Wilderness First Responder AT UVA (take it w/ your ODC friends!!! for cheap compared to other WFRs!)

OVERVIEW

Heyyyy you outdoorsy first-aid-knowledge-seeking gremlins,
Do you love going on trips in the outdoors, away from civilization? Do you want to become more prepared to deal with medical emergencies while you’re sending it on amazing trips? Do you like saving $$$?

OMG, do we have the opportunity for you: The ODC officers have been working diligently to bring a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) Course right to you, here in Charlottesville, next J-Term. Mark your calendars, because this is not something you want to miss.

We’ve partnered with UVA Outdoor Adventure to bring a NOLS WFR course to UVA, and we’ve been able to reserve 15 spots, specifically for you all. WFR courses provide invaluable knowledge and training for dealing with first aid scenarios and medical emergencies in the outdoors, and we highly recommend this opportunity if you’re an involved member, a trip leader, or are interested in getting a job in the outdoors.

As detailed below, this will also be cheaper than you’ll find elsewhere, and, depending on what we get in grants and your circumstances, could be… possibly… free? Or wayyy closer to it than you’ll find anywhere else. Please give the financial deets a thorough read through.

If you’re for sure interested in this, please read the rest of this, and then you can fill out our form https://forms.gle/9aF5PogbU9zcgJuz8. Because we’re waiting a wee bit more time for some funding to come through before locking people in, you shall remain on the waitlist for the time being. ***WE WILL USE THE ORDER IN WHICH PEOPLE FILL OUT THE FORM TO BE THE ORDER IN WHICH WE OFFER PEOPLE SPOTS ONCE WE HAVE FUNDING/have a final price (if any) for y’all.

We have A LOT of details in the FAQs below, so if you’re at all intrigued, please KEEP READING : )

If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to reach out (either to outdoors-officers@virginia.edu or to Carson mxz2fc@virginia.edu & Ed eba4ksx@virginia.edu directly)

Keep sending it,

Carson, Ed, & the officers

Wilderness First Responder @ UVA FAQs
What is a Wilderness First Responder Certification? Why should I get one?
Wilderness First Responder certifications are the industry standard first aid certifications for trip leaders, wilderness guides, and outdoor enthusiasts. We’ll be learning about all different kinds of medical emergencies, and we’ll do a ton of mock emergency scenarios, becoming more prepared to deal with these things in the backcountry. For those of you who have a WFA certification, the WFR is a step up from that, and will provide you with a much more thorough set of knowledge. We (the officers working on this collaboration) highly recommend that people interested in furthering their outdoor pursuits, whether that be personally or professionally, consider this opportunity. Additionally, if you ever want to work in something outdoor recreation/education related (whether that be guiding trips for a summer or an entire career), you will likely need or get a pay bonus with this certification. ALSO, as detailed below, there are several reasons that taking advantage of this opportunity, as opposed to doing it later/elsewhere, might be beneficial to you.

What are the logistical details for this (date, place, hours of training, etc)?
This course is a hybrid WFR certification course through NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) that will take place January 6-10, 2025 at Slaughter Recreation Center. Each day of the in-person segment will be from 8am-5pm. The online portion must be completed prior to January 6, and will be comprised of about 30-40 hours of online instruction, which will open on December 16th and MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE IN PERSON CLASS. Please note: this is not for J-term academic credit (that would’ve made the price point higher, which we wanted to avoid).

What makes this offering so special? Why shouldn’t I just wait and try to get it later?
The cost and logistical ease of getting this certification is a huge reason we are stoked to offer this opportunity, as well as the fact that we have spots specifically reserved for Outdoors Club members. This is the first time we’re getting a WFR course on UVA grounds! Typically, the closest WFR courses are in North Carolina, over 6 hours away, so it will save people time, $ on lodging and travel, and logistics to have one here in Charlottesville. As this is a collaboration between Outdoors Club and UVA Outdoor Adventure, we have spots (currently 15) reserved specifically for Outdoors Club members (which means you can take it w/ your ODC friends!).

How much does it cost? (Answer: definitely cheaper than you’ll get it elsewhere!)

Well- it will certainly be cheaper than most, and it could even be free for you. For reference, generally a WFR certification costs at least $900 elsewhere, not considering transportation and lodging. Because some potential funding sources are yet to be locked down, and some of them are dependent on your initiatives, I’m going to list the cost without funding, and then all of the potential funding amounts (per person) that can be subtracted from that.

ODC member cost without any funding: $795 (Note: UVA Outdoor Adventure is making it cheaper for us than community members. Slay!)

ODC built in trip leader reimbursement policy (taken straight from the website):
“We’ll reimburse up to the full cost of WFA training for leading trips where the training might come in handy:
$245 – 6 Adventures outside the Golden Hour* within one year of certification
$204 – 5 Adventures
$163 – 4 Adventures
$123 – 3 Adventures
$82 – 2 Adventures
$41 – 1 Adventures
When seeking reimbursement, please present a list of Adventures led after the WFA has been taken. Trips must occur after the certification is obtained.
*Golden Hour qualifying adventures are any that would require a greater than one hour’s journey for rescue. Most 2+ mile hikes qualify, as well as any trip to a remote, back-country location. Adventures which are directly near a road or in civilization will not qualify.”

Grants/Scholarships: Hopefully a lot but tbd (minimum, already secured, $133 per person)
If you’re eligible, you should apply for the Cavalier Fund (we will email details about this)! Ed, Carson, & Grace have been (and will continue to be) working hard at applying for grants from organizations like the Student Affairs ($ received!) & the UVA Parents Program (in the works). We hope to receive enough to fully or nearly cover the WFRs of those not eligible for the CavFund, so that everyone’s WFRs are either free or very very low cost.

Individual Grants: If paying for the WFR will be a barrier for you, we HIGHLY recommend you check out the Cavalier Fund, which will fund up to $1,000 per academic school year of extracurricular activities (such as this one), if you have demonstrated financial need (determined by FAFSA, any kind of pell grants, accessUVA scholarships, or subsidized direct loans).
In summary:
Cost Elsewhere: $900 +travel/lodging
ODC Base Cost: $800
Grants + trip leading reimbursement: Maximum cost to you $417, but in all likelihood, it will be free or like less than $200 (tbd exactly)
If you apply for the Cavalier Fund: $freeeee????

I’m interested– how can I sign up?
As of now, we have a form you need to fill out https://forms.gle/9aF5PogbU9zcgJuz8. We have also created a trip for this on the ODC website. You will not be taken off the waitlist until you have filled out the form and heard back from CavFund if you’re eligible. The purpose of this is that we need to make sure people are dedicated to taking this WFR course and we’ll be doing a bunch of coordinating about the financial things with the various grant sources and ODC individuals. Expect emails from us w more info :). If you have any questions or hesitations about signing up, please reach out to Carson (mxz2fc@virginia.edu) and Ed (eba4ksx@virginia.edu).

I’d love to but am worried about the cost, what should I do?
If the cost of this course is a barrier to you, please reach out ASAP to Carson (mxz2fc@virginia.edu) and Ed (eba4ksx@virginia.edu). We want as many people as are interested to have access to this course, and we’d love to work with you to figure something out. We can help you with applying to the Cavalier Fund and navigating any hiccups.

Lots of stoke,
Carson & Ed