SwiftWater Rescue & River Rescue Courses
River Runners and Guides
RIVER RESCUE COURSES -Swiftwater for River Runners
Black Fox Rescue Institute offers courses and certification for professional river guides and recreational boaters. Each course combines theoretical and practical learning to help you master the skills you’ll need on the water whether you are guiding professionally or recreating for fun.
Our courses are certified through Sierra Rescue and the American Canoe Association. These professional level certifications are recognized by all US based Government Agencies as well as internationally. Enroll in an open course near you, or schedule custom dates for your group or staff.
Emergency Responders
SWIFTWATER RESCUE COURSES
Black Fox Rescue Institute offers courses for emergency responders requiring certifications for swift water rescue. Obtaining and maintaining certifications ensure that you and your agency can safely respond to emergencies in your jurisdiction.
Our courses are certified through Rescue 3 International and the certification meets or exceeds NFPA standards. Emergency responders can enroll in open courses, or you can schedule custom course dates that work best for your agency.
Black Fox Rescue Institute offers a specialized curriculum for fire fighters, search and rescue teams, professional responders and government agencies who need advanced swift water rescue training. Awareness level is offered for responders working more than 10ft (3m) from moving water. Operations level is offered for responders working within 10ft (3m) of moving water. Technician level is for responders working in or on the water.
Join an open course near you, or contact us for custom course dates for your group or your team.
Which Swiftwater Course is right for You?
Available Courses
River Rescue
Whether you are guiding a raft professionally or running the river for fun, it is your responsibility to be prepared in responding quickly and effectively when your trip does not go as planned. The River Rescue have been developed by river professionals for guides and river runners like you. Each course will allow you practice the skills and techniques on the water. Your ability to use the skills and knowledge to respond to an incident is our goal while teaching these courses. You can expect to learn new skills and techniques covering all aspects of a trip and rescue, including:
TRIP PLANNING AND PREPARATION
HAZARD RECOGNITION AND AVOIDANCE
SELF RESCUE
PARTNER AND OR CLIENT RESCUE
RESCUE TECHNIQUES UTILIZING EQUIPMENT YOU TYPICALLY CARRY WITH YOU
BACKCOUNTRY AND REMOTE RESCUE TECHNIQUES
Upon completion, you can take your certification wherever your next adventure may lead you. Your certification is recognized internationally and by all US land management agencies and State governments. The pro level is additionally recognized by the International Rafting Federation, New Zealand River Guides, and British Canoeing.
River Rescue has been designed from the ground up for river runners! This course is the best way to learn swiftwater rescue techniques that work with small groups and limited equipment. The course will teach you how to better plan river trips, what to consider when choosing groups, equipment, and locations, how to avoid accidents, and how to approach and respond quickly and efficiently when they are encountered. This course meets all agency requirements for guides and outfitters and establishes a solid foundation of skills and techniques for all rafters, kayakers, Stand Up Paddlers, Packrafters, Fishermen and guides.
Swiftwater and Flood Rescue - Technician
This water rescue class is the most popular Swiftwater Rescue course for professional rescuers who will be responding as part of a team and will be going into the water/hot zone. Firefighters, SAR team members, Park, BLM and Forest Rangers, Boarder Patrol, Professional Lifeguards, Military and other government responders will all be more appropriately prepared to preform a water rescue.
Our courses emphasize:
HAZARD AWARENESS
PREVENTION
SELF RESCUE
TEAM RESCUE
VICTIM RESCUE
RESCUE USING THE EQUIPMENT YOU REGULARLY CARRY
Our courses are designed to give you the knowledge and skills needed to preform rescues, and test those skill in scenarios throughout the course. This course is ideal for rescuers who are planning on operating in the water when responding to floods or river incidents or will be serving as the water rescue group supervisor.
All of our courses are certified by Rescue 3 International and meet their international standard, which satisfies, and in most cases exceeds, NFPA 2500 standards for Technician Level. Course curriculum is developed by an international board that evaluates the best of practices used around the world and combines them with teaching methodology. Our courses are taught by professional rescuers who have passed Rescue 3 International's rigorous instructor training program.
River Rescue Advanced/PRO
River Rescue Advanced sets the international standard for guides and those river runners who want to elevate their river running swiftwater skills. Building on the foundation of skills, knowledge and techniques learned in River Rescue, the Advanced course pushes students by having them apply their knowledge and experience in harder and more challenging scenarios. Additional skills included:
VERTICAL ACCESS AND EVACUATION
NIGHT RESCUE
LONGER SEARCHES
INTEGRATION WITH ARRIVING RESCUE GROUPS
TRIP EMERGENCY ACTION PLANNING
These skills help to set guides and boaters up for success when leading trips or rescues.
Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Technician - Advanced
Integrating the SWRT techniques into more difficult technical swiftwater rescue situations this course has students combine the skills sets from Swiftwater Rescue Technician (SWRT) and Rope Rescue Technician (RRT). With a concentration on rescue in hard to reach and access areas and more difficult swiftwater situations this course is ideal for teams who have difficult swiftwater terrain in their jurisdiction. In addition to merging and advancing rope and swiftwater the advanced level course includes:
PLANNING RESCUES
LEADING COMPLEX SWIFTWATER MISSIONS
PREPLANNING FOR HAZARDOUS AREAS
NIGHT OPERATIONS
This is the best course for experienced technicians and rescue teams
Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Boat Operator courses
Non Motorized Paddle Boats
Ideal for teams and individuals who respond on the water with inflatable and other non motorized boats, this boat operator course focuses on boat handling in class I, II, and III whitewater. The curriculum focus is on rescue situations, reading rivers, hazard avoidance, and boat handling techniques. Skills can be taught on paddle guiding only, oar guiding only, or a combination of the two. These courses are only offered as private courses.
Motorized Boats
Propeller and Jet driven boat handling in class I-III is the focus of this course. Rescue techniques with motorized craft are emphasized. Because of the unique character of each boat and river, we only teach these courses as contract courses for your agency with your craft.
Swiftwater and Flood Rescue - Operations
Swiftwater Rescue Operations level courses teach rescuers to operate within 10’ of the rivers edge. Meeting the NFPA requirements for working in the warm zone, students will learn about
proper personal and rescue equipment
hydrology and morphology
self rescue skills
shore based rescue techniques
This course is ideal for rescuers who will be working to assist technicians working in the hot zone or will be coming down to the rivers edge to assist with patient care and transport from the warm zone.
International River Guide Certification
Black Fox Rescue Institute has IRF assessors who can help you to get your international guide or safety craft certification. We can assess your guiding and rescue skills and award you your International Rafting Federation guiding certificate. These assessments are typically done on the river that you work on and take place while you are guiding a trip along with additional skills testing. Discounts are given for groups of 4 or more guides on the same river assessment at the same time. Because of the unique nature of each assessment, it is best to call us to organize your assessment.
