Colorado Mountain Club offers first aid certification course online

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Public land managers say inexperienced people are heading for the mountains in droves due to other recreation outlets being closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the Colorado Mountain Club say they’ve been seeing inexperienced hikers and backpackers suffer from altitude poisoning, dehydration, or even heat exhaustion.

The club's first-ever virtual first aid certification program aims to teach inexperienced outfitters how to mitigate small problems before they become bigger emergencies.

Emily Bresko, the CMC's program coordinator, says being self-sufficient outdoors is especially imperative during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Search and Rescue and all of our first responders are just stretched so thin," says Bresko. "This is your chance to take the training and learn how to mitigate those small problems, but also respond in those bigger emergencies."

The program, called "Wilderness First Aid," is a 16-hour course. CMC is partnering with Backcountry Pulse for it.

The course breaks down its wilderness training into three parts: medical training, trauma training, and injury training. All of it will be taught online.

The portion of the course that teaches how to perform a physical exam to check for breaks or dislocation will be taught in-person at a later date.

Register for the virtual "Wilderness First Aid" course here.