Water
Swiftwater Operations
This course is the “standard-of-care” or recommended training for those who operate near (within 10’ of) fast-moving water, but not in moving water itself. An Operations level certification will also qualify someone to work in a boat on fast-moving water, but boat operators should consider taking the full Technician level course in order to learn more advanced rescue skills applicable in the event of a capsize. Operations training emphasizes the identification of risks, self rescue, and low-risk, shore-based or boat-based options for rescuing others that utilize fast and simple “reach and throw” methods.
Details
Duration: 2 days (16 hours)
Format: 1 day classroom, 1 day on the river
Cost: $299
Pre-requisites
- 18+ years of age (16-17 years with parental permission)
- Basic swimming ability
- In good physical condition
Required Equipment
- Drysuit or wetsuit*
- Personal flotation device (PFD: Type III or IV)*
- Water-sports helmet*
- Neoprene gloves (optional)
- Neoprene footwear with a good walking sole, wading boots, or running shoes
- Layers of wool or fleece clothing for under the drysuit/wetsuit including sweater, pants, gloves, socks
(* Rentals available - Click here for a list of rental prices and course equipment requirements.)
FAQ
More details about swiftwater courses including what to expect and how to prepare. Click here for our Swiftwater FAQ.
Course Content
- Water rescue environments and hazards
- Rescuer safety and pre-planning
- Risk/benefit decision making
- Personal & team equipment
- Shallow water crossings
- On-scene safety & site control
- On-river communications
- Throw bags and “reach, throw” methods of swiftwater rescue
- Self rescue swimming
- In water cervical spine immobilization
- Written test
General Objectives
- To develop necessary skills for personnel to work safely in close proximity to swiftwater.
- Develop ability to self rescue and rescue others from a shore-based position.
- Familiarize and train the student in utilization of standard river rescue gear.
Behavioural Objectives
- List water safety guidelines for operations around moving water.
- Perform a site safety assessment and identify hazards.
- Have a basic understanding of swiftwater dynamics.
- Have a working knowledge of personal protective equipment and basic swiftwater rescue tools.
- Rescue and extricate an accident victim from the water, from a shore-based position.
- Understand basic in-water self rescue techniques.
- Ford shallow and fast-moving water utilizing various techniques.
- Have a good knowledge of on-river communications.
- Recognize the signs and symptoms of significant medical problems related to water accidents.
- Have knowledge of search considerations and on-scene management of an incident.
Course Outline
Day 1: Classroom Session
- Rescue 3’s philosophy of safety and rescue
- The Absolute Rules of Water Safety
- Risk management, risk vs recovery, low to high risk options
- Size up, site assessment and pre-planning
- Swiftwater dynamics/hydrology
- Personal equipment
- Overview of rescue skills and techniques
- Drowning and medical conditions related to swiftwater
- Scenarios and real-life examples
Day 2: River Session
- Review of key concepts
- Site safety assessment
- Basic river signals
- Shore-based “reach and throw” techniques
- Shallow water crossings
- Survival swimming skills
- Written test
- Debrief, completion of training records and issuance of certifications
- Re-inventory equipment
Take Aways
- Rescue 3’s Swiftwater Operations Manual
- Personalized skill sheet (training record) signed by the instructor (valuable document for risk management)
- Registration of training record in Rescue 3’s international database
- Wallet card with personal Rescue 3 registration number and date of certification
- Certificate of Completion
