Swiftwater is defined as water moving at a rate that exceeds 1.15 mph or 1 knot. Swiftwater Rescue is a rescue process developed and deployed for performing rescues in a riverine or moving water based environment. Swiftwater Rescue skills are applicable to flooded roadways.
Our courses and programs were written by experts in the field of Swiftwater Rescue and Rescue Swimmer disciplines. ALL of our instructors have real world experience in the discipline of Swiftwater Rescue and a minimum of 10 years of full-time experience.
All of our courses and programs are NFPA compliant, but well exceed NFPA standards by being NPS and USFS compliant. These programs are also FEMA and DHS approved. We strive for providing quality programs well exceeding minimum standards in this discipline.
We offer 4 levels of swiftwater and floodwater rescue training. All of our training is NFPA compliant, NRRI/DHS approved and NPS compliant. You must start at level 1 or show an equivalent certification or course completion certificate. CPR, STOP THE BLEED, (or equivalent), FEMA IS-100, FEMA IS-200 and FEMA IS-700 are required prerequisites for all courses.
This is an 8 hour sit-down course and can be completed in online zoom sessions or in-person at either your facility or ours. This course covers the basics of a swiftwater environment with a focus on flooding conditions or situations.
With the growing need for flood and swiftwater rescues, this is the next step to establishing a swiftwater rescue team in your area. During this 2 day (16 hour) course you will learn all of the fundamentals on how a rescue is performed in a swiftwater environment, how rescues are conducted in floodwater zones, and how to assist a swiftwater rescue technician or unit in a rescue.
During this 2 day (16 hour) course you'll learn all of the essential skills needed to perform a rescue of a single or multiple subjects in a swiftwater (moving water) environment. Swiftwater is generally classified as performing rescues in a whitewater river setting, but these skills cover other types of situations like high volume Class II rivers, flood waters, etc. Additional prerequisite for this course is HAZMAT Awareness.
During this 2 day course we cover high angle riparian ingress/egress skills, patient packaging, shoreline litter hauls, highline riverine insertion and much more! This course is for currently certified swiftwater rescue technicians. You MUST be physically fit to enroll in this course. We can also customize this course to fit the needs of your agency, AOR or AOO.
This course is 2.5 days (20 hours). This course is for currently certified Swiftwater Rescue Technicians who have 200+ call logs. This course covers management of a swiftwater or floodwater incident/scene, where multiple agencies or units are operating. Additional prerequisites for this course are FEMA IS-300 and a state level EMR.
During this 3.5 day course you'll have a basic refresher/introduction on swiftwater rescue skills and then move onto boat operations with towing booms, boating boom placement, roped boom placement, advanced booming systems, and much more! This course is best offered at your agency/department's location, but can be run in any location.
As a law enforcement officer, you are first on the scene for a water rescue incident. This course covers the initial action procedures for LEOs when arriving on a water rescue incident and the skills needed to perform shoreline/riparian rescues until water rescue personnel arrive. This course can be conducted at your station or in your AOR. This course is 6 - 8 hours in length.
Our boat operations courses are instructed by seasoned professionals with over a decade of real-world experience in this discipline. Prerequisites for these programs are: 21 years of age or older, boat operations experience, CPR, good physical fitness, FEMA IS-100, FEMA IS-200, swiftwater operations. We do not provide boats for our boat operations courses. Your agency is responsible for providing the necessary boats for your AOR during the course. Please call us before purchasing a boat for a bo
This 2 day course covers boat operations in non-moving, standing or tidal river based waters. You'll learn boat maneuvering, turning, boat maintenance/repair, hydrology, subject retrievals and much more! This course is for teams/agencies operating and performing rescues in non-moving or tidal waterways.
This one day course covers wide area search, deployment technology, structure clearing, boat operations and much more!
During this one day course you'll learn all of the in-water boat operations for performing rescues in moving water and maneuvering your boat through swiftwater environments. This course will build upon your current boat skills. Prerequisite is our Water Rescue Boat Operations or prior swiftwater boat operations experience.
Course details coming soon!
Our Rescue Swimmer program is US Coast Guard approved, written by former USCG Helicopter RS/AST and instructed by USCG or USMC RS/ASTs. Prerequisites for these programs are: 18 years of age or older, CPR, good physical fitness, FEMA IS-100, FEMA IS-200, swiftwater awareness
This course is for individuals interested in becoming a rescue swimmer in their responding area. This is a specific skillset. Having a deployable rescue swimmer expedites any water related incident. Rescue swimmers can be deployed from a boat, helicopter, and have capabilities outside of your SWR personnel. This course is US Coast Guard compliant and instructed by current or former USCG ASTs.
Course details coming soon!
For Helocast programs, please visit our aerial operations programs page.
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Founded by Joey Vulpis & Matt Novellino
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