CAMRA Classes
New dates available.
Ok folks, here are the stats:
· Over 4000 people a year go missing in the U.S. Backcountry.
· 77% are locals to the area.
· 75% are lost.
· Almost 50% are Day Hikers.
· There are over 800 Search and Rescue operations every year in Arizona alone.
· 90% of these people are found within 24 hours… by volunteer Search and Rescue Teams.
Being lost, injured or ill in the backcountry is no fun. Having a Rescue crew come and get you out… isn’t any fun either, but it beats the alternative. The good news is… You Can Do Something about It!
Take some classes!
I suggest starting with MAP & COMPASS NAVIGATION to get you out of a bad situation and WILDERNESS FIRST AID (WFA) to handle the bad situations you can’t get out of. Learning the skills needed to avoid and survive the common problems and emergencies associated with backcountry travel is essential, easy, and fun. And, fortunately, some of the best training in the country goes on right here in the Phoenix valley.
Central Arizona Mountain Rescue Association (CAMRA) is your local rescue team and they offer training in two of the most important classes you'll every take in your lifetime. The Map & Compass class is the same class that rescue personnel take so you know it's helpful. The WFA class is not just a great experience to have for remote first aid, but something everybody should know in any situation, urban or wilderness, IMHO. In addition to the top notch education you’ll get with them, you’ll also be helping to fund rescue in Arizona (90% of all Search and Rescue team members are volunteers) through their Community Outreach.
Wilderness First Aid Training
DAY 1:
- Patient Assessment System
- Fractures/Dislocations
- Splint Improvisation
- Preparedness
DAY 2:
- Environmental Emergencies
- Shock
- Long-term Patient Care
- Soft Tissue Injuries
- Bites and Stings
Sign up now, spots go fast!
Classes are held at the North Mountain Visitor Center, 12950 N 7th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85022, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Map & Compass Navigation Class
This fast-paced, yet comprehensive one-day program will teach you how to navigate in the backcountry. Put your classroom knowledge to the test on our outdoor training course with hands-on activities.
You will learn how to:
-
- Read a topographic map
- Orient a map to your surroundings
- Find your location on a map
- Confidently determine your route and direction of travel
- Differentiate True North, Magnetic North, and Grid North
- Compensate for magnetic declination and deviations
- Calculate your pace count
...and many other potentially life-saving skills!
Register for available classes.
The Arizona Hiking Shack also offers classes in safey and skills. Some of the CAMRA crew call our Wilderness Survival class "Preventative Search and Rescue" so be sure to take that too.
Now go play outside!
Fundraising
CAMRA is a non-profit organization, and, like many SAR groups, receives funding through donations and grants. This is done through their community outreach. Through events like The Phoenix Summit Challenge and Grand Canyon Clean-up.
Want to donate to CAMRA?
Donations can be made by check, payable to:
CAMRA
P.O. Box 26478
Phoenix, AZ 85068-6478
Or, click here to make a quick and secure donation.
About the author:
Jonathan Mincks is a Wilderness First Responder and Safety, Survival & Skills Instructor who has explored the backcountry since he was in diapers. He is a Boondocks Scholar whose fun approach to self-reliance education is renowned for being thorough, up to date and inspiring. His attention to detail and practical "hacks" have won him acclaim from new enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike. Mincks’ life-long study and engagement in wilderness skills and emergency response has earned him multiple credentials in; WFR, Wilderness Survival, Desert Survival, Outdoor Education and Outfitting.
