SRTV upgrade course for swiftwater responders at Wero

Come to New Zealand in 2023 and undertake SRTV®, the most comprehensive swiftwater vehicle rescue programme on the market.

This three-day specialist course is open to national and international participants who hold a land based swiftwater rescue certification and are wanting to upgrade their skills to become a swiftwater rescue technician—vehicle specialist (SRTV®).

  • New dates now being finalized (June or July 2023)

Delivered at Wero Whitewater Park, Auckland, the course is highly practical with much of the theoretical requirements delivered through pre-course online self-paced learning and webinars. A limited number of volunteer scholarships is offered to members of SES, NZRT, Coastguard and other similar response organisations – we want in particular volunteers from Australia to come and join us for this course.

Using a blended learning approach, land based swiftwater responders can upgrade to become swiftwater rescue technicians including specialist rescue from vehicles in water. After a skills refresher and check of basic skills (knots, swimming, throw-bags and shallow water crossing), students will be instructed on a further range of shore based and in-water contact rescue skills.

The course includes entrapment drills/cinches, wading rescues, shore-based vehicle stabilisation, strainer drill, attended and solo zip lines, basic mechanical advantage, rescue sled/boat handling, in-water spinal rolls, advanced throwbag techniques, inflatable fire hose operation, combat swim, towed swim, V lower, tethered swim, curtain capture, cargo net zip line, boat on tether, vehicle behaviour and escape, rescue from vehicles in swiftwater, culvert and storm drain rescue, electric vehicle in-water rescue considerations, low head dam rescue considerations, flood channel/aqueduct rescue methods, case studies, vehicle anatomy, myth busting, preventative search and rescue, emerging technology, new equipment and techniques, automotive glass types, rescue command tactics, multiple vehicle rescue options for responders and technicians (shore based and in-water) and more.

We use REAL vehicles (specially prepared and cleaned), as prop frames do not provide realistic conditions. Most of our SRTV® students also get the opportunity to experience being rescued from inside a semi-submerged car, which can be a rather character building experience.

SRTV® is the most comprehensive swiftwater vehicle rescue programme on the market and we are the only southern-hemisphere provider to offer this cutting edge course.

Hosted at the Wero whitewater park, the course uses the impressive range of facilities including the Class II/Grade 2 Tamariki channel for basic skills and moves onto the Class IV/Grade 3 River Rush course for advanced skills including vehicle rescue. The instructors, Steve Glassey and Geoff Bray are New Zealand’s only recipients of the Higgins and Langley International Award for Swiftwater and Flood Rescue, and the most experienced internationally qualified instructors in swiftwater vehicle rescue in New Zealand. They have instructed agencies around the world in swiftwater vehicle rescue including Queensland Fire & Emergency Services, South Australia State Emergency Service and US Special Forces. Both are experienced in providing expert opinion to the NZ Coroner’s Court on water related fatalities.

Come and learn from the instructors who taught the other instructors. 

Pre-requisites:

Strong swimming ability, good level of fitness, able to tie basic knots and completion of one of the following certifications:
▫ PUASAR001 Land based swiftwater rescue competency
▫ NZQA 22298 Flood safety unit standard
▫ ITRA Introduction to Swiftwater Responder
▫ Rescue 3 Swiftwater First Responder
▫ NZ Raft Guide Grade 3 Award
▫ PSI Pre-Course Swiftwater Responder Course*

Pre-course activities: (included as part of fee):

▫ PSI Swiftwater Responder (online self-paced) (6 hours)
▫ PSI live webinars on swiftwater vehicle operations (6 hours)
▫ PSI live webinars on swiftwater technician theory (6 hours)

Registration & Fees:

Expressions of interest for the 2023 course are now open. Email us today.

$1,850 incl. GST per person* for our volunteer scholarship rate (limited places available).

Contact us for standard rate details or for group bookings.

Prices in NZD.

Frequently Asked Questions:

FAQ #1: Do I get any national competencies from the course?

For those that want to receive an Australian national unit of competency (PUASAR002 or NZQA22298) we plan to have assessment only, or RPL options available at an additional cost. For the PUSAR002 RPL, we expect that to be approximately AUD$200. For Australian residents only.

See our one of our previous SRTV courses for international groups being covered by One News below:

We also deliver SRTV courses at the Mangahao whitewater park near Palmerston North, New Zealand – and at suitable locations worldwide.