Swiftwater rescue
Swiftwater rescue has been revamped and is now called River Rescue Safety Technician I & II.
In 2019, a consortium was formed to revamp the training for this type of activity. The need to update the content and align the training procedures became evident. This consortium consists of the Lifesaving Society, Canot-Kayak Québec, and Eau Vive Québec.
We gathered instructors, specialists, and whitewater enthusiasts to update these two courses. In both levels, the implementation of a site providing access to an online platform for completing the theoretical part is necessary to complete each level.
TR 1 – River Rescue Safety Technician
Course Objectives: To introduce candidates to safety in river-based activities. To provide participants with basic knowledge of prevention, safe practices, self-rescue, and simple interventions in the context of swiftwater activities. The participant will practice various techniques for indirect rescue.
Expected Learning: Active participation in all parts of the course. Demonstrating proper application of each topic covered (attitude, equipment, techniques, interventions, safety management).
Target Audience: Recreational paddlers, river sports and activity practitioners, and instructors accompanied by another instructor with a TR II or III level.
This course is intended for those who need to intervene from the shore or in a low-risk environment in rapids of difficulty levels (R-I-II-III maximum).
Duration: 16-hour in-person training, plus online training.
Prerequisite: None
CERTIFICATE VALID FOR 3 YEARS
TR 2 – River Rescue Safety Operations Technician
Course Objectives: To enhance safety in river-based activities. To provide participants with knowledge of prevention, safe practices, and intervention in swiftwater activities as professionals, trip leaders, guides, and workers in the swiftwater field.
Expected Learning: This course focuses on personal and group risks, advanced self-rescue techniques, teammate rescue, rescue of a distressed person, multiple victim rescues, various direct-contact rescue techniques, knots, anchors, mechanical advantage systems, and the management of complex intervention situations.
This course is also designed for those who will operate in the "hot zone." The candidate will practice all indirect and direct-contact rescue techniques learned in different real-life scenarios to further absorb safety concepts and the intervention management process.
Target Audience: This course is intended for those who need to intervene from the shore or in a hostile environment with low to moderate risk in rapids of difficulty levels (RIII-IV-V). The training is for guides, trip leaders, instructors, safety kayak guides, practitioners, and operational paddling technicians.
Duration: 16-hour in-person training, plus online training.
Prerequisite: Must know how to swim and hold a TSSEV Level I certification.
CERTIFICATE VALID FOR 3 YEARS
Consortium Sécurité en Rivière Québec (in french only)
R 3 – River Rescue Intervention Management Technician
Course Objectives: To strengthen safety in river rescue situations. To provide participants with management and intervention knowledge for swiftwater rescue activities as professionals, guides, and workers in the swiftwater field.
Expected Learning: This course focuses on personal and group risks, advanced self-rescue techniques, teammate rescue, rescue of a distressed person, multiple victim rescues, various direct-contact rescue techniques, knots, anchors, mechanical advantage systems, and the management of complex intervention situations.
This course is also designed for those who will operate in the "hot zone." The candidate will practice all indirect and direct-contact rescue techniques learned in different real-life scenarios to further absorb safety concepts and the intervention management process. Reach, extract, evacuate!
Target Audience: Guides and trip leaders in advanced expedition travel (RV-IV and beyond with extended rescue distances), specialized river rescue workers, and swiftwater instructors.
Consortium Sécurité en Rivière Québec (in french only)
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Can't find the course you'd like to enroll in? Write to us at alerte@sauvetage.qc.ca.