Raft Guide First Aid, Norway

Rafting through Norway’s pristine rivers and fjords offers adventure and adrenaline in equal measure, but it also comes with risks. Raft guides play a critical role in ensuring the safety of their guests, often operating in remote and challenging environments. Effective first aid training tailored to the specific hazards of white-water rafting is essential to managing emergencies quickly and confidently. At Adventure Norway, we delivered a comprehensive first aid course designed to address the unique needs of raft guides, focusing on water-based emergencies, injuries, and the realities of working in such dynamic environments.

One of the greatest risks in white-water rafting is entrapment, where a rafter becomes trapped underwater by rocks, ropes, or other obstacles. Our course addressed this critical issue by providing guides with the skills to manage rescue and post-rescue care. Practical scenarios focused on safely freeing a casualty from entrapment, performing in-water resuscitation, and managing conditions such as near-drowning and cold water shock. Guides also learned how to assess and treat hypothermia, which can set in quickly in Norway’s cold rivers, even during the summer months.

Another key component of the training involved CPR for drowning victims. Participants practiced delivering high-quality chest compressions and rescue breaths for water-logged casualties, adapting techniques for scenarios where hypothermia complicates the casualty’s condition. Guides also learned to work effectively with AEDs (automated external defibrillators) in wet environments, ensuring readiness for any cardiac emergencies that might occur on the river.

Trips and falls are also common in rafting environments, both on and off the water. Slippery rocks, uneven terrain, and unstable rafts can lead to sprains, fractures, or more serious injuries like head and spinal trauma. Our training covered injury management in detail, from stabilising broken limbs to using cervical collars for suspected spinal injuries. Guides practiced splinting fractures and improvising stretchers to transport casualties over rough terrain to waiting emergency services.

At Adventure Norway’s rafting base, the training was tailored to their guides’ specific needs and the hazards of the local rivers. The hands-on scenarios included managing head injuries from falls in rocky areas, responding to entrapment incidents in strong currents, and providing first aid to guests with pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes. We also incorporated guidance on communication with professional rescue teams, ensuring guides could pass on critical information about the casualty’s condition when handing them over.

The course emphasised the importance of teamwork in emergency situations, teaching guides how to assign roles, maintain calm under pressure, and work efficiently in time-critical scenarios. By practising in the same environment they operate in daily, Adventure Norway’s guides were able to hone their skills in realistic conditions, making the training directly applicable to their work.

For raft guides, first aid knowledge is as vital as knowing how to navigate rapids. It builds confidence, enhances safety, and ensures guides are ready to manage incidents in an environment where professional help is often hours away. By investing in first aid training, Adventure Norway has demonstrated its commitment to guest and guide safety, ensuring unforgettable rafting experiences on Norway’s rivers are both thrilling and secure.

We have done raft guide first aid across the world and have worked with some of the best rafting guides in Uganda and Rwanda.

To book a course contact us via email in the first instance. Cory Jones our Director is lead trainer for a range of organisations including First Aid Trainign Co-operative, Kingfisher Journeys and Adventure First Aid in Kenya.