SOLO

Beav (I find that hard to writethat because it's my nickname). When I was first sent a link to this forum, I hesitated to respond. However, after giving it much thought, I figured I'd throw my hat into the ring. As the co-founder of SOLO in 1976, we created the Wilderness First Aid program, which I can assure you has become the template or skeleton of all WFAs now out there. Being the oldest fulltime wilderness medicine school in the world doesn't necessarily immediately qualify us for being the best; however, the fact that we are still around and still growing is some sort of testament to our doing something right. There's some really interesting wilderness medicine history that has been "forgotten." Without going into a dissertation of its evolution, I'd like to point out some facts. WMA and WMI, along with SOLO are mentioned as the "big three." Together we all have an interesting connection. Buck Tilton who is mentioned in a number of posts as being eminently qualified to write the BSA curriculum was a student, along with his then partner Melissa Gray, in the first ever WFR course taught in the US. Frank Hubbell, co-founder along with Peter Goth, founder of WMA, had joined forces in the early '80's and created the WFR curriculum. Frank was a longtime pre-hospital person who went on to become a physician and Peter was a physician at the time. Frank had been teaching and designing pre-hospital courses throughout college in the early 70's and decided to return to NH and start teaching a two-day program to college outing clubs. By 1976. he and I built the SOLO campus and gave SOLO a formal legal structure. Peter had connections with Outward Bound and an interest in wilderness medicine. Ironically, he lived within 50 miles from us. So, we got together and decided to take the same approach Frank had used in creating the WEMT and add wilderness training to the newly minted DOT First Responder course. A course was set up in Florida and Buck and Melissa were students. Not long after, they came north to SOLO and worked with us for a number of years becoming EMTs and eventually instructors. Buck and Frank co-wrote two books. Eventually the two asked if they could relocate in the West and start a SOLO West in Pitkin, Colorado, using SOLO materials, certs, etc. In recognition of the role they played in helping SOLO grow, we gave them our Western contracts and our blessings. Eventually, they said they wanted to change their name to WMI, to which we agreed, although they were still using SOLO materials and certifications. Then we got the call that they were selling to NOLS, and the rest is history. Our relationship with WMA evaporated after a couple years although some of their instructors also had been teaching for us. So, we have the same basic foundation when it comes to these programs. Many other groups are spin-offs. Competition is healthy-- it keeps us on our toes. When the ARC, Boy Scouts, ASHI, and several other organizations decided to jump into an already crowded pool, things became really complicated. Now it is definitely a "buyer beware" market. Cheaper does guarantee better, and there's no question that the experience of the "big three" and several other groups along with their instructor oversight is overall better than these other organizations. I am only speaking from a secondhand perspective; I have never taken a BSA or ARC course, but we've certainly benefitted by gaining more sponsors who have not been happy with their experience. Just an interesting note: the curriculum that was created by the BSA was almost word-for-word the curriculum that SOLO used until 2000 when we realized it was far too intensive and no longer allowed for the experiential segment we deemed essential to the learning process. As a result of the BSA development of a curriculum, the rest of the providers, who were expressly excluded in the initial BSA document as not being recognized, began a lengthy consensus process through which a new WFA curriculum was created and has been implemented by most of the non-BSA groups. Rules have changed, and we still teach dozens of programs to scouting groups. We love the scouts and our instructors enjoy the enthusiasm of the participants. I think the motives of the BSA to have their own curriculum were good; I can't say the same about some of these other newcomers. Let the buyer beware. We just want you to get the best training possible so you can be safe and can help others in need.