Yep, had two companies say they'd hire and train me! I need 3 more trips down the Nantahala and CPR Training. What's the CPR training like?

4/10/2006 11:22:52 PM

'grats!

my fiancee did the training in like 3 night sessions...not hard she said

4/10/2006 11:23:57 PM

I'd like to be able to save someone's life like that...

4/10/2006 11:56:53 PM

CPR training is a piece of cake if you have half a brain cell. There's a short test at the end and a practical on the dummies. Most CPR training I've done have been a one day type deal, but that was for the medical provider level of certification (and it was a all day Saturday type thing). The Nantahala is a pretty easy river... I did a trip down it, then turned around and was a guide for the next group we brought out there (I was working as a climbing instructor at one of the summer camps in Boone).

4/11/2006 12:09:34 AM

i went to EMT school for almost a year
cpr is nothing

4/11/2006 12:14:49 AM

sounds like a fun job

cpr training is easy

i wound up having to do CPR and the heimlich whilst i was in high school, you never know when it's going to pop up that you need it and the situation usually requires a pretty good handle on it so pay attention to the training

4/11/2006 12:20:23 AM

Yeah... CPR is nothing to worry about. Just make sure you know your breath/compression ratios (They were reviewing changing the ratios, but i'm not sure if they have been implemented yet) for adult/child/infant. Since you're going to be on a river, I'm assuming you don't have to have AED or oxygen admin. training? Anyway... good luck & have fun.

4/11/2006 12:22:07 AM

make sure you know that CPR

4/11/2006 12:31:03 AM

i suppose the nantahala is a good river to begin as a guide.

river is cake. really fucking cold cake

if you want to acutally have some fun on it...

wet suit + truck tire inner tube

4/11/2006 1:10:33 AM

This is my hometown, I know the Nantahala inside and out... but on the breathing thing/... I always blow poorly on it, even though I don't smoke. Is that an indicator that I need more aerobic exercise, or that I suck at this test, or both?

4/11/2006 1:32:56 AM

I'm a SCUBA diver too, but I doubt that makes much difference

4/11/2006 3:21:33 AM

i know lots of guides over at the NOC

tiva hippies, all of them

4/11/2006 10:27:23 AM

you can do three runs down the nantahala in like a couple hours.

my mom was an NOC guide back in the 70's..heh

4/11/2006 10:38:20 AM

You only need CPR?? Are you sure it's not WFR?

4/11/2006 10:46:11 AM

or at least WFA?

4/11/2006 11:20:24 AM

Don't they have instructors who go around high school gyms deputizing entire waves of high schoolers as CPR certified? Can't be that bad.

4/11/2006 11:22:57 AM

Quote :

"Lutra All American 6452 Posts user info edit post You only need CPR?? Are you sure it's not WFR? 4/11/2006 10:46:11 AM virga All American 1593 Posts user info edit post or at least WFA? "

[Edited on April 13, 2006 at 1:36 AM. Reason : WFR]

4/13/2006 1:36:36 AM

Quote :

"Yeah... CPR is nothing to worry about. Just make sure you know your breath/compression ratios (They were reviewing changing the ratios, but i'm not sure if they have been implemented yet) for adult/child/infant. Since you're going to be on a river, I'm assuming you don't have to have AED or oxygen admin. training? Anyway... good luck & have fun."

That's the only thing that's ever given me difficulty on First Aid/CPR certification. Different organizations (Red Cross, American Heart, etc) will sometimes have different ratios. I am tempted to say that AHA had equalized everything across the board recently (to 2:15). That being said, it really is a simple certification.

4/13/2006 10:19:40 AM

I'd go ahead and get WFR, I think state teaches a class sometime late spring/early summer through their rec dept. most river guides I know at least have this, if not more advanced training. maybe even look into the swiftwater rescue cert. through a local fire dept.

4/13/2006 11:43:17 AM

What's the difference between a river guide and a catfish?

One has wiskers and smells bad, and the other one's a catfish

4/13/2006 11:55:15 AM

^I think I'm in love with your parents.

4/13/2006 11:36:43 PM

now all we need is a section for that and you can be a mod, since you know all about it

4/14/2006 12:01:28 AM

get AHA certified

all healthcare professionals are AHA certified

cprconsultants.com

4/14/2006 12:03:29 AM

Quote :

"I am tempted to say that AHA had equalized everything across the board recently (to 2:15)."

That's actually about to change when they publish the new recommendations. 15:2 is the current for an adult, but it's moving up (30:2, IIRC).

4/14/2006 12:16:16 AM

they offer cpr at wake tech for $50 every saturday. runs from about 8am to 2 or 3pm. being a river guide would be awesome, have fun with it!

4/14/2006 12:38:24 AM

I don't know what any of it is... I'm gonna show up for the class they pay for and get the certification they want.

4/14/2006 12:57:22 AM

Holy shit, I found eight new muscles today I didn't even know I had. But I solo guided an 7 person raft and hit all my marks! Two trips... I'm gonna be a superbeast after about two weeks of this shit. I need to start taking protein.

4/15/2006 12:38:28 AM

I need to buy a "level 5" life jacket, I think that's what they've said (although they will provide them) I want my own. Apparently a ski jacket doesn't cut it.

I can't find rafting jackets on google, I'm sure I just haven't used the right phrase... does anyone know a rafting supply company or something?

4/15/2006 6:18:04 PM

"Level 5" or "Class 5"?

[Edited on April 15, 2006 at 6:35 PM. Reason : .]

4/15/2006 6:34:14 PM

well it's not a class 5 river, he just said it required a better vest... if you know where I can look at them I can prolly figure out what I need.

4/15/2006 6:54:48 PM

The US and Canadian Coast Guard separate PFDs (Personal Flotation Devices) into 5 categories.

http://www.pfdma.org/choosing/types.asp?bhcp=1

It doesn't describe it well on that site, but a "Class V" PFD is a "special use" PFD, and I think that specialized rafting vests fall into that category. I'd double-check as to what the employer wants of you, but it seems this is the most likely piece of equipment for you.

4/15/2006 7:02:25 PM

ski jackets arent padded enough

river life jackets fit TIGHT and are designed to protect you from the pounding you will take when you are thrown against a boulder as well as keep you afloat. They also dont go on like a regular life jacket, they are "pull overs" and then you tighten the straps

4/15/2006 9:26:35 PM

I hope you hack a really mean sack

4/16/2006 12:44:52 AM

a quote from the senior guide to the owner... "He's not a doper, he know's the river from fishing, and he's not one of these pot-smokin' hippies. You'd do well to hire him, I'm serious, look, he even has short hair!"

Quote :

"they are "pull overs" and then you tighten the straps"

Well that explains why I couldn't find the damn zipper.

[Edited on April 16, 2006 at 6:39 AM. Reason : zipper]

4/16/2006 6:36:32 AM

4/16/2006 11:09:17 AM

these are awesome: http://lonelyplanet.altrec.com/shop/detail/3582/

4/16/2006 1:45:44 PM

http://www.astralbuoyancy.com/ makes awesome pfds

the same guy owns astral that started lotus designs before he sold it to patagonia

if you're around raleigh the outing club has some lotus and astrals i can let you look at

[Edited on April 16, 2006 at 4:57 PM. Reason : ]

4/16/2006 4:56:50 PM

if you have a choice to get child CPR in addition to adult, do it! with the adult class it takes about 30 min extra, but if you ever need child CPR training you'd have to do the whole day class again to get it later.

4/17/2006 2:22:39 PM

I think I'd be bored on the Nantahala. I've been down it only like 6 times, but the 5th time I was pretty bored so that last time we flipped the boat over and went down the whole way with the boat upside down.

Try that with some of your more adventurous clients!

4/17/2006 3:07:58 PM

LOL, well the Ocoee is only a little further away, I live between the two so I can always upgrade, it's a level higher than the Nantahala.

Also I got a nice jacket on sale at the NOC, I forgot what brand it was, but it retailed for $110 I'll get a pic of it tommorrow. It's simple but has handwarmers and a pocket. It's comfortable and allows a LOT of movement.

4/17/2006 11:21:01 PM

http://www.extrasport.com/whitewater_trickyarrow.html

^Here's what I got... The CPR was just "showing up." Very little training.

4/19/2006 10:45:34 PM

ew, it's a pullover, but since you don't have boobies, i guess it doesn't matter

4/20/2006 10:49:33 AM

I think it'll be funny to show up for first aid training w/ 3 staples in my head.... I'm gonna pick the right moment and say "that shit would have been really useful a week ago..."

4/26/2006 1:11:00 AM

There were 5 trainees... now we have one left. (The kid in the white t-shirt) Jeez turnover is unreal on the river. Now they've got me training him! It's a sorry state of affairs.

Oh well, we may but up the creek, but we've not lost any paddles.

4/29/2006 10:24:54 PM

A hilarious thing happened today... I guided as a "merc" (mercenary, sp) for another company. 90% boy scouts... well I was running sweep, the last raft, and I got to the 2nd most dangerous part of the river and there was this poor little kid standing on a rock in the middle of the river, no one else in sight...
I told the two in the front to rescue him when we got there and to disregard my paddle commands... the rest paddle like hell and we acutally rescued the kid and took him down about a mile b/f we got back to his boat... he still had his paddle... I told his Scoutmaster that the boat needed a badge for the successful rescue and to give that little kid one for actually being able to climb onto the rock b/f the 2nd most dangerous spot in the river.

Nonetheless... I'd have given anything to have a picture of that kid on the rock.

[Edited on June 16, 2006 at 12:33 AM. Reason : sp]

6/16/2006 12:30:27 AM

blah blah blah just drown already

6/16/2006 12:33:51 AM

yet another quality lounge post by Ernie

6/16/2006 12:38:35 AM

^^I'd love to, but I have this thing called "self preservation" going for me.

Besides, if it pisses you off, well that's reason enought to keep on keepin' on.

6/16/2006 12:51:54 AM