What We Teach

Wilderness Medicine
Certification Courses

WMEC-standard curriculum — the same framework used by the leading wilderness medicine schools in the country — taught in Alaska, in small groups, by instructors with deep field experience. Online modules first, then focused hands-on practical days. You show up ready to work.

WFA should be standard for anyone who goes outside in Alaska. You don't need to be a guide or a SAR volunteer. You just need to hike Flattop, float a river, pick berries off a forest road, or drive the highway in winter. Cell service disappears fast. Help takes time. Two days of training and you'll know what to do when it matters.
Get Trained →
Current Course Offerings
WFR — Full Course
📅 May 26–29, 2026
📍 McCarthy, AK · MXY EMS Building
Remote location — contact ABM for logistics & lodging →
WFR — Recertification
📅 May 26–27, 2026
📍 McCarthy, AK · MXY EMS Building
Remote location — contact ABM for logistics & lodging →
📷 Photo placeholder — WFA scenario
12 Hrs Online · 1 Practical Day
WFA
Wilderness First Aid
$280
per student · materials & CPR included

Two days. $280. You'll know how to handle the emergencies most likely to happen on a trail, a river, a hunting trip, or a drive through the Alaska Range. This isn't just for professionals — it's for anyone who goes outside here.

What You'll Cover
Patient assessment Trauma & bleeding control Hypothermia & frostbite Wound care & burns Fractures & splinting Anaphylaxis Evacuation decisions Wilderness CPR/AED
If you do any of these, this course is for you
Hike, hunt, or fish Float rivers Drive remote roads Pick berries or mushrooms Camp with your family Work outdoors Just live in Alaska
📷 Photo placeholder — recert scenario
Online Prework · 2 Practical Days
WFR Recert
Wilderness First Responder Recertification
$375
per student · materials & CPR included

Keep your WFR current without starting from scratch. Online prework covers updates and refreshes core concepts — the two in-person days focus on hands-on skills and scenario practice. Certifications from other organizations are accepted.

What's Covered
Patient assessment review Trauma & environmental updates Skills revalidation Scenario-based practice Wilderness CPR/AED Protocol updates
Good fit for
Current WFR holders Guides & outfitters SAR volunteers Any prior WFR cert accepted
📷 Photo placeholder — group training
Flexible · Statewide Travel
Group & Custom Training
Training · Consulting · Emergency Action Plan Review · Beyond standard courses, we work with remote operations directly — custom training built around your specific environment, staff, and risk profile.
WFA or WFR on-site Custom scenario design Emergency Action Plan review Pre-season staff training Risk management consult Seasonal refreshers Bush & fly-in travel Volume pricing Remote lodges & camps Guide operations SAR units Tribal orgs Industrial crews Remote villages
Let's Talk
organizations · lodges · remote operations
Reach Out
New in 2025 — Wilderness BLS (Basic Life Support) Now included as an add-on to any course — covers CPR, AED, and airway management adapted for remote environments. Taught by a certified ECSI and Red Cross instructor. Ask about this when you book.
WFA
WFR
Total hours
12 hrs online + 1 day
24 hrs online + 5 days
Practical days
1 practical day
5 practical days
Patient assessment
✓ Basic
✓ Full system
Trauma & bleeding
✓ Advanced
Environmental emergencies
✓ Extended
Multi-day patient care
Improvised carries & litters
Airway management
CPR/AED
Tuition
$280
$700

Both courses follow WMEC standards — the same curriculum framework used by the leading wilderness medicine schools nationwide. Taught in Alaska, in small groups with a maximum of 10 students per instructor, by instructors with deep field experience.

What Makes This Different
🩺
Deep Clinical Experience in the Room Your lead instructor is a licensed NREMT Paramedic and state-certified AEMT instructor with over 15 years of emergency and austere medicine in Alaska. ABM's instructors bring real field depth — not just teaching credentials.
📍
Scenarios Built Around You Every group works differently. A hunting guide and a river camp cook face different emergencies. Scenarios are designed around how your group actually operates — your terrain, your tools, your real-world situations. One WFR we ran for a lodge full of hunting guides and pilots had every scenario pulled straight from their world.
💲
Priced for Access, Not Margin Wilderness medicine training in Alaska can run close to $1,000 or more for a WFR. ABM prices below that deliberately — because the barrier to entry is already high enough. If cost is what's keeping someone from getting trained, that's a problem worth solving.
📋
More Than Just a WFR Certificate WFR is a nationally recognized course completion certification following WMEC standards — the same framework used by the leading wilderness medicine schools. Reach out if you have questions about how it fits your role or organization.
Giving Back
Your Registration Does More Than Train You
3% of every tuition goes to an Alaska SAR, EMS, or outdoor youth organization of your choice — or into the Belay On scholarship fund to train the next person who can't afford it.
See Where It Goes →

WFA and WFR are course completion certifications following WMEC standards — the same framework used by the leading wilderness medicine schools nationwide.
Not sure which course fits your situation? Reach out — happy to help you figure it out before you commit to anything.

Want to know more before you commit?