PRO‑I Swiftwater Rescue 

Low‑Resource Swiftwater Response · River Guides, Field Contractors & Operational Professionals

We offer the following contract courses based on the PRO-I curriculum: Outfitters, Agencies, Institutions

The PRO‑I is an intensive, professional swiftwater rescue course tailored for river guides and other field professionals — including SAR personnel who need training in austere, low‑support environments, seasonal contractors, USFS/NPS crews, BLM staff, and field scientists. This course addresses the unique demands of routine professional river work and remote operational missions and is explicitly distinct from the PRO‑SAR curriculum (which focuses on incident‑command integration, large‑scale SAR tactics, and multi‑agency coordination).

Outcome Graduates gain certified, operational skills for effective, low‑resource swiftwater response in professional contexts and a clear pathway to PRO‑II or the PRO‑SAR track as mission needs dictate.

The PRO-I course focus is on personal safety, decision making, risk management and complex problem solving with other team members having limited rescue resources and communication with outside parties. This course is designed to meet varying student skill levels, and everyone from professional guides to seasonal contractors will benefit from the rescue techniques and concepts covered in this course. Self rescue and hazard avoidance and recognition are key components in this swiftwater course.

ONLINE MODULE: Yes, 2 hours of required online training.

NFPA COMPLIANT: No

MINIMUM AGE: 16 with parental consent – 15 with a parent also participating

CERTIFICATION: Up to 3 years

NEXT CLASS: PRO-II

PREREQUISITES:

1. Proficient swimmer
2. Physically capable
3. Desire to learn
4. All of the necessary PPE
5. Meet all Essential Eligibility Criteria

PRO-I COURSE DELIVERY

The PRO-I will be delivered in a 2 day, 18 hour format. You are required to complete your online training prior to the field training with SSI. Days 1 and 2 will be spent in the water working on rescue concept evolutions. The PRO-I requires the student to understand key components in the online training and show up in the field on day one (1) capable of constructing a 3:1 mechanical advantage system, simple shore anchor, and a 2-point self equalizing boat anchor on their own (direction provided in online modules). 

WHAT TO EXPECT

Upon registration and payment, you will be automatically enrolled in the online training and have immediate access.

HOW IT WORKS

Each module will be followed by a module exam, and you will be able to retake each exam as many times as necessary. You must pass each exam with a minimum score of 80% in order to gain access to the next module. You can start and stop at any time and your progress will be saved. This is how SSI eliminates the formal classroom component, yet still provides you with the training necessary to train at the professional level.

WHAT THE FIELD TRAINING LOOKS LIKE

For a 2 day PRO-I, expect to meet at a pre-determined course site on morning one (1) and be presented with the student field manual and all necessary course paperwork. You will be required to construct a simple 3:1 mechanical advantage system, simple shore anchor, and a 2-point self equalizing boat anchor as a means to test into this program. All of this in preparation for two (2) days that will involve a heavy hands-on approach with focus on training in the river and rapidly building your skill-set.

TESTING

After you have successfully completed the online training and passed with an average score of no less than 80%, you will be allowed to attend the field training portion. There will be no further written examination in this PRO-I training, however you will have to satisfy practical evaluations throughout your time in the field. These are required components for the certification of a PRO-I course.

SSI INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION

Internationally recognized 3 year Swiftwater Rescue Training (PRO-I ) Certification of Course Completion – with satisfactory practical and written skills evaluations. On occasion, it may be deemed by your instructor that a one or two year certification is more appropriate based on practical skills evaluations. This will be outlined in the SSI Core Competencies evaluation and clearly explained to the student.