I don't have the experience or training of a lot of the regulars on this board, so this is just my $.02 worth. <br><br>When I took a two-day wilderness first aid course (about a year and a half ago) the instructor was quick to point out that "Wilderness First Aid" and "Wilderness Survival" are not synonymous (although they are complementary). Neither is really a substitute for the other. <br><br>The EMT and Advanced First Aid courses mentioned by others are a very good idea, IMO, but in my experience as a basic First Aid instructor, and in talking to fellow instructors, one problem with professional medical responders (Doctors, nurses, paramedics) is that their training often relies heavily on the assumption that they are going to have a complete medical unit available. It's not unheard of for EMR-trained students to fail their first attempt at qualifying for the St. John Ambulance Brigade Level 1, which is a much "lower" level of training, simply because they can't adjust to not having a stethoscope (let alone SAM splints, instant cold packs, Bag-Valve masks, oto-pharyngeal airways, etc.) Sometimes, the instructor has to point out that they may be called on to assist in an emergency when they're shopping in the mall on a Saturday afternoon, in which case they are not going to have all that neat stuff they've been trained on; they may be lucky to get a hacked-over first aid kit that hasn't been checked in several years. <br><br>Don't get me wrong, if you have the time and the money to take a full-blown EMR/EMT course (AND maintain your certification), more power to you. But don't overlook the "mickey mouse" 2-day courses that Red Cross (and in Canada, St John Ambulance) offer. <br><br>And don't equate "First Aid" with "Survival" - they're separate, but complementary skillsets. (For example, in a survival situation, you would usually want to conserve your matches, and you'd certainly think twice about using a signal flare to start a campfire. In a Wildeness Medical situation, with a casualty in hypothermia or going into shock, starting a fire to keep the casualty warm should be a top priority, and this may justify "wasteful" expenditure of resources (depending on your skill level in starting fires).<br><br>Another thing I've been told is that people with First Aid training are *less* likely to need it, because they tend to recognize and correct hazardous situations before an accident happens. I strongly suspect that Wilderness Survival training has a similar benefit. As the old grizzled woodsman said to a new hand, "I've never been lost. I've been mighty confused from time to time, but I've never been lost."