I took a Wilderness First Responder course with SF Ready this past March and owner/instructor Dave Yacubian vastly exceeded my expectations of what my experience with the course would be like. The curriculum used is from the NOLS Wilderness Medicine Institute, and Dave brings a wealth of knowledge to the classroom from his experience as a NOLS instructor. Co-instructor, Liz, is also a seasoned Wilderness EMT with a great deal of outdoor experience. The instructors each had a wonderful sense of humor and created a fun learning environment, while still being serious about providing a top notch wilderness medicine education. What impressed me the most was the style of learning this course uses. I wish all my time in college and high school could have used such an all encompassing teaching approach. The course is pretty intense, 80 hours of medical training that includes trauma, broken bones, dislocations, allergic reactions, stomach illnesses, evacuations, the more common scrapes and bruises and a whole lot more in just over a week's time. Yet when I began reviewing for the exam, nervous there was too much material covered so fast to properly retain it all, I found it was all there, nicely retained inside my memory, leaving me very well prepared for the exam. We would go over a new topic for about an hour or so in the classroom with questions being answered. Then a demonstration would be given in front of the class, or we would break off and practice new treatments and techniques. Then we would go outside and practice this further in realistic scenarios, followed up with a discussion about aspects we did well and areas we needed to improve. Each new topic built off the previous, practiced over and over until it became ingrained in us. It was amazing how far we came in such a short period of time. I now feel empowered that if I am in a wilderness setting with fellow hikers and somebody gets hurt, I will be able to provide them with competent medical help. read more

I have known David for a number of years now. When my school needed someone to come in and teach CPR/AED and EPI trainings, I knew who to go to. David is very knowledgeable, has a keen sense of humor, but can combine that with the urgency and importance that comes along with doing these trainings. My school has a wide range of student ages, and many different types of faculty and administrators, and David was able to teach to them all. My staff actually looks forward to the trainings. (ok, I am kidding myself there, but none of them complain, which says a lot!!) Even more, David helps me run my annual Live Action Disaster Drills. These drills simulate a major disaster, including injuries. Everyone on campus (no students, though) takes part. David has helped us to run these trainings so that everyone learns their role, and feels comfortable "should the big one hit." I highly recommend David and Ready SF. read more

Highly recommended. I took a PR/AED/Epi training with David Yacubian and he was very knowledgeable and a great instructor.

Dave is awesome! Took Wilderness First Aid and CPR Training from him and he is so well-spoken and clear and full of fun energy! Both courses were amazing. read more

Great class. Dave communicated clearly what you have to do in emergency situations, while keeping it simple and easy to remember. I highly recommend this class to anyone, especially parents. I feel far more prepared than I did prior to the class. I would take this training again! read more

When it comes to medical training in the Bay area, look no further than Ready SF. Dave provides professional, friendly, and educated medical trainings for people in the bay area. I recently re-certified my Wilderness First Responder through a class that Ready SF sponsored and felt that the trainers were top notch. They took every question with the utmost sincerity and answered them truthfully and completely. The class was fun and never felt as though it dragged, which can happen in 16 hour trainings. Registration process was easy, information about the class was accessible, and the site of the class was fantastic (Planet Granite) If you have medical training needs I would highly recommend Ready SF and Dave Y. read more

Great instruction. Dave and Jake know their stuff and keep the class moving. They're especially good with helping students hone their practical skills. The last WFR experience I had was excellent, but I always felt that if I didn't get the skill perfect I would be nailed to the cross. These guys talk you through the skill, especially splint building, and don't pounce on you if you're technique isn't perfect the first time. Instead, they discuss what you could improve and don't make you feel stupid. I've often encountered instructors in this field that condescend to students--either for not being "outdoorsy" or "extreme" enough, for going on and on with their personal first aid experiences and preferences, or for their ceaseless "what if" scenario imaginings--these guys have patience and what they call "unconditional positive regard" for their students. This class was especially chatty in their questions/comments. There was a handful of Bill O'Reilly types that wouldn't let you finish a sentence until they'd been heard. A student even gave a five-minute sales pitch for some coagulate bandages that his company was selling. I think I would have said something like "let's get through the material. write down your question and ask it later if it's that important," but I must commend their patience in redirecting these sort of distractions. That said, if you are a student reading this before taking a class, please consider your fellow classmates: Do they really need to hear about your guiding experience in Nepal when someone had a headache? Is your choking story that helpful? Are you asking a question or taking this class time as an opportunity to self-aggrandize? Keep your questions relevant and be mindful of the community that is there to learn. (Dave and Jake--please don't take this as a criticism. You folks are great.) Get to class early and find the free parking. Bring good raingear. PS: I never write reviews but felt that these guys deserved it. read more

I took the 2-day NOLS Wilderness First Aid course with Dave Yacubian and learned a great deal! He's a knowledgable, experienced, engaging, and entertaining instructor who fit a lot of material into a short class. I now feel much more confident about taking care of myself and others in the backcountry. read more

Dave from Ready SF came to our office to teach a CPR course to our small group of 10. I have taken countless CPR and First Aid courses throughout my life and Dave's instruction was far superior than most. He was clear, humorous, and he made the process interesting for veterans and simple for novice learners. read more

This was a great class. I would take it again. Dave was obviously an expert in the field and taught well, focusing on the important stuff while keeping it interesting. read more

David provided excellent and relevant training.

David and Becca taught Wilderness First Aid at our office. They are very knowledgeable and have lot's of relevant, real world experience. I highly recommend taking their course if you plan on ever doing anything int he back country. read more

I took a two day wilderness first aid class from Dave and I highly recommend him and the class to anyone spending time in the back country (or not so back country). Dave is great with people and keeps the class fun with humor, stories and role playing. The information is very useful and easy to adopt after the practice in class. I feel more confident that I could help some one injured on the trail and that is all thanks to Dave and this class. read more

I've taken my last three WFR recert courses with Dave and ReadySF. I don't think there could be a better instructor. He is extremely knowledgable about all topics in wilderness and urban first aid. What else? He always brings in excellent co-instructors...people who, like him, have been teaching and living this stuff for 10 or 20 years. His teaching style is clear and understandable, he takes time to listen to his students questions and answer them thoughtfully. (And he's also honest if he doesn't know something, so when he gives an answer I can be confident that it's for real.) And no review of ReadySF would be complete without acknowledging that Dave is funny during class and enjoyable to shoot the breeze with on breaks. I hope he continues to teach so I can recert with him again! read more

I just had a great experience in my first Wilderness FIrst Responder class with Dave and his co-instructors PeeBee and Daniel. The WMI-designed curriculum is best-in-class, but what really made the experience great was our instructors. The course is dense and the material can be challenging but the Ready SF team did a great job of breaking down the materials and facilitating different learning styles. This was especially impressive with a group of 30 students ranging from high school sophomores to trail-crew supervisors and outdoor guides. Perhaps most importantly, they demonstrated great patience with all our "what-if" questions and made the course fun and engaging for all 80 hours--no small feat. I would unreservedly recommend Ready SF for medical or leadership training for any audience. read more

I'm going to keep this simple and short. Dave is the BEST! His staff and the course are as good as it gets! 10 day Wilderness First Responder Course was absolutely full of a high level of knowledge a great deal of professionalism and it was a pure joy to be taught these skills in a way that not only focused on passing the course but really instilled a life skill set that I can now use to move forward! This is the Pinnacle of WMI/NOLS training available. read more

Dave is a fantastic teacher! I took his CPR/AED training, and feel like I left with the tools to help someone if the situation were to arise. Dave has used these skills in real life, and he presented lots of first hand knowledge that made the information easier to understand and remember. A fantastic class, which I will definitely be taking again for my next CPR training. read more

Nice course, very nice course. I have worked and lived in remote wilderness settings for about 18 years and this course is a complete no-brainer. Why my colleagues and I have waited so long to make the time investment is pretty ridiculous. Dave and his co-instructors rock and they know their material. For anyone enthusiasts and professionals alike a great course. The only reason I gave the course four stars is because I didn't have anything to compare it with. read more

I took a WFR class from Dave in San Rafael. Excellent instruction. Very useful information. It was a great experience and I highly recommend the course and Dave as an instructor! read more

Very informative and helpful! Highly recommended. Ready SF came to train the staff at my school and it was enjoyable and a great learning experience. read more

I just finished a WFR course through Ready SF. The two instructors, Tim and Shaun, were GREAT! I had an amazing time, learned a ton, and feel that I would be useful in an emergency medical situation. I was worried going into an 80 hour class that it would drag or that I'd hate the play acting for the scenarios, but it was a great mixture of classroom and scenario learning that kept things interesting and understandable. The two instructors had a great sense of humor, and really knew their medical knowledge. I look forward to recertification in a couple years. read more

Dave was very engaging and appropriately humorous on an important skill. As someone who is required to do this training every two years and have experienced many uninspiring CPR workshops, it was my first time really enjoying the course. read more

Dave did a great job teaching our organization ( Education for Change Public Schools ) on what to do in case of an emergency. He was very well informed and very patient with us asking numerous q. He kept us interested and engaged!! read more

Took the CPR class. Great teacher. Made it easy, understandable, and memorable. Highly recommend.