Safety Concepts for Off-Road Vehicle Excursion Guides

The Regulation respecting the recognition of training for off-highway vehicle excursion guides (see description at bottom of page), adopted on June 16, 2021 and in effect from December 31, 2021, aims to better equip guides* so that they can provide customers with a safer experience.

To work in a paid capacity overseeing a group, guides must have completed these two training courses:

• Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness and Remote First Aid Program
• Safety Concepts for Off-Road Vehicle Excursion Guides

*An off-road (or off-highway) vehicle excursion guide is a person working in a paid capacity with clients, travel agencies, adventure tourism businesses, and various other stakeholders in the field in order to plan off-road vehicle wilderness outings, coordinate and host activities, teach activity-related and safety techniques, lead groups, interpret the natural environment and intervene in the event of an emergency.

The “Safety Concepts for Off-Road Vehicle Excursion Guides” training course costs $495 plus tax and has a duration of 17 hours. The training aims to enable individuals guiding off-road vehicle groups to adopt a safe approach before, during and after the excursion, and to foster greater concern for safety among participants. The training has been improved according to the recommendations of a panel of experts, including in terms of concepts of interpretation, travel over bodies of water, and search party organization in the event that a customer is lost.

Aventure Écotourisme Québec is responsible for issuing attestations for off-road vehicle excursion guides. The attestation is valid for three years and renewable for a further three-year period.

This attestation is COMPULSORY for any person paid to serve as a guide for off-road vehicle excursions offered by a recreotouristic or other business. The “Safety Concepts for Off-Road Vehicle Excursion Guides” training course helps guides improve their ability to:

• Identify risks associated with guided OHV excursions
• Manage these risks safely
• Pursue continued improvement in their ability to safely lead OHV groups

Individuals wishing to take this training course and gain attestation as off-road vehicle guides must first have obtained one of the following certifications:

• Wilderness First Aid, minimum 20 hours (certification by SIRIUSMEDx)
• Wilderness and Remote First Aid, minimum 20 hours (certification by the Canadian Red Cross)
• Wilderness First Aid, minimum 16 hours (certification by Wilderness Medical Associates International)

In exceptional cases, you may complete your first aid training after your off-road vehicle guide training. However, you will only receive attestation as a guide once you have passed both training courses. Currently, only the three training courses listed above are recognized for attestation as a guide. No recognition of prior learning is possible.

Registering and Information

a) SIRIUSMEDx: Consult the calendar of training courses. You can easily sign up online before the start of snowmobile season. To register a group or for other information, contact SIRIUSMEDx at [email protected] or at 514-509-2112. This organization has instructors in many regions of Quebec and can travel to businesses in order to make training more accessible.

b) CANADIAN RED CROSS: Contact the following training partners:

Atout Plus Inc.
Montréal
[email protected]
514-253-4481

Centre de formation des adultes – CSS des Îles
L’Étang-Du-Nord
[email protected]
418-986-5511

Centre de plongée du lac (9058-7668 Québec inc.)
Saint-Félicien
[email protected]
418-679-7285

Formaction
Alma
[email protected]
418-668-7381

FSLN (Formation en secourisme Lucie Normandeau)
Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
[email protected]
450-304-2821

Impact Santé
Foster
[email protected]
514-249-4846

Les services d’urgence MÉDIC
St-Laurent
[email protected]
514-631-9466

Médic
Lévis
[email protected]
418-922-6666

Montagne Explore inc.
Saint-Adèle
[email protected]
855-717-4085

Premiers soins.com Canada inc.
Blainville
[email protected]
1-877-767-1277

REPÈRE consultation en psychologie inc.
Ville-Marie
[email protected]
819-806-6733

Secourisme RCR Plus
Gatineau
[email protected]
819-775-9876

c) WILDERNESS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES: Contact the following training partners:

Montagne Explore
Sainte-Adèle
[email protected]
819-717-4085

Boreal River Rescue
Gracefield and Quebec City
[email protected]
1-866-242-9383

N.B. The city is only a starting point. Many partners offer classes across a much larger area.

Seventeen hours (2 days) of theoretical training punctuated by collective in-class situation scenarios, followed by an online (multiple-choice) exam lasting two hours. Learners must bring their own laptop or tablet in order to take the exam and to do the exercises in the participant workbook.

Day 1

8:30 a.m. Presentations and Introduction to Training
Module 1: Introduction: The Importance of Safety in the OHV Guide Profession

1. Guide’s role
2. Concept of risk management
3. Regulatory and legal context
4. Module 1 assessment

10:55 a.m. Break
11:10 a.m. Module 2: Preventive Supervision: “Better safe than sorry?”

1. Leadership

• Communication techniques
• Recognizing a leader: Leadership 101
• Exercise: the qualities of a good leader

12:00 Lunch
1:00 p.m. Module 2 (continued)

• Powers of Leadership
• Situational Leadership

2. Heading Out

• Documentation and information to have before heading out
• Information to convey to participants
• Evaluating participants’ ability
• Participants’ order in the procession of vehicles

3. On the trail

• Stops

4. Module 2 Assessment

3:30 p.m. Break
3:45 p.m. Module 3: Planning Outings: Taking Advantage of the Calm Before the Storm

1. Risk management plan

• Steps for prevention
• Managing risks on the trail

4:45 p.m. Dinner

Day 1 – Evening

6:30 p.m. Module 3 (continued)

2. Emergency planning

• Roles and responsibilities
• Emergency equipment
• Communication

7:55 p.m. Break
8:10 p.m. Module 3 (continued)

• Using multiple maps
• Map of the territory
• Ice and bodies of water

9:15 p.m. End of First Day

Day 2

8:30 a.m. Module 3 (continued)

• Initiating emergency measures
• Missing person: search and rescue
• Getting an OHV unstuck
• Module 3 review

9:30 a.m. Module 4: Crisis Situations: “Hitting Where It Hurts”

1. We’re off!

10:45 a.m. Break 
11:00 a.m. Module 4 (Continued)

2. Putting leadership to the test
3. Steps for managing a crisis

12:00 Lunch
1:00 p.m. Module 4 (continued)

4. Steps for managing a crisis (continued)
5. Module 4 review

2:30 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m. Module 5: Looking Back: “I Should Have…”

1. Following up
2. Analyzing the incident
3. Module 5 review

3:45 p.m. Module 6: Individual Plans of Action

1. Where do I stand in terms of safety?
2. My individual plan of action

4:10 p.m. Conclusion and Evaluation

4:30 p.m. End of Training

Please read the following instructions before registering.

• While registering, you will be required to upload your VALID certification in Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness and Remote First Aid (certification’s expiry date must be after your off-road vehicle guide training). *See the “Prerequisite” section above.
• Register early. The registration period for training courses closes 5 business days before the course’s start date. This is so that we can verify your information and so that you have the time to read the participant workbook.
• Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email and a link to download the participant workbook. You can read it and do the exercises on your computer (in Adobe) or print it out and do the exercises on paper. Please keep in mind that no print document will be provided on site.
• Set aside 4 to 6 hours BEFORE THE TRAINING SESSION to read and assimilate the contents of the participant workbook (166 pages).
• You must bring a laptop or tablet with you to the training session in order to write notes and take the online exam. Please keep in mind that the online exam may not be taken using a smartphone.
• The exam lasts 2 hours and is comprised of multiple-choice questions. The minimum passing mark is 60%. You are not allowed outside assistance, be it from another person or from your notes or participant workbook.

Verifying the Number of Participants

A minimum of eight participants is required for the training session. If, five days before the training session start date, fewer than eight people have registered, you will receive a notice of cancellation. You will be able to choose another date on the training calendar.

Participant Engagement

By registering for “Safety Concepts for Off-Road Vehicle Excursion Guides” training, participants agree that they will:

• Be present for the 17 hours of training (excepting extraordinary circumstances).
• Have a positive attitude toward safety issues.
• Not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol before or during the training.

Failure to comply with these directions may lead to the participant’s expulsion, and the participant may be refused permission to take the final exam, at the sole discretion of the trainer, with no possibility for reimbursement and without prior notice.

To Register a Group or Obtain More Information

To register a group of 8 participants or more, or for any information not found on this page (e.g., additional days with already-trained groups), please contact the trainers listed in the following section.

Your attestation is valid for three years. To renew it, you must:

• Obtain certification in Wilderness First Aid or in Wilderness and Remote First Aid before applying for requalification. See the “Prerequisite” section above.
• Take requalification training and pass the “Safety Concepts for Off-Road Vehicle Excursion Guides” exam.

Duration
Course lasts 90 minutes, followed by a 90-minute exam.

Validity
Three years.

Content

• Review of “Safety Concepts for Off-Road Vehicle Excursion Guides” training
• Inter-participant discussions and examples of situations experienced
• Written exam

Preparation

• It is essential to review the participant workbook before the course. This is the same workbook used in your initial training. It will be sent to you via email after you sign up. Attending the requalification session will not in itself be sufficient to adequately refresh your knowledge to pass the exam.
• Update your log of outings so as to share your experiences during the course’s inter-participant discussions.

For all questions concerning training (registering a group, technical support for the registration portal, training dates, sequence of events, etc.), please contact the trainer assigned to training or to your region.

Mauricie, Lanaudière, Lac Saint-Jean, other regions upon request:
Emmanuel Laferrière
[email protected]
819-268-9229

Charlevoix, Côte-Nord, Saguenay, other regions upon request:
Pierre Challier
[email protected]
418-825-1772

Charlevoix, Centre-du-Québec, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie, Nunavik, other regions upon request:
Alexandre Dupré
[email protected]
581-993-0155

Laurentides, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Outaouais, other regions upon request:
Mike Smith
[email protected]
819-430-3074

Whom can I contact for help with registering or managing my online registration?

For help before or after registering, contact your trainer (see above section), or consult these tutorials (in French only):

• Uploading your first aid certificate to the platform (mandatory)
• Adding your date of birth to your file (mandatory)

According to article 24 of the Act respecting off-highway vehicles,

“No person may carry on, or offer to carry on, the activities of a guide for off-road vehicle excursions as part of a recreational-tourism enterprise or other enterprise unless the person has successfully completed training recognized by the Minister of Tourism, by regulation.

The provisions of the regulation may, in particular, specify the institutions and bodies whose certificates and diplomas are recognized. The provisions may set out equivalences and specialties and, as applicable, specify other applicable qualifications and training conditions as well as the activities and persons exempted from the application of this section.

A person who acts as a guide must be able to show, on request, to a person authorized to ask the person to show it, a document certifying that the person has the training required by regulation.

This section does not apply to excursions organized within an off-road vehicle club or an association of such clubs for the sole benefit of its members.”

• Act respecting off-highway vehicles
• Regulation respecting the recognition of training for off-road vehicle excursion guides