Have you had any First Aid Training?

[Stringmaker]

I recall recently a thread by Imagedude I think about the components of his bespoke kit.

Last weekend I went on a 2-day course, tailored to the specific needs of outdoor folk (I was the only person out of 6 who wasn't a D of E leader). In what was pretty crummy weather most of the time we did a lot of outdoor scenarios, covering virtually any incident you might be expected to find, from bad cooking burns to complicated fractures, hypothermia, cuts and so on.

Included in this was certification on using a defibrillator, which although a bit off-topic was well worth it in order to make the things a whole heap less intimidating (basically the machine will not do anything it doesn't need to).

There is a big difference between merely having a kit with you in the woods and actually having had some formal training. How many of you folk are either trained or qualified in some context?

If you have never done even a basic course I would recommend it.

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

A few weeks ago I did an accredited course through my son's rugby club, where I help out. I'd last done a formal course many years ago, but surprised myself how much I remembered. There was a load of stuff in there for all sorts of situations - ie not confined to the rugby pitch - and my confidence has increased greatly. In fact the week after I had to tend to an elderly lady who had taken a tumble at a busy road junction, and (if I say so myself) I was able to handle the situation well.

So I agree with the OP, get on a course!

 

[Elen Sentier]

Yes, good idea. I used to be FA trained but not for years now. There are some things I cannot do beause of deformed arthritic hands and knees (let alone the bumpsidaisy!) and having les strength than the average kitten, like getting someone's heart going; can still do the mouth-to-mouth but not the pumping to any effecive level. How useful would the course be to someone like me who goes out on their own or with larger, tougher friends - who, admitedly, might still carve a slice out of their leg with an axe, etc.

 

[Ed]

How useful would the course be to someone like me who goes out on their own

Very if you come accross someone (or group) who has had an accident. Alot of the modern courses also involved correct proceedure ... ie which service to call .... what order to assess casualties, what info the services will need from you etc, this can really cut down the time wasted in a situation like this. Also, if you cannot do something yourself, you could always guide someone on how to do it if there is another untrained person there (to the best of your ability). A little FA knowledge goes along way and really helps with confidence when situations arise.

Ed

 

[RE8ELD0G]

Im an ex army Combat Medical Technician.
Trained to a higher standard than a civvy paramedic, problem is it dont count in the outside world.!!!

 

[Ed]

Trained to a higher standard than a civvy paramedic, problem is it dont count in the outside world.!!!

Neither does a Medical degree when it comes to first aid . I know many doctors and nurses who are not quilified in first aid.

Ed

 

[mousey]

I did a course as part of my DoE stuff in school. It was a water rescue/ first aid thing, Really a lot of fun, I used to swim alot and go sailing so I thought it was a sensible thing to do. Now having kids which are starting to learn, and living so close to the coast, I should really try to do something like that again to refresh the memory.

 

[Mafro]

I did a two day wilderness first aid course, and it was amazing. A very well taught course, loads of hands on training and very nice and knowledgeable teachers.

No affiliation, just a happy customer
http://www.elst.co.uk

 

[Elen Sentier]

Thanks Ed, that was helpful advice. Something to work on next year.

 

[Stringmaker]

I did a two day wilderness first aid course, and it was amazing. A very well taught course, loads of hands on training and very nice and knowledgeable teachers.

No affiliation, just a happy customer
http://www.elst.co.uk

Mine was a Wilderness course too but from a different provider. We covered all the topics listed on your link, plus defib as well in case you happen to have one in your rucksack!

Looking at the price in your link, my provider was superb vale for money too.

 

[Big Stu 12]

I used to FAW untill last year, then St john's offered my local Rover Rescue Group, (we fund rase for them, and they did it as a thank you, and it was certified) a taylor made course to suit things that me may come across when carrying out the duites we do as RR, it covered the usall stuff but went into things like Crush injurys - (we do duties at Off road Events so handy for rolled motor's ect) to a greater depth, covered defib stuf, ok not much use in the work place, shame tho, but hey ho.

If I had not done that one then I would of retaken the FAW myself.

 

[santaman2000]

Certified every year for 34 years. All stopped when I retired though.

 

[santaman2000]

Yes, good idea. I used to be FA trained but not for years now. There are some things I cannot do beause of deformed arthritic hands and knees (let alone the bumpsidaisy!) and having les strength than the average kitten, like getting someone's heart going; can still do the mouth-to-mouth but not the pumping to any effecive level.....

When I was a CPR instructor there were an amazing number of blue haired old ladies taking the course just in case they had to drag their husband of 60 odd years off the bed and onto the floor to perform it. They had no problem.

 

[santaman2000]

Im an ex army Combat Medical Technician.
Trained to a higher standard than a civvy paramedic, problem is it dont count in the outside world.!!!

Yep. Although over here they do have some standing in the civvie world (it varies from state to state) Funny thing is the civilian paramedic progrm is a direct result of the military pararescue programs in the Vietnam War.

 

[Stringmaker]

When I was a CPR instructor there were an amazing number of blue haired old ladies taking the course just in case they had to drag their husband of 60 odd years off the bed and onto the floor to perform it. They had no problem.

We did the CPR drill on adult, child and baby dummies, and I think the mood changed when we were working on the baby.

You can joke about the other dummies having no arms and legs, but the baby was complete, clothed and pretty realistic. Lying it down and doing chest compressions with two fingertips was a sobering experience I hope I never have to do for real...

 

[fishfish]

i did the st-johns first aider at work course a while back ,achieved 100% in half the allotted time on the test,a record back then.
Also did the child resuscitation course at the hospital as my nipper kept dying at night(apnea).

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Work pays for mine, was pretty comprehensive but I will be booking myself into Wayne's (forest knights) course at the Moot next year.

I advise all our FAAW's to sit in the first aid room for an hour monthly and refresh training information. Its the best book you will read when slip leads to crunch.

 

[Stringmaker]

All joking aside, the two best tips to put in your kit if you haven't already is clingfilm and gaffer tape.

 

[junglegusset]

FAW for 7 years through work. Also work alongside a couple of EMTs at sporting events some weekends for a bit of extra cash and experience. Thinking about doing some higher level training.

 

[Mafro]

Mine was a Wilderness course too but from a different provider. We covered all the topics listed on your link, plus defib as well in case you happen to have one in your rucksack!

Looking at the price in your link, my provider was superb vale for money too.

Yeah this covered defib use as well. Not something that you are likely to ever have to use, but if the need arose and there was one near by its good to know how they work, and how to work them