This class will cover the basics of what you need to keep yourself safe on the job. Verbal tactics for safety, courtesy, and professionalism. The best weapon you can carry is not on your belt. Learn how to walk, talk, and take action in a classroom setting.

This all-day class will prepare the ranger to be the first responder on the scene of a medical emergency.  How to size up the scene, take control of the area, request resources, and provide patient care until paramedics arrive. This class includes both guided instruction and scenario-based medical emergencies.

Have you ever had to deal with an irate park visitor? You've used your verbal judo skills but it escalates...what do you do next? It might have happened to you or it might not have happened YET, but as rangers, we need to know how to deal with these threats when they do happen. This class, based on the principles of Krav Maga, will prepare the rangers to defend themselves and fellow rangers against common types of attacks. 

Get certified to carry OC pepper spray AKA "mace" and learn why the “hot sauce” is still a valuable self-defense tool. Live exposure takes place at the end of class. Students should not wear duty uniforms for exposure.

This course will be a low-speed driving course set up and instructed similar to the standard of Colorado POST Emergency Vehicle Operation Course (EVOC). The course will focus on low-speed maneuvers through cones and obstacles. This is not a certified EVOC course. Students are encouraged to bring their patrol vehicle to this class, if this is not possible, Larimer County Natural Resources vehicles will be available.

Be prepared to support those around you by getting certified in Mental Health First Aid. Mental Health First Aid teaches the skills needed to recognize and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges, as well as how to provide someone with initial support until they are connected with appropriate professional help. In the course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies to help someone in both crisis and noncrisis situations, and where to turn for help. Additional fee: $23.95 for certification and comes with a full digital copy of the manual.

Critical to every ranger and natural resource professional is the priority and ability to remain safe and sustain a trained awareness of your surroundings.  This course is specifically designed for those holding a limited-commissioned status.  Rangers are held to a higher standard in an ever-changing environment and must rely on good judgment, confident decision-making, and superior tactics and techniques to professionally and safely carry out their duties.  Covering critical thinking, personal safety, techniques to gain a tactical advantage, and a unique interpretation of the OODA Loop focused explicitly on the limited-commissioned status, this course will provide the resources necessary to maintain those critical skill sets at the highest attainable level. If you believe that there is no such thing as a “routine” vehicle contact, and are looking to sharpen your skills to maintain every advantage, this is your course, don’t make one more vehicle contact without it!

This course will cover how to assess and address threats to rangers and the public. A focus on safety and mindset preparation in different types of contacts. This classroom and scenario-based instruction will prepare rangers for the dangers of different types of contacts with a focus on how to keep themselves and others safe.

An overview of native Colorado flora and fauna. Their roles in Colorado ecosystems and how to identify common species are often seen by the recreating public. This class includes a presentation by the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program with live raptors.

This course will cover the basics of how to field train a ranger to do the job effectively and safely. Course instruction will include adult learning concepts, the Next Generation Model of field training, field training example materials that will help your agency create a successful program, and a practical training scenario session to help rangers learn to coach, give feedback, and debrief in the real world.

This course introduces students to assisting and supporting swift water rescue operations. Students will learn to recognize the need for swift water rescue; how to implement an assessment plan; identify the resources necessary to conduct a safe and effective rescue; and recognize general hazards associated with swift water and flood incidents. Instruction includes hands-on rescue scenarios on the Big Thompson River.

In this all-day course, you will learn the basics of low-angle rescue operations with first-hand experience in both a classroom and field setting. Rescue gear will be provided for the day, but you are welcome to bring your own.

Is there something else going on here? Wildlife outlaws can be some of the most clever violators. Learn how to detect some of the indicators of wildlife crimes, how to contact hunters and fishermen safely, and how to investigate wildlife crimes.s and how to identify common species are often seen by the recreating public. This class includes a presentation by the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program with live raptors.

This all day class starts with an overview of different equipment and considerations with enforcement bike patrol, training in different maneuvers and patrol techniques, and in the afternoon a bike patrol with officer safety contacts. Participants must provide their bicycles and helmets. Some equipment may be available upon advanced request.

No Hable Ingles…What do we do when we hear this phrase?  Learning Spanish promotes trust in the Hispanic community and will help the conservation officer communicate and assist those in the Spanish-speaking community who enter our parks (All day Class).

This unique class is for the ranger professional.  Learn how to create a culture of trust in your agency, provide vision, and define leadership roles by building an ethical culture based on ethical decision-making.  Based on the character, competency, and consistency guidelines of LEADS leadership training.

This full-day tour will introduce students to our federal brothers and sisters in green, through an interactive exploration of Rocky Mountain National Park.  

Based on the National EMS Education Standards and endorsed by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. This course will have a distance learning portion of 40 hours through the Jones and Barlett website  https://www.psglearning.com/catalog/productdetails/9781284225914  with two days of hands-on in-person skills verification. With an additional fee of $198.95.  Your First Response in Emergency Care, Seventh Edition clearly and concisely covers every competency required of students embarking on this vital EMS role. Using clear, accessible language and proven pedagogical features designed for first responders with limited medical training, the Seventh Edition prepares law enforcement personnel, firefighters, and rescue squad personnel for the medical emergencies they may one day face in the field.  Registration for this course will be closed on March 15th at which point course ID will be sent to registered attendees to begin distance learning. 

Baton and expandable baton certification through the use of Koga Baton techniques. This is a discrete tool that provides big protection, get certified with an expandable baton in this dynamic self-defense class. The other half of the class will go over ground and standing escape techniques and other helpful tools.  

This class discusses Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics. How do rangers assess critical incidents and de-escalate volatile situations, while being tactically safe to ensure everyone goes home safe? Through guided instruction and scenario-based training, you will put de-escalation techniques and tactics to practice to give you the skills needed to excel in critical incidents. 

Learn the basics of the incident command system as applies to the world of parks law enforcement and emergency response. Includes classroom-based scenarios designed to mimic Fire and EMS blue card training.

Learn the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace and how to use these principles to promote responsible recreation in your park or open space.

Designed specifically for rangers and natural resource professionals holding a limited-commission within their agency, this course focuses on the application of Federal and State law in the professional contacts made daily by limited-commissioned and seasonal rangers in the field as they carry out their duties and responsibilities.  Covering the derivation of the limited commission status and its authority, the ability under State Statute to use physical force in defense of a person, consensual and investigative contacts, the 4th and 14th Amendment decisions on search and seizure, as well as the restrictions of limited vs. full-commissioned rangers, attendees will hold a basic understanding of the law and its applicability to the limited-commissioned ranger resulting in greater confidence through knowledge, increased safety by reduced hesitation, reduction in liability both criminally and civilly, and an ability to do the job to the high standard of professionalism expected by the community they serve!

This class discusses Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics. How do rangers assess critical incidents and de-escalate volatile situations, while being tactically safe to ensure everyone goes home safe? Through guided instruction and scenario-based training, you will put de-escalation techniques and tactics to practice to give you the skills needed to excel in critical incidents. 

This course is more than just training; it is a mindset. It introduces sensitivity and understanding regarding mental health crises and emphasizes accountability and responsibility in recognizing and getting the proper resources for various situations.

Interpretation is often seen as providing information, leading programs, and interacting with your park visitors to help them better connect with the outdoors. While this holds true, it is also one of the best law enforcement tools you carry with you out on the job. Join rangers from the City of Lakewood to learn how your knowledge of the land can be used to gain compliance, change behaviors, and lead to positive outcomes in your law enforcement contacts. 

Stay after the afternoon session at the Ridgeline Hotel,  have a bite to eat, and network with other agencies. Tapa's provided. Cash bar.

The body can’t go where the mind hasn’t been!  Take the lessons and learnings of the week and apply them with your partners responding to heart-pumping, real-life scenarios in the safety of a training environment!  Participants will rotate through multiple stations overseen by a lead instructor and scene-safety officer encountering challenging situations providing the ability to practice and validate skills acquired, make real, and at times dynamic decisions, get positive feedback, and learn from their responses. Scenarios all involve trained role players committed to enhancing the experience and providing valuable lessons for future contacts in the field.