.

River Sense
Water dynamics; hazards; rating rapids; preplanning; scouting; leadership; saying “no”; the “what-if” factor; & river classification.

Medical
Initial contact; drowning; hypothermia; shoulder dislocations; evacuation techniques; secondary drowning.

Swimming
Ferry swimming; protect position; hole riding and exit; strainer swim; force of current re: speed and volume; river signals/communication.