COURSE DESCRIPTION

INSTRUCTOR CONTACT:

Luke Baugh

360-510-1243

triadraft@gmail.com

WHO THIS IS FOR: Recreational boaters wanting to expand their knowledge on river rescue and risk management.

ONLINE COMPONENT: Yes - Optional (but highly recommended)

COURSE FORMAT: 2-day REC-I course with 2 hours of online training prior to start date. 8 hours each day of in-field training. Total class length: 18hrs.

WHEN: April 20-21, 2024

WHERE: 60076 WA Hwy 20, Marblemount, WA 98267

FIELD SITE: Sauk River near Darrington, WA

COURSE COSTS: $350 - Full payment is necessary at time of enrollment

PREREQUISITES:

1. Proficient swimmer

2. Physically capable

3. Desire to learn

4. All of the necessary PPE

5. Meet all Essential Eligibility Criteria

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT:

• 2 locking carabiners (mark yours for identification)

• A personal throw bag if you have one (waist style throw bags are recommended for swimming)

• A personal style pulley such as this: 1” micro pulley

• Drysuits are always recommended. Reach out to your instructor with questions about wetsuits.

ONLINE OBJECTIVES: Students will automatically be given access to the online portion upon registration of your course. All modules are presented in multi-media format and contain a quiz after each segment to test your knowledge. Online modules will be practiced and reviewed in the field portion of training.

VERIFICATION OF TRAINING: All students will receive a “Verification of Training” with the course dates listed. This is typically not adequate for employment purposed.

YOUR NEXT COURSE: Following this course, if you would like to advance your level of training or refresh your skills, you have a few options with SSI:

1. Enroll in the PRO-I course with SSI. This course is designed for rescue professionals; Eg, commercial river guides, SAR members, and any other professionals requiring certification for employment. For more information on the PRO-I course, please visit www.swiftwatersafetyinstitute.com

2. Take another REC-I course

Please be on the lookout for the following emails after your registration:

• Registration Complete

• Your SSI Account

• Medical Release Form

• Online Course Information

https://triadrivertours.com/guidetrainingswiftwaterrescue

The Recreational based courses are designed to be delivered over a 2 day, in-field format in conjunction with the online component to frontload objectives. These courses are primarily designed for those wishing to gain experience around moving water. This course is framed around participant desires for training and taking beginner and novice students through the process of risk management and decision making in a swift water setting. Although this course does meet the SSI standards for certification, because of the format students will only be able to achieve a 2 year certification and all recreation based students will receive a Verification of Training for the Recreational Boater with no expiration. Guides and other water professionals need to push themselves towards the PRO-I and achieve up to a 3 year certification, but can option into this course in order to receive training if nothing else is available. This may also be used as a recert module for those that cannot get into a PRO-I or a PRO-II (Cert/Recert length does not exceed 2 yrs in this class). This class is tempered for recreational enthusiast with varied experience levels. We can discuss several different topics of importance to private boaters, and all knowledge gained in this class is positive. If you are a recreational boater with substantial experience, and perhaps a couple of training courses under your belt over the years, we would push you to get into the PRO-I course.

Minimum age: 15 with a parent present

Certification: Up to 2 years for pros needing to recert or (Verification of Training for Rec students)

Next Class: PRO-I

PREREQUISITES

1. Proficient swimmer

2. Physically capable

3. Desire to learn

4. All of the necessary PPE

5. Meet all Essential Eligibility Criteria

REC-I COURSE DELIVERY

The REC-I will be delivered in a 2 day, 18 hour format (16 hours in the field and roughly 2-3 hours of online training prior). We achieve this by eliminating the formal classroom component due to COVID19 concerns, and allow you to access online training modules from the safety and comfort of your home two weeks prior to the start date of your course. You are required to complete your online training prior to the field training with SSI, and this really is added value for all participants. The modules are pretty straight forward, and will give a large degree of insight into the class you will be taking. On both day 1 and 2, we will ease into the morning with a cup of coffee and discussion about the days objectives. We do not rush around, and we do not need to check specific boxes for this training. Your instructor will drive the course, but as a student you will have a lot of say on what you want to learn, and you can get all of the questions you have answered by a professional.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Upon registration and payment, you will be automatically enrolled in the online training and you will have immediate access. All correspondence will be sent to the email you provided upon registration, and all online modules are presented in multi-media format.

HOW IT WORKS

Each module will be followed by a module quiz, and you will be able to retake each quiz as many times as necessary. You must pass each exam with a minimum score of 80% in order to gain access to the next module. You can start and stop at any time and your progress will be saved. This is how SSI eliminates the formal classroom component, yet still provides you with basic presentations that are very helpful to your pre-course understanding and in-field success.

WHAT THE FIELD TRAINING LOOKS LIKE

For the 2 day REC-I, expect to meet at a pre-determined course site around 8:30am on day 1 (TBD by your instructor). A little time in the morning will be spent on land reviewing some of the concepts that you were exposed to during the online training. Additionally, you will also be presented with the student field manual, and your instructor will go over all necessary course paperwork. All of this in preparation for day 2 that will be a continuation of day 1 with focus on training in the river and rapidly building your skill-set. We will introduce and have discussions on risk management, group dynamics, expedition leadership and self care in a stressful environment.

TESTING

There is no testing for this course, other than the quizzes required in the online component of the training. If you are a pro and unable to find other training such as the PRO-I, PRO-I Recertification or the PRO-II course, you will be required to pass a comprehensive in-field evaluation administered by your instructor. You may be required to stay after class for this. It is highly recommended that you pursue PRO level training.

REC-I Learning Objectives

• Group communication

• Proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Hazard avoidance and recognition

• Gaining comfort swimming in rivers

• Rescue priorities (self, team, others)

• Risk assessment

• Stress Guide Assessment

• Self rescue and group rescue priorities

• Throw bag techniques

• Contact swimming erscues

• Foot entrapment extrication

• Shallow water crossings

• Basic knots and single point anchors

• Vector pull as mechanical advantage

• Boat pins / flips (class specific and course site dependent)

• Problem solving with limited gear and resources

• Overall emergency assessment

Optional Modules: (these take time and are not directly built into this curriculum – if you desire these options look at the PRO-I)

• Tensioned diagonals

• Strainer swim

• Simple Mechanical Advantage