Swiftwater Rescue Technician Advanced

Extreme whitewater and night operations

Expand previous Swiftwater Rescue Technician training into the demanding realm of extreme whitewater, and night operations. This course focusses on advanced rescue swimming and non-motorized boat handling skills required for “go” rescues in Class III+ swiftwater, and operating in low visibility or darkness.

COURSE DETAILS

Duration

3 days (24 hours, which includes one night session)Format

1 day classroom, 2 days on the river (including a night exercise)Participants

Minimum 10. Maximum 12.Prerequisites

  • Current SRT1 certification
  • 18+ years of age
  • In good physical condition
  • Strong swimming ability in Class II-III water

Price

$599Recertification

Repeat the entire course at a 15% discount every three years.Annual Training Maintenance

Required Equipment

  • Drysuit or wetsuit*
  • Personal flotation device (Type III or V)*
  • Water sports helmet*
  • Class III climbing harness (or separate chest and sit harness)
  • Neoprene gloves
  • Neoprene footwear with good walking soles, wading boots, or running shoes
  • Flashlight or headlamp
  • 3-4 cyalume “light sticks”
  • Layers of wool or fleece clothing for under the drysuit/wetsuit, including sweater, pants and socks

* Rental equipment available. Click here for a price list.Takeaways & Documentation

  • Personalized skill sheet (training record) signed by the instructor (a valuable document for risk management)
  • Registration of training record in Rescue 3’s international database
  • Wallet card with personal Rescue 3 registration number and date of certification
  • Certificate of completion
  • Rescue 3 ID card

FAQ

More details about swiftwater courses including what to expect and how to prepare: click here for our swiftwater FAQ.

Course Outline

Day 1 – Classroom Session (Note: there may be some time on the river on Day 1)

  • Size-up, pre-planning and Incident Management
  • Advanced hydrology: Class III+
  • Search techniques
  • Flood management
  • Boat introduction: types, applications, limitations
  • Basic and advanced equipment
  • Low head dam and aqueduct considerations

Day 2 – River Session

  • Go rescues, live bait, tethered swims etc.
  • Knots, anchors and mechanical advantage review
  • Belay systems, muenter hitch, tandem triple prusiks, eight plates etc.
  • Anchor systems
  • Compound mechanical advantage
  • Advanced swimming: Class III+
  • Basic paddle boat handling: Class III+
  • Rescue boards

Day 2 – Night Session on the River

  • Night search logistics, communications and operations

Day 3 – River Session

  • Line crossing techniques, messenger lines etc.
  • High line rope systems, mid point drop
  • Mid-point drop with boat on a tether: Class III+
  • Boat wraps and pins