The biggest danger that people face in outdoor survival situations is being unprepared. Accordingly, this online course, which includes interviews with experts on various aspects of outdoor survival, provides information that will assist you to handle most situations that you may encounter in the outdoors when help isn’t just around the corner.

• Responding appropriately to encounters with cougars, moose, elk, wolves, or snakes in the wild
• Minimizing and treating bites and stings from wood ticks, mosquitoes, and bees
• Bear awareness
  • Physical differences and general characteristics of bears
  • Bear behaviour and body language
  • Hibernation
  • Food sources
  • How to store food in a campsite
  • Hunting, camping, and travelling safely in bear country
  • Avoiding bear encounters
  • Recognizing and reacting to defensive and non-defensive attacks
  • When and how to play dead
  • Using and handling bear spray
  • Bear bangers
• Reducing exposure to Lyme disease
• Building emergency shelters in winter and summer months
• Reacting to lightning
• Staying safe around trees during normal and high-wind situations
• Signalling for help
• Making water safe for drinking
• Preventing hypothermia and frostbite

Approximately 150 minutes

Testing conducted in this online Wilderness Awareness course is designed to reinforce the information presented. A mark of 80% must be achieved in order to receive a certificate of completion. Participants are able to repeat the course twice if the pass mark is not achieved.

Upon successful completion of this online course, a certificate of completion will be available to download and print.