Richard King is the owner and founder of Get Outdoors Safety and Survival Training, a company committed to teaching life-saving skills and promoting safety in outdoor environments. With a deep understanding of the importance of preparedness, Richard focuses on equipping individuals with the knowledge and confidence to respond effectively in any emergency situation. His company is dedicated to fostering a love for outdoor exploration, while ensuring that individuals are well-prepared for the challenges that may arise when venturing into remote regions or locations with limited access to help. Richard believes that the enjoyment of the outdoors should come with the ability to stay safe and respond to emergencies when needed, no matter where your adventures take you.
Throughout his career, Richard has had the privilege of working alongside some of the most dedicated and skilled individuals in communities across Ontario and Canada. He has volunteered with search and rescue teams, served as a reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces, and worked as a disaster management response member, among many other roles. These experiences have taken him to remote and often difficult-to-reach locations, where he has worked in all weather conditions, year-round. It is through these firsthand experiences that Richard has gained invaluable insights into the challenges of wilderness survival, and he strives to bring these real-world lessons into his training sessions. By sharing these personal stories, he helps his students understand the practical application of the skills they learn, highlighting why these skills are critical in real-life scenarios.
Richard is deeply passionate about empowering others to be prepared, not just in the wilderness, but in everyday life as well. Through his courses, he instills a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors, emphasizing the importance of knowing how to navigate and thrive in natural environments. His approach to teaching is focused on building confidence and ensuring that his students are ready to handle any emergency—whether they’re hiking in a remote forest, traveling in unfamiliar terrain, or simply dealing with an unexpected situation in their everyday surroundings.
At Get Outdoors Safety and Survival Training, Richard aims to create a learning experience that goes beyond basic survival skills. He believes that the knowledge gained through his courses can have a profound impact on his students’ lives, making them more self-reliant, resourceful, and capable of responding effectively to any emergency. His ultimate goal is to ensure that his students not only feel empowered to explore the outdoors with confidence but are also fully prepared to handle the unexpected, no matter where their adventures take them.
Kelly Barta is the Manager of Get Outdoors Safety and Survival Training, where she brings together her lifelong experience as an educator, outdoor leader and medical instructor. Before joining the company, Kelly worked as an Early Childhood Educator for approximately 20 years. When the shutdowns disrupted her work within the school board, she found a new way to use her teaching skills by moving into medical education. Although the subject matter changed, her ability to understand people, adapt to different learning styles and make complicated information feel manageable transferred naturally into the classroom.
Kelly is a patient, calm and exceptionally knowledgeable instructor. She has an instinctive ability to read body language and recognize when someone is becoming confused, uncomfortable or overwhelmed—often before the participant recognizes it themselves. This allows her to adjust how she presents information without drawing unwanted attention to the learner or making them feel left behind. Her goal is for every participant to feel both confident and included, and to understand that emergency medicine does not have to be overwhelming when it is taught in a way that allows them to process the information and put it into action.
Although Kelly is naturally quiet and reserved, she has an unmistakable presence when she steps into the role of an instructor. She can take command of a room filled with experienced first responders without raising her voice or competing to be heard. Sometimes, she does not need to say anything at all—the room simply recognizes that she has something important to teach. Kelly brings that same quiet confidence to Standard First Aid, Wilderness First Responder and Emergency Medical Responder courses, as well as to her work as an Instructor Trainer developing and mentoring other medical instructors.
Kelly’s connection to the outdoors began through a lifetime of involvement with Girl Guides of Canada and years of camping with her family. Having been part of Guiding since she was old enough to join, she now continues that journey as a Trex leader, helping others build confidence and experience in outdoor environments. She is also an ORCKA instructor in Basic Canoeing, Canadian Style Paddling and Canoe Tripping. For Kelly, teaching outdoor skills is an extension of something she already loves. Her happy place is simply sitting in a canoe, surrounded by the quiet and enjoying the feeling of being on the water.
As Manager of Get Outdoors, Kelly oversees the many details that allow the company and its courses to run effectively. She coordinates courses and instructors, communicates with participants, manages certification records and paperwork, organizes equipment and scheduling, and provides the steady structure behind the company’s day-to-day operations. Whether she is guiding someone through a difficult medical concept, mentoring a new instructor, leading a paddling program or quietly keeping the company organized, Kelly has a way of making the people around her feel supported, capable and ready to take the next step.
