Wilderness First Aid
When help is hours away, you are the first responder.
In the backcountry, there are no emergency rooms around the corner. No ambulance arriving in minutes. When someone is seriously injured or becomes critically ill, you become the first responder.
Whether you're hiking in the mountains, leading outdoor adventures, hunting public land, paddling remote rivers, preparing for natural disasters, or simply enjoying time with your family, the skills you learn in this course can make a life-changing difference.
BigPig Outdoors combines nationally recognized Wilderness First Aid certification with realistic, hands-on training that prepares you to respond confidently when professional medical care may be hours away.
Whether you're a hiker, hunter, paddler, camper, outdoor guide, Scout leader, search and rescue volunteer, or someone who spends time beyond the trailhead, this course is designed for you.
At a Glance
✅ 16-Hour ECSI Wilderness First Aid Certification
✅ Learn from Team BUSAR Medics with Real Wilderness Rescue Experience
✅ Hands-On, Scenario-Based Outdoor Training
✅ Small Class Sizes for More Individual Instruction
✅ Private Courses Available Throughout the Southeast
✅ Train Where These Skills Are Actually Used
Experience You Can Trust
Wilderness medicine isn't just something we teach.
It's something we live.
Our instructors are actively responding to real emergencies in the Great Smoky Mountains as members of Team BUSAR. Every lesson we teach has been shaped by decades of real rescues, real patients, and real-world experience.
You'll learn not only what to do, but why to do it, how to adapt when conditions change, and how to make sound decisions when help is still miles away.
Our goal isn't simply to issue certifications.
Our goal is to prepare you for the day someone is depending on you.
Train Outside, Where These Skills Belong
The wilderness isn't a classroom.
Your Wilderness First Aid training shouldn’t be taught in one either.
All of your training takes place in our outdoor classroom, where you'll work through realistic rescue scenarios using simulated patients, professional moulage, and the same type of terrain and weather where real emergencies occur.
You'll practice patient assessment, bleeding control, splinting, patient movement, evacuation planning, and medical decision-making while learning to improvise with the equipment you already carry.
Less sitting. More doing.
Because confidence isn't built through lectures.
It's built through experience.
What You'll Learn
Over two full days you'll develop the practical skills needed to care for sick and injured patients in remote environments, including:
Patient assessment and critical decision-making
Bleeding control and tourniquet application
Wound care and infection prevention
Shock recognition and treatment
Burns
Fractures, sprains, dislocations, and splinting
Head, neck, chest, abdominal, and pelvic injuries
Heat illness and hypothermia
Water-related emergencies
Snake bites, insect bites, and poisonous plants
Respiratory emergencies
Allergic reactions and anaphylaxis
Diabetic and cardiac emergencies
Patient evacuation
Improvised wilderness medicine techniques
Instruction follows the Emergency Care & Safety Institute (ECSI) Wilderness First Aid Intermediate curriculum while emphasizing realistic, hands-on application through field scenarios.
We Bring the Training to You
Need Wilderness First Aid training for your organization?
BigPig Outdoors offers private Wilderness First Aid courses throughout the Southeast.
We'll bring the instructors, equipment, and realistic scenario-based training directly to your location, allowing your team to train together while reducing travel costs and scheduling challenges.
Whether your training takes place in a conference room, fire station, campground, or outdoor training area, we'll tailor the course to meet your organization's needs.
Contact us for private group pricing and scheduling.
Course Information
Certification
ECSI Wilderness First Aid Intermediate (16 Hours)
Schedule
Saturday: 9:00 AM to approximately 6:00 PM
Sunday: 9:00 AM to approximately 4:00 PM
Tuition
$350
Minimum Age
14 years old (students under 16 must attend with a paying adult)
Class Size
Small class sizes for more individual instruction and hands-on practice
Course Includes
ECSI Student Workbook
Nationally Recognized Certification
Hands-On Skills Training
Realistic Outdoor Rescue Scenarios
Primitive camping is available on-site, and hotels and restaurants are located just minutes away in Maryville, Tennessee.
Private courses are available at BigPig Outdoors or at your location.
Be Ready Before You Need It
You can spend thousands of dollars on outdoor gear.
The most valuable thing you'll ever carry into the backcountry isn't in your backpack.
It's the knowledge and confidence to help someone when everything goes wrong.
Join us for two days of realistic, hands-on Wilderness First Aid training and leave prepared to care for your family, your friends, and your adventure partners when professional help is still hours away.