Charlie Walbridge is an American Canoe Association
Instructor-Trainer Educator for swiftwater rescue. He teaches one
and two-day courses designed for canoe clubs, outfitters, and emergency
responders. The program is designed to make people more comfortable in the
water so they can self-rescue more effectively and work on boat pins and
other situations with
confidence. The prerequisite is intermediate paddling skills and strong
swimming ability. Charlie's course outline
is available, and you can consult the official course outline at the ACA's web
site www.acanet.org.
Charlie is authorized to certify instructors. He runs ACA Instructor Certification Course that last four days. The first two days are considered the Instructor Development Workshop (IDW), a fast-paced run-through of the course with an emphasis on how to teach the program. The second two days will be the Instructor Candidate Exam (ICE) when the instructor candidates teach a portion of the course. The prerequisite is an ACA two-day Swiftwater Rescue Course or equivalent training from programs run by outfitters, clubs, or first responders. Check out Charlie's page of instructor notes.
It's also possible to earn an instructor rating by co-teaching. You would need to assist for a minimum of two two-day courses. You would probably observe the first course, then actively co-teach in the second. Properly qualified ACA instructors in related disciplines (whitewater kayak or canoe) can challenge the course by co-teaching a single two-day program. Anyone interested in co-teaching can contact Charlie directly. Please provide an outline of your experience in the field.
Charlie's teaching and speaking schedule for 2007 is as follows:
April 18-20 Panelist Waterparks Conference McHenry, MD
May 14-17 Instructor Class Green River Adventures Hendersonville, NC
June 9-10 Two-Day Class Lehigh Valley Canoe Club Bethlehem, PA
July 12-13 Two-Day Class Zoar Outdoor Center Charlemont, MA
August 11-12 Wilderness Medicine Conference Morgantown, WV