How many of you out there are trained First Aiders? How many of you would know what to do if, when miles from nowhere, one of your family or friends suffered a serious fall or just collapsed in front of you?
Here in the UK the average response time to an urban emergency will see an ambulance in around eight minutes. In a rural environment its about 14 minutes. However, despite the large population of the UK, there are still many places that are very remote, places where even an air ambulance will take valuable time. Consider greenlaning in West Wales or Exmoor, or even when you are marshalling on a site like Seven Sisters… And what happens if you are exploring the wilds of the Kalahari or the vastness of the Sahara?
Quite often the results are very serious, what could just be a close call can lead to a shallow grave and a trip to the nearest British Consul… The best way to reduce the chance of such an occurrence is training – and that training needs to be good.
Don’t get me wrong here, I have no end of respect for organisations like the Red Cross and The St John’s Ambulance, but their training is for a more civilised situation – no less important - but a lot more civilised and a lot less desperate.
Two weeks ago, as a safety requirement for my new job, I had to complete a two-day course on Expedition First Aid, under the auspices of a Mr Darryl ‘Chalky’ White, proprietor of Life Support Training Services.
LSTS as they like to be known (its easier to say) is a company who supply the kind of training that is required in remote, extreme and slightly dodgy situations. Whether it is Fire Safety, First Response, Security, Personal Safety or Risk Awareness – or even the management of expeditions to foreign climes – LSTS are the people for the job…
Reading between the lines one gets the feeling that all the LSTS staff received their training and the bulk of their experience from H.M Armed Forces – an organisation known for the high standard of its members! That’s the reason that they are approved by both Landrover and Ford amongst others.
No punches are pulled during instruction and if you are of a squeamish nature’ forget it! The course is based around battlefield first aid. Speed of treatment is coupled with a strong bias towards using what is at hand and common sense. It was fantastic!
Despite having attended many First Aid courses over the years, after two days of intense life preservation instruction from Darryl, I feel that I might just be able to cope…
Try it yourself and find out why all First Aid kits should contain sanitary towels, condoms and a Mars bar!
Darryl can be contacted on 01229 772708 or can be e-mailed at enquiries@LSTS-safety.co.uk
