Basic Water First Responder (BWFR)

This 8-10 hour course is designed for response teams who work around lakes, ponds, or other non-flowing water. The class consists of 4 hours of classroom instruction and 4 hours of in-water practice. During the water portion students learn such things as:

• basic rescue
• self-rescue
• shore-based aquatic rescue using generally accepted"reach,
  throw" techniques
• in-water self-rescue and safety techniques and the application of water rescue techniques using commonly available fire service equipment
• basic water-related medical emergencies, and how to deal with them, including near-drowning, hypothermia, and cervical spine injuries
• basic boat-based rescue concerns and techniques

Please note: While this class meets the NFPA requirements for the awareness level, it goes well beyond the scope of the awareness level by teaching leaching student's self-rescue and in-water rescue techniques. It is up to the Authority Having Jurisdiction to decide whether or not personnel may perform these skills during water incidents.