Personally, I think all people working with under 18’s should have a basic lifesaving first aid. It amuses me that so many schools and nurseries have to do thier annual vulnerable group/child protection course, yet only one member of staff is first aid qualified.
This for me is about the one in a million chance you can help out a child, friend or stranger.
As a club or organisation, then it strays into duty of care and your risk assessment. First aid, coach training etc demonstrates to others that you have thought about it.

There is a difference between should and must. If riding with juniors, then there is a strict duty of care, and child protection certification is required (and the club needs to appoint a child welfare officer). If consenting adults, then a simple disclaimer is all that is required; that riders participate at their own risk and are expected to be able to provide their own maintenance and assess their own abilities.

As a BC coach, I have to be First Aid Certified, and consider it a duty to act in accident situations, and have done everything up to and including CPR. I always ride with a (very small) FAK made up of decent cyclist-sized dressings and some wipes and gloves, rolled up in a tool pod with spare tube and CO2. Off road, I take a bigger kit. I’ve used that a few times on riders I’ve bumped into.

Re docs & nurses, you do have a duty of care to actually assist people if they need first aid etc. Unless it has all changed very recently.

To me it depends on the club.

If its a club run to make profit etc, then in essence they are providing a service and should have first aid.

If you are just riding in a club, which is there to get like minded people participating in a sport, and you pay a fee just to keep it ticking over then no.

Maybe clubs should try and arrange First Aid training for those who want it (individual paying or maybe subsidised by club), not just someone who gets lumped with it. First aid is a very useful skill to have.

Like our local physio, he wont join the local running club, because he knows he will be stopped every 2 mins for advice.

+ how far are you really these days from mobile phone reception?

TIRed – BC Coach here also and agree with all you say.

Grey area remains around local paid MTB clubs, affiliated and insured, weekly organised rides and ride ‘lead’ definitions. BC indicates that a ‘Ride Leader’ needs to be a formal certified person, who has all paperwork in place for the ride. ‘ride leader’ (lower case) is ambiguous I reckon. I tend to suggest at our club that no one leads the ride, though someone will ‘ride at the front’ and the route will have been discussed before setting off.

Also worth noting that if a club ride gets onto elevated boardwalk and skinny’s the BC cover doesn’t apply…

This thread is why we can’t have nice places to ride.