Training Programs

Duration: 4–6 hours
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Up to 12:1 (ground-based)

This foundational course provides ground-based orientation training for personnel new to helicopter-supported rescue operations or those requiring standardization prior to live aircraft training.

Course content includes:

• Helicopter safety zones and hazard awareness

• Aircraft types and configurations

• Approach and departure procedures

• Rotor wash and downwash considerations

• Communications, hand signals, and terminology

• Roles and responsibilities within a helicopter rescue environment

• Introduction to hover and hoist operations

Intended for:
New SAR members, medical personnel, and partner agency staff integrating into helicopter rescue operations.

Duration: 1 training day (approximately 6–8 hours)
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Maximum 4:1 during live aircraft operations

This course provides hands-on training in safe personnel movement into and out of a hovering helicopter in varied terrain and environmental conditions.

Course content includes:

• Aircraft approach and departure considerations

• Communication and crew coordination

• Hover height and environmental factors

• Personnel positioning and load management

• Risk assessment and abort criteria

• Integration with flight crew and rescue specialists

Intended for:
SAR technicians, rescue specialists, and operational personnel required to conduct hover operations.

Duration: 2 training days
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Maximum 3:1 during live hoist operations

This advanced course covers Class D hoist operations, including insertion and extraction of personnel and equipment in demanding rescue environments. This course provides the foundation for Class D Hoist Operations. This course is a prerequisite to patient packaging and Class D rescue techniques.

Course content includes:

• Hoist system components and limitations

• Class D operational procedures

• Communication protocols and hand signals

• Personnel insertion techniques

• Emergency procedures and contingencies

• Crew resource management during hoist operations

Training is conducted in coordination with qualified aviation partners and is aligned with applicable Transport Canada and operator-specific procedures.

Intended for:
SAR technicians, rescue specialists, guides, and agencies conducting or supporting Class D hoist operations.

Purpose:
Maintain currency, standardization, and operational readiness for experienced teams.

Content includes:

• Annual or semi-annual refresher training

• SOP updates and procedural changes

• Scenario-based evolutions

• Skill decay identification and remediation

• Team integration for new members

Why it’s valuable:
Most SAR teams struggle with currency, not initial training. Transport Canada requires annual re certification for Class D Hoist Operations.

Who it’s for:
Any Class D personnel requiring annual recertification for Class D Insertion and Extraction.

The following medical courses do not provide certification. They are designed to support your current scope of practice and enhance professional development in the rescue environment.

Prolonged Field Care for Helicopter-Supported Rescue

Duration: 1 training day (approximately 6–8 hours)
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Up to 6:1

Purpose:
Manage patients when extraction or transfer is delayed due to weather, darkness, or aircraft availability.

Content includes:

• Extended airway and ventilation strategies

• Analgesia and sedation considerations

• Hypothermia prevention and management

• Monitoring during prolonged packaging

• Handoff planning

Rescue Analgesia & Pain Management

Duration: 1 training day (approximately 6–8 hours)
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Up to 6:1

Purpose:
Decision-making and safe use principles for analgesia in rescue settings.

Content includes:

• Pain assessment in austere environments

• Non-pharmacologic strategies

• Packaging considerations with analgesia

• Monitoring and risk mitigation

• Medical oversight integration

Patient Packaging for Helicopter Rescue

Duration: 1 training day (approximately 6–8 hours)
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Up to 6:1

Purpose:

This course focuses on safe and effective patient packaging for helicopter-based rescue and hoist operations, with an emphasis on clinical protection, packaging integrity, and aviation compatibility.

Course content includes:

• Packaging principles for vertical and horizontal extraction

• Litter systems and attachment methods

• Airway, spinal, and hypothermia considerations

• Packaging for confined, vertical, and complex terrain

• Coordination between medical and aviation teams

Intended for:
SAR members, medical responders, and rescue personnel involved in patient handling during aerial operations.

Airway Management for Helicopter & Remote Rescue

Duration: 4–6 hours

Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Up to 6:1

Purpose:

This course addresses airway management in the context of helicopter-supported and remote rescue, focusing on practical and safe techniques suitable for austere environments.

Course content includes:

• Airway assessment in confined and unstable environments

• Positioning considerations during hoist and transport

• Basic and adjunct airway techniques appropriate to rescue settings

• Managing airway risks during vertical and horizontal movement

• Integration of airway management with packaging and extraction

• Medical–aviation coordination and decision-making

Intended for:

SAR medical providers, rescue technicians, and personnel involved in patient care during helicopter operations.

Patient Packaging for Helicopter Rescue

Duration: 1 training day (approximately 6–8 hours)
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Up to 6:1

Purpose:

This course focuses on safe and effective patient packaging for helicopter-based rescue and hoist operations, with an emphasis on clinical protection, packaging integrity, and aviation compatibility.

Course content includes:

• Packaging principles for vertical and horizontal extraction

• Litter systems and attachment methods

• Airway, spinal, and hypothermia considerations

• Packaging for confined, vertical, and complex terrain

• Coordination between medical and aviation teams

Intended for:
SAR members, medical responders, and rescue personnel involved in patient handling during aerial operations.

Crew Resource Management (CRM) for Helicopter Rescue Operations

Duration: 4–6 hours
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Up to 12:1

Purpose:

This course provides CRM training tailored specifically to helicopter rescue and SAR environments, emphasizing communication, decision-making, and human factors in high-risk operations.

Course content includes:

• Roles, authority gradients, and task sharing

• Communication models for aviation-supported rescue

• Situational awareness and workload management

• Error recognition and mitigation

• Decision-making in dynamic rescue environments

• Integration between aircrew, rescue technicians, and medical personnel

Intended for:
Aircrew, rescue specialists, SAR leaders, and operational team members involved in helicopter rescue missions.

Remote & Vertical Environment Risk Management

Duration: 4–6 hours
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Up to 12:1

Purpose:
Train teams to identify, assess, and manage operational risk in remote, steep, alpine, forested, and confined environments.

Content includes:

• Dynamic risk assessment models

• Go / No-Go decision frameworks

• Terrain, weather, and human factors

• Abort criteria and escape planning

• Integrating aviation and ground risk models

Confined Area & Technical Extraction Techniques

Duration: 4–6 hours
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Up to 12:1

Purpose:
Address rescues where standard hoist geometry is compromised.

Content includes:

• Tree wells, cliffs, gullies, and tight alpine bowls

• Limited rotor clearance considerations

• Patient and rescuer positioning

• Packaging adaptations

• Abort planning

Aircrew Rescue Medical Integration Workshop

Duration: 4–6 hours
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Up to 12:1

Purpose:
Break down silos between pilots, rescue techs, and medical personnel.

Content includes:

• Shared mental models

• Mission brief and debrief standards

• Decision-making authority and communication

• Managing competing operational priorities

• Scenario walk-throughs

• Open vs Closed Cockpit concepts

Human Factors & Fatigue Management in SAR

Duration: 4–6 hours
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: Up to 12:1

Purpose:
Address one of the largest contributors to incident risk: Humans.

Content includes:

• Fatigue recognition and mitigation

• Stress, cognitive overload, and task saturation

• Volunteer SAR realities

• Personal and team responsibility models

SOP Review & Operational Readiness Assessments

Purpose:
Provide non-regulatory, peer-informed review of SAR helicopter rescue programs.

Services include:

• SOP alignment review

• Training pathway recommendations

• Equipment compatibility assessments

• Risk and gap identification

Exercise Design & Scenario Facilitation

Purpose:
Help agencies design, run, and evaluate helicopter rescue exercises.

Services include:

• Scenario development

• Safety oversight

• Performance evaluation

• Structured debriefing

AROHWS works with partner agencies to develop custom training solutions tailored to operational needs, terrain, aircraft type, and team experience.

Please contact us to discuss integrated or agency-specific training programs.

AROHWS regularly performs medical rescue in remote and hazardous terrain. How can our experience help your team grow?