Our Instructors
Becoming an Instructor
First, some background ...
Raven Rescue is the Official Agent for Rescue 3 International, which means we are the sole Canadian provider of Rescue 3 training courses in swiftwater, ice rescue, technical rope rescue and motorized boat handling. In order to teach Rescue 3 courses in Canada, you must first participate in our Instructor certification process and demonstrate a high standard of technical rescue and teaching ability.
We are also the Western Canada Office for Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA). To become a WMA Instructor please visit the WMA International website.
Why can’t I just take an Instructors’ course for a few days and get certified to teach?
We have no interest in the standard “Train-the-Trainer” approach where those with little relevant skills or experience can become certified to teach in a few days. We don’t believe it is responsible to put someone in charge of others in a high-risk environment like swiftwater, frozen lakes or rivers, or working at height, without them first demonstrating operational ability in a range of conditions. Rather, we focus on recruiting those who already possess solid baseline skills, and then work with them over a period of time to strengthen and fine tune their abilities. The length of time this takes depends on their prior experience, aptitude, and teaching goals.
General Pre-requisites
All Instructor Candidates must possess:
- Operational experience in a related field
- Have taken a Technician level course in the chosen discipline at least twice (Raven Rescue or equivalent)
- Current EMR/EMT B or Wilderness First Responder (80 hour) certification or higher
- Current certification at the Technician level for Rope Rescue (or equivalent)
Choose the type of Instructor
- Agency Instructor
- Corporate Instructor
What is an Agency Instructor?
Agency Instructors are certified to teach only those who are covered by the same insurance umbrella, ie: fire department colleagues or fellow SAR volunteers. Public registrations are not allowed in this type of course. Agency Instructors must demonstrate ability to teach the required skills and be able to respond to emergencies that could arise during a course, but do not have to meet the exceptional standard of operational ability, course delivery and client service that we require of Corporate Instructors (see below). For this reason, the Instructor certification process can be somewhat shorter but it’s still not a “rubber stamp”.
Agency Instructors must:
- Abide by our SOGs and Safe Work Procedures
- Follow our curriculum
- Purchase course materials from our office
- Return course materials to us in a timely manner
- Be audited every two years by an Instructor Trainer while teaching a course for their agency
To begin the process of becoming an Agency Instructor, please click the big red button to complete our Instructor Application. When you click “submit” it will be emailed directly to us and we will get back to you to discuss your suitability.
What is a Corporate Instructor?
Candidates granted Corporate Instructor status are certified to teach courses organized by Raven Rescue for a wide range of clients from emergency responders, to natural resource managers, to industrial personnel, to recreationists. We have rigorous requirements designed to ensure that our Corporate Instructors are the very best in the rescue training business.
In order to become a Corporate Instructor, candidates must demonstrate:
- Mastery level of required and related skills
- Excellent physical fitness
- Compelling teaching ability
- High standard of professionalism and client service orientation
Raven Rescue organizes all aspects of the courses taught by Corporate Instructors, including classrooms, insurance and travel. They must be audited by an Instructor Trainer every two years and participate in regular professional development opportunities to maintain their operational status. As a result of our high standards, we believe we have the very best Instructors in the industry: consumate technical rescue professionals as well as inspiring teachers.
To begin the process of becoming a Corporate Instructor, please click the big red button to complete our Instructor Application. When you click “submit” it will be emailed directly to us and we will get back to you to discuss your suitability.
