Course Objectives

The goal of the course is to provide students with specialised insight into the factors, attitudes and skills which could be decisive in connection with risk-handling in various natural environments. Students should be able to organise and carry out companion-rescues at a high professional level using the resources the outdoor-activities group normally has available on excursions along the coastline, on waterways, on glaciers and steep cliffs and in the mountains during the winter.

Course Description

• In-depth first-aid course
• Crisis mastering, HSE, media
• The organised rescue services in Norway
• Case studies

During the course, students will experience five natural environments: the coast, waterways, glaciers, cliffs and mountains in winter.

- Coast, skills and knowledge:

• Smaller workboats: capsizing, righting the boat and bailing out water
• Man-overboard with boats of different sizes and rigging types
• Using VHF, emergency radio beacons and distress rockets
• Using life rafts
• First-aid in connection with the coast, drowning and hypothermia
• The guide’s role and accident response at sea, with a groups in a single boat and groups in several boats.
• The organised rescue services

- Waterways, skills and knowledge:

• WRT-level 1 – course (White-water Rescue Technician)
• First-aid in connection with the coast, drowning and hypothermia
• The guide’s role in river accidents
• The organised rescue services

- Glaciers, skills and knowledge:

• Companion rescue using fall arresters, block-and-tackle systems and calculating forces in pulley systems
• Rescuing and stabilising an injured party
• First aid related to glaciers and high cliffs
• The guide’s role in glacier accidents
• The organised mountain rescue services

- Rocks, skills and knowledge:

• Companion rescuing of one and two persons, changing belaying points, foot-strap ascents
• Accessing, stabilising and rescuing an injured party
• Rappelling with a victim
• Lifting an injured person, various lifting systems
• First aid related to rocks and high mountains
• The guide’s role in rock-climbing accidents
• The organised mountain rescue services

- Avalanches, skills and knowledge:

• The use of manual and electronic search methods, including EasySearch
• Searching for multiple avalanche victims and deeply-buried avalanche victims
• Large-scale exercises with public agencies and other voluntary organisations
• First aid related to avalanche accidents
• The guide’s role in avalanche accidents

Learning Methods

The instruction will take place in the autumn semester.

The study methods include independent work, lectures, group-work, instruction and practical/ problem-orientated guidance in conjunction with excursions in various natural environments. The guided excursions will last a total of 15 days and are obligatory.

Assessment Methods

Proficiency test, pass/fail. Portfolio assessment. Students create one portfolio for each outdoor period, which will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. To earn a certificate, students must have participated actively in the obligatory excursions.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean