📚 Guide by Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety — The Bear Awareness is an online workplace safety course delivered by Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety, Calgary’s Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider. Self-paced, mobile-friendly, same-day certificate upon exam completion. Available across Canada.
🔗 Related Safety Mom courses & guides: Bear Awareness Calgary · Wildlife Awareness · Oil Sands Safety Certs · Instructor: Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC
BEAR AWARENESS ONLINE COURSE OVERVIEW
This online course provides information that will prepare you to handle situations that you may encounter when working, hunting, camping, or travelling in bear country. In addition to teaching you about the general characteristics and habits of bears, you will learn how to recognize and react to both defensive and non-defensive attacks to ensure you make it home unharmed.
BEAR AWARENESS ONLINE COURSE TOPICS
- Differences between grizzly and black bears
- General characteristics
- Bear behaviour and body language
- Signs of agitation
- Distribution of bear populations
- Breeding
- Hibernation
- Food sources
- Hunting, camping, and travelling safely in bear country
- How to store food in a campsite
- Avoiding a bear encounter
- Recognizing and reacting to defensive and non-defensive attacks
- When and how to play dead
- Using and handling bear spray
- Bear bangers
BEAR AWARENESS ONLINE COURSE DURATION: Approximately 60 minutes
BEAR AWARENESS ASSESSMENT: Testing conducted in this online Bear Awareness course is designed to reinforce the information presented. A mark of 80% must be achieved in order to receive a certificate of completion. Users are able to repeat the course twice if the pass mark is not achieved.
BEAR AWARENESS ONLINE CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION: Upon successful completion of this online course, a certificate of completion will be available to download and print.
UNIVERSALLY COMPATIBLE
This course was created using standards that will allow playback on most internet capable devices with standard web browsing capabilities including Apple’s iTouch, iPad, and iPhone, as well as most other smart phones and tablets including those with Android and Windows operating systems.
BEAR AWARENESS ONLINE COURSE PREVIEW
Additional Safety Knowledge
Bear Country in Alberta and BC
Alberta and BC field workers regularly encounter both black bears (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis). Bear activity peaks between April and November, with heightened risk during spring emergence, summer feeding, and fall hyperphagia (pre-hibernation feeding). Oil & gas lease sites, pipeline right-of-ways, forestry blocks, and remote camps are all high-encounter zones.
Recognising Bear Sign and Distinguishing Species
- Tracks: grizzly toes align nearly straight; black bear toes form an obvious arc. Grizzly claws are 5–10 cm long and often visible in tracks; black bear claws are shorter and less prominent.
- Shoulder hump: grizzlies have a distinct muscular shoulder hump; black bears do not.
- Face profile: grizzlies have a dished (concave) face; black bears have a straight profile.
- Scat, torn logs, digging, day beds: all indicate active bear presence.
Encounter response differs by species — misidentifying the bear can be fatal.
Bear Encounter Response
If you encounter a bear, do not run — you cannot outrun a bear (35–55 km/h sprint). Speak calmly, back away slowly, give the bear an escape route. If a bear approaches:
- Defensive attack (surprised or protecting cubs/food): play dead if a grizzly makes contact — lie flat on stomach, hands behind neck, legs spread. For black bears, fight back.
- Predatory attack (bear stalks you, comes into tent): fight back with anything available regardless of species.
- Bear spray: deploy at 4–5 metres, aim at the bear’s face, sweep side to side. EPA-approved bear spray is 95% effective in preventing injury when used properly.
Bear Awareness — Prevention at Camps and Worksites
The most effective bear management is prevention. Store food, garbage, and scented items (toothpaste, sunscreen) in bear-resistant containers. Cook and eat at least 100 metres from sleeping areas. Report all bear sightings to camp management. Never approach a bear for photos. Alberta and BC both prohibit feeding wildlife — fed bears become food-conditioned and are typically destroyed.
Content reviewed by Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC — lead safety instructor at Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety Calgary, an Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider.
