Wilderness First Aid

First Aid Merit Badge

The purpose of Wilderness First Aid training is to enable care of an injured person for what could be many hours or even days to get help during a back country adventure. Scouting America recommends that "troops or Venturing crews participating in any other high adventures (other than at high-adventure bases operated by Scouting America) . . . receive this training". As of December 28, 2025, it does not appear that a specific number of leaders on a back country trek is required to have the training. Training meeting Scouting America requirements takes 16 hours, ususally delivered in-person over two consecutive days. This certification needs to be repeated every two years.

Videos

The following videos are useful for reviewing elements of these courses between the courses and also to add some additional details and skills.

Assessment and Basics

Bleeding

CPR/AED and Heart Attacks

Shock, Stroke and Seizure

Musculoskeletal

Other Conditions

Training Providers

Refer to the Wilderness First Aid page on the main Scouting America site for training requirements. The following are some of the organizations that deliver Wilderness First Aid training and state they are approved by Scouting America:

Some or most Scouting America councils arrange these classes, so your local council's event calendar is probably the best place to look for available training.

Abbreviations

Method Summaries

Check Call Care for Wilderness (ARC)

Based on Wilderness and Remote First Aid Emergency Reference Guide, American Red Cross (2014):

Patient Assessment System (SOLO)

Based on SOLO's Field Guide to Wilderness First Aid (5th edition, 2020):

Forms

A couple of the many patient record forms available on the web:

 

Page updated 3/15/26
J. Froimson

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