Online Wilderness First Aid: Southwest U.S.
OUTDOOR & WILDERNESS FIRST AID + EXCLUSIVE REGIONAL COVERAGE FOR TX, AZ, NM, & OK
Next Wilderness First Aid Overview Webinar: 4/3/25 7 PM ET • REGISTER IN YOUR WFA COURSE
Explore the deserts, mountains, lakes and coasts of the Southwest U.S. with confidence!
Find Your Course
Intensive Coverage of Popular Southwest U.S. Destinations

Destinations
Mojave, Sonoran & Chihuahuan Deserts, Colorado Plateau & mesa lands, Camelback, Phoenix & Superstition Mountains, Permian Basin, Texas Hill Country, Piney Woods, Galveston Island & Texas Gulf Coast
Big Bend, White Sands, Saguaro, Grand Canyon, Guadalupe Mountains, Gila National Forests & other national parks, Forests & Monuments
Red Rock, Lake Havasu, Lake Powell, Lake Travis, Natural Bridge, Hole-in-the-Rock & other state parks

Hazards & Rescue Calls
Flash floods & wildfires, heat stroke & dehydration, getting lost in the desert, finding & treating water
Mojave, Pygmy & Western diamondback rattlers, copperheads, water moccasins, coral snakes, coyotes, bobcats, black bears, bark scorpions, Gila monsters, ticks, native spiders & more
Gulf Coast & marine hazards including sharks, stingrays & jellies
Stagnant water hazards including Vibrio flesh-eating bacteria, giardia & amoebas
Chagas & other parasitic diseases
Wilderness First Aid Curriculum
Via self-paced online classes, interactive video scenarios, medical case assignments, knowledge checks & quizzes
Injury assessment & basic life support

MARCH & SAMPLE patient assessment protocols; breathing, circulatory & nervous system assessment; spinal stabilization; basic CPR & Heimlich maneuver training
Common outdoor medical problems

Treating & stabilizing impalements, broken bones, finger amputations, muscle injuries, bleeding, wounds, cold injuries, heat illness, lightning and altitude ilness & more
Wildlife attacks & treating injuries

Dealing with grizzlies, black bears, mountain lions; snakes & scorpions; other venomous animal & insect bites, stings, rabies prevention & communicable & waterborne diseases
Terrain, temperature & weather hazards

Heat & cold related injuries; wildfires, lightning & burns; floods, tides & drowning; avalanches & earthquakes; acute mountain & altitude sickness (AMS, HACE, HAPE)
Basic outdoor survival skills

Route, logistics & supplies planning; avoiding getting lost, signaling for rescue; finding and treating water for safe drinking, maximizing chances of being found alive