First Aid Training

[weekend_warrior]

I'm currently looking into re-doing my first aid training (did it years ago!) and I've been looking at the St John's Livesaver and LifeSaver Plus combined course - a good start I'm sure you'll agree. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice on additional training that you might consider essential for bushcrafting and general outdoor pursuits? Fracture care? Handling? AED? I want to try and sort a timeline for getting well trained for pretty much anything (within reason!) that might occur - especially as I want to get my young son out in the woods and hills too.

 

[charliefox]

Hi Rich

First of all I'm not familiar with the the content of the 2 St John's courses you mention, however, here are my thoughts..... I should also mention at this point I'm a serving State Registered Paramedic and have spent 6 years with one of the Lake District Mountain Rescue Teams.

First of all, ANY recognised First Aid Qualification has to be a Good Thing. An appreciation of ABC and CPR should be a minimum for all.

I wouldn't make AED training top of my list either, unless you regularly find yourself in an environment with one.

Areas to concentrate on, depending on where you plan to be (the woods 5 mins from home or a mountain environment 4 hours from help) and in what group sizes, alone or with half a dozen others, should be (in no particular order):

* Hypothermia & Hyperthermia managment,

* Bites & stings management, think ticks and low level anaphalaxis responses, not just our friend the wasp & nettle,

* Wound management, cuts & scrapes through to more serious lacerations and injuries from the wonderful amount of sharp things we carry ,

* Fracture managment, both with medical kit & improvised kit,

* Burns managment,

* Sprains & strains,

* Basic lifting & handling techniques.

There are plenty of good books out there to help reinforce that knowledge. A personal favourite of mine, depending on how deep you want to go, is "Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine" by Paul S. Auerbach et al. Find it here

Finally, first aid kits. There's been endless threads on this, with many opinions expressed. I'll let you trawl through them and decide what you think's appropriate. I tend to make my own, depending on where I'll be going. I NEVER EVER go anywhere with a knife, axe or saw WITHOUT my EDC FAK. It sits in a very small tupperware type box, the one with the snap locks on the side and it's approx 4" x 3" x 2", in my possibles pouch.

The FAK gets scaled up depending on location and length of trip.

So, to sum up, any FA course from a recognised supplier has to be worth doing. With the basic skills under your belt you can read around the more outdoor / bushcraft specific ones if they're not covered on the course.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to post & I'll do my best to answer them.

HTH

 

[weekend_warrior]

Excellent! Thanks very much for that. Now, what about good sources of FAK supplies? I find it quite hard to get trauma/pressure pads for heavy bleeds etc..

 

[Brian]

Rich,

I think there is a thread on here somewhere with first aid suppliers, another is http://www.kdmedical.co.uk/
For large bleeds would a first field dressing do, either the small or normal size one.

Brian

 

[weekend_warrior]

Rich,

I think there is a thread on here somewhere with first aid suppliers, another is http://www.kdmedical.co.uk/
For large bleeds would a first field dressing do, either the small or normal size one.

Brian

Thanks very much - just the kind of thing I was looking for.

Bit heavyweight in places for me though..

 

[weekend_warrior]

... I NEVER EVER go anywhere with a knife, axe or saw WITHOUT my EDC FAK. It sits in a very small tupperware type box, the one with the snap locks on the side and it's approx 4" x 3" x 2", in my possibles pouch.

I totally agree! If I have sharp items with me or my kids, it goes in the bag. Just need to make sure I know what I'm doing and that I'm up to speed with current practice.

Thanks again.

 

[charliefox]

FAK supplies...

For a large bleed, as previously mentioned, there's the standard NATO FFD, should be around £2 from most suppliers.

For everything else shiney & glittery in the world of FA supplies there's always the ubiquitous S P Services

 

[weekend_warrior]

FAK supplies...

For a large bleed, as previously mentioned, there's the standard NATO FFD, should be around £2 from most suppliers.

For everything else shiney & glittery in the world of FA supplies there's always the ubiquitous S P Services

Oh My Gawd!

 

[charliefox]

Rich

check your PMs!

 

[bambodoggy]

Rich,

Have a look at the Natural Pathways website, Geoff runs a two day first aid course but taylors it to bushcraft and the outdoors.....you get a recognised cert at the end and he's a top bloke to boot!

Check it out here:

http://www.natural-pathways.co.uk/wilderness-first-aid.htm

Hope that helps,

Bam.

 

[Minotaur]

Another company who do outdoor geared stuff based in Brecon.

http://www.bigfootservices.co.uk/menupage.html

 

[swamp donkey]

Pretty much agree with everthing wich has been said thus far .Just a couple of extra snippets which might help

The last first aid thread was "First aid kit for £20" or something like that , Some interesting points if I remeber correctly

If you google in Wilderness first aid you should get quite a few independant providers. Many will run a course with 6 people or more at your choice of location , I am not one by the way . Must be worth a thought.

A cracking little first aid book is Outdoor first Aid by Robert J Koester. . Pocket size , waterproof and floats and covers all sorts . American writing but thats not really a problem .