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Workshop Goals

This is a 24-hour Wilderness First Responder Recertification course for current Wilderness First Responders (WFR) who need to recertify and refresh their skills. This class will provide three full days of review and scenarios and will be taught by Bobbie Foster, of Foster Calm -First Aid and Leadership Trainings (contracted by the Sierra Club). While prior CPR certification is preferred, it is not required.

• Any current WFR students (WFR or WFR recertification class within the last 4 years) may take this class for recertification regardless of whether their original certificate is from Foster Calm, WMI, WMA, SOLO or other providers.
• Upon successful completion of this course you will receive a 3-year WFR certification from Foster Calm. This course DOES NOT include CPR.

What To Expect

• This will be a long and full weekend with both lecture-style instruction and scenario-based hands-on learning. Class will run on Saturday through Monday, 8am-5pm (including night sessions Saturday and Sunday after dinner). Workshop attendees will need to stay on site both Saturday and Sunday evenings due to the evening sessions.
• Meals start with dinner Friday night and end Monday with lunch (instruction ends at 5pm Monday). Meal times are as follows: bag lunch preparation at 7am, breakfast at 7:30, lunch around noon and dinner at 6pm.
• Homework: You will be sent handouts 3-4 weeks before the course. It is expected that you read the material and complete the homework assignments prior to your arrival. Your weekend learning experience will greatly benefit from prior studying. Bring these completed assignments with you to the course.
• This course will be referencing “The Wilderness First Responder” by Buck Tilton. If you do not already have this text, it is recommended you acquire it prior to the course.
  Portions of the day will be outside, regardless of weather, so bring appropriate clothing for early May weather in the Sierra.
• A written test will be given on Sunday. You must pass to receive your certification. Upon successful completion of the written test and attendance the entire weekend, you will receive a Foster Calm certification.

Schedule

• Saturday: 8am-5:00 pm with a session after dinner.
• Sunday: 8am-5pm with a session after dinner.
• Monday: 8am-5pm

Registration Information

You may register for a training event in any of the following ways:

• ONLINE  Sign me up now! (credit card required)
  Please note:  Online registration uses the National Outings reservation system. Once registered, you're confirmed.  On step seven, please disregard the pending participant approval and the cancellation policy.

• By Phone - Call 415-977-5522 (8:30-5, PST, M-F). Please have your credit card information ready. (credit card required)

• By Mail - Please send check, money order, or completed credit card information to: Outings Training 85 2nd Street 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105
• After you've registered

  • You will be sent a confirmation packet (including confirmation letter, workshop overview, training approval form, and medical form) immediately after registering.

  • Approximately one month prior to the workshop you will be sent final details including driving directions, a ride share list, and a packing list.

• Cancellation Policy:

  Time of Cancellation	Cancellation fee per person
  60 or more days prior to training start date	Amount of deposit
  14-59 days prior to training start date	50% of training fee
  0-13 days prior to training start date	Entire training fee
  "No-show" at the starting point, or you leave during the training	Entire training fee

• Instruction-Only Rate: If you live locally and would prefer to stay at home and provide your own meals, you can register and pay the instruction/materials-only rate of $325 by calling 415-977-5522.

Accommodations

Clair Tappaan Lodge is a rustic mountain lodge nestled in the Sierra Nevada of California at the top of Donner Pass. Built by Sierra Club volunteers in the 1930s, the lodge is an excellent home base for year-round recreation. The friendly, casual atmosphere and affordable nightly rates (including family-style meals) make the Lodge the perfect rustic getaway to the Tahoe/Donner area.

Clair Tappaan is the Sierra Club's flagship lodge, with a wide-variety of programs that support sustainable practices and the Sierra Club's mission to "explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the Earth." At the Lodge, we strive to increase awareness of the environment, foster a sense of community, increase the spirit of volunteerism, and nurture eco-conscious conduct.

All accommodations are in bunk beds equipped with mattresses (bring your own sleeping bag or bedding) in a variety of bunk-rooms in the lodge. Restroom and shower facilities are shared, with two men's and two women's bathrooms.

• Guests are asked to choose a house chore to do each day they eat at the lodge.
• Doors to the rooms do not lock; we do have lockers. If you wish to lock up valuables, you can bring your own lock or rent one from the lodge office.
• Phone messages for guests are posted periodically in the lobby area.
• No pets of any species (except seeing-eye dogs) are allowed to stay at the Lodge.
• From the road/parking lot to the lodge there is an uphill path about 100 yards long. In the winter it can be snowy/icy, and in the summer it can be rocky. Therefore, a good pair of hiking boots or sturdy walking shoes is advisable. A flashlight can be handy if you plan to arrive at night.
• Reservations for extended stays before or after the course can be made by calling the lodge directly at 530-426-3632 or 800-679-6775.
• A hearty breakfast and dinner are prepared each day and are served in the lodge's large, communal dining room. Brown bag lunch pro-visions are available for guests to take with them each day.
• A vegetarian meal option is always available, and participants with other dietary restrictions can usually be accommodated, provided that their trip leader is informed in advance.
• Because the lodge is an old building, constructed of wood and shingles, no smoking is allowed, either in the building or on the surrounding trails.

Emergency Contact

During the trip, you can be reached at the lodge: 530-426-3632. The answering machine is checked daily, and messages are posted on a board outside the lodge office.

Workshop Location and Directions

Directions supplied by the local hosting chapter. The OATP does not take responsibility for their accuracy. Please refer to a map to confirm directions.

Clair Tappaan is located at 19940 Donner Pass Rd, 7000 feet in California's Sierra Nevada. It's 45 minutes west of Reno and one and a half hours drive east of Sacramento just off of Interstate 80. From eastbound I-80, take the exit for Soda Springs/Norden and go 2.4 miles east on Donner Pass road. Look for our sign slightly up the hill on your left and the wide footpath leading up to the Lodge. Parking is available on either side of the road.

• Clair Tappaan directions from their web page.
• You should check road conditions for I-80 online at the CAL-TRANS website.

What To Bring

Equipment

Foster Calm will be providing a majority of the materials for the scenarios such as bandaging, splinting and padding materials, tents, sleeping bags and pads. To make the scenarios as relevant to the types of trips you lead, do consider bringing those items you would normally bring such as emergency blankets, ten-essentials, etc. 

Be prepared for evening temperatures in the low 30s and days in the mid to high 50s, as well as probable snow and/or sun glare. Bunks are equipped with a mattress. The lodge can be drafty, so dress in layers for classroom sessions.

For staying at the lodge:

• Personal toiletries, towel, shower shoes and earplugs (if a light sleeper)
• Watch or alarm clock for waking up and keeping to the schedule
• Bedding (sleeping bag or comparable linens) and bathing suit if they wish to use the hot tub
• Camp chair or lawn chair -- You'll be much more comfortable if you provide your own seating for the sessions. Otherwise expect to sit on standard "camp" chairs.
• Cup or insulated mug for hot drinks and a water bottle

Required Items:

• Your copy of your WFR book (from your WFR class).
• Your completed homework assignments.
• Small flashlight for checking pupils.
• Watch for taking vitals and pen for taking notes.
• Comfortable old clothes to wear that are durable (and not so nice). These may get dirty or stained. Bring clothes that are appropriate for outdoor sessions.
• Again, we will be running sessions outdoors rain or shine. You should be prepared for cold or heat, sun or rain or snow, etc.
• Sturdy shoes: hiking boots best.
• Backpack or daypack to carry supplies (we won't be backpacking).
• Water bottle for drinking and irrigating/cleaning wounds.
• Flashlight or headlamp for night sessions.

For outside sessions:

Consider bringing your daypack with the things you typically hike with. This will help you improvise with the tools you already carry with you. These can include: emergency blanket, tarps, splinting materials (ski poles, walking sticks, old tent poles), etc. No cotton for outdoor-wear as we will most likely be in snow situations.

• Ground pad to lay on, kneel on during skills practices.
• Notebook or paper for taking notes.
• Scissors to cut clothes - must be blunt paramedic shear type (only if you already have these).
• CPR resuscitation mask (only if you already have one).
• Stove and fuel for heating water, etc (only if you have one).
• Anything else that you think might be helpful for first aid - emergency blanket, tarps, splinting materials (ski poles, walking sticks, and old tent poles), etc.
• Old clothes that can get bloody and cut up (and then thrown out, again, only if you have these).