Tren Long: Swiftwater Rescue & Wilderness First Aid Instructor
Meet Tren Long: Instructor Trainer for Rescue 3 International and Sierra Rescue, Higgins & Langley award recipient, 30+ years teaching rescue on four continents.
Tren Long grew up on Idaho’s Payette River, in a family that ran one of the region’s rafting companies, which means he was reading whitewater before he could drive. Thirty-plus years later, he has taught swiftwater rescue and wilderness medicine across the United States, Australia, Chile, Mexico, Canada, Italy, Spain and beyond, to students ranging from first-time rafters to metropolitan fire rescue teams.
Credentials
- Instructor Trainer, Rescue 3 International and Sierra Rescue. Certified not only to teach rescue, but to train and assess the instructors who teach it. It is the level above instructor, and very few people hold it.
- Higgins & Langley Memorial Award recipient, the international recognition for outstanding achievement in swiftwater rescue, awarded 2019.
- Has trained major metropolitan fire departments, search and rescue teams, special forces units, commercial raft operators, and thousands of recreational paddlers and hikers.
- Splits the year between NSW, Australia (October to March) and the Payette River, Idaho (April to September), teaching in both hemispheres’ river seasons, every year.
Working in the United States
- Volunteer EMT with Horseshoe Bend Ambulance, Idaho, so the wilderness medicine is taught by someone who still runs calls
- Grew up on the Payette in a family rafting business, and has worked that river for over thirty years
- Delivers Rescue 3 International certification, which is the water rescue credential most US departments already recognize
- Carries US insurance for instruction and guiding, and can provide certificates of insurance, curriculum mapping and a written quote for a purchase order or grant application
What students say
I cannot imagine finding a better instructor or environment for the class. Tren made sure to tailor each rescue topic to each type of river user. I would highly recommend others to sign up.
James, SRT-1 student
Tren was engaging, extremely knowledgeable and created a safe and welcoming environment for learning. I definitely feel more confident in my rescue ability.
MaryKate, swift water rescue student
Tren and Shane continually funneled that information into a single, cohesive stream of thought and action. Truly one of the most rewarding experiences I could imagine.
Shawn, swift water rescue student
The team
Merle Long began in wilderness medicine at 16, volunteering on a rural ambulance service, and brings enthusiasm and experience of remote-area emergency care to every first aid course he teaches.
In July 2026, Merle finished sixth in both the Men’s Kayak Cross Individual Time Trial and the Kayak Cross head-to-head at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Oklahoma, his senior World Championships debut, on the course that will host the 2028 Olympics.