[Closed] How Many of us Are First Aid Trained?

5 or 6 of us Brownbacks organisers, myself included, hold our outdoor first aid certs, although they're coming up to 3 years old i think so will need to be renewed.

Appointed 1st aider a work with Defib training.

Mainly have to deal with skin burns, irritation from concentrate chemicals used in high level disinfection floor cleaners.

Have done several courses in the past but they've expired now - I'm planning to do an outdoor first aid course in the spring.

However this is me in action the last time I had to do some 'bush first aid'

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Numerous outdoor ones over years and most recently RTACC through work as its part of the job.

I've done both mountain and work first aid courses in the past but I'm lapsed now. I carry a proper kit with me when I ride. The most I've ever had to do is patch up my own knees!

*holds his hand up* Community First Responder with the Welsh Ambulance Service. Not done an outdoor qualification yet, but would like to in the near future.

I don't do scratches or grazes, but if you happen to be suffering from a gunshot wound, I'm a handy chap to have round 😀

Just RLSS/Scouts from when I was a kid and bit an bobs from work (should be doing the full 5 dayer next year though). I carry a small kit - and a phone.

Scary how few people when questioned don't even have this much though.

I don't do scratches or grazes, but if you happen to be suffering from a gunshot wound, I'm a handy chap to have round

In many cases MTB'ers become the projectile.

Boy Scout, got my ambulance mans badge.

Registered mental nursie, (only applied 18 steri-strips at work today!), AED and intermediate life support, and I did the 'general out and about' first aid course much like teachers/youth leaders do.

But a few years ago a few of us came across a 2 car, multi-casualty RTA very early on a sunday morning: friend I was with is a Naval officer and had done some sort of battlefield first aid training. Although I stayed with the most worrying (physically 'ok' but [i]very[/i] confused goldfish-memory) casualty who got airlifted away, RN officer mate was just brilliant - in terms of taking charge of several panicking people, managing the other 3 casualties and quietly telling the police that he felt drugs and alcohol were involved and where the driver had dumped his stash. 😈

You would be far better off with him than me in a bad accident!

yup, outdoor first aid.

Occupational F/A, medical gases, and AED. Was pretty handy this year at Emoor Explorer, came across a guy, head injury, breathing difficulties.

Used to work at a dry ski slope and dealt with loads of interesting injuries. Everything from sideways fingers, to fractures to dislocations, head wounds and panic attacks. Never really did much for them - just kept them warm and chatted until the ambulance arrived, or they got a lift to A+E.

Worst was an open fracture down at the five a side pitches and a smashed pelvis at the skate park on the same site. One other chap did a Derek Starship and apple-cored himself on his BMX bars, which resulted in a ruptured spleen...

The training has come in handy a few times when out riding, but mostly only because I'm used to the sight of blood, sub-cutaneous tissue and open wounds, which means I tend not to panic and just go into autopilot mode. It's amazing how comforting the sight of a first aid bag can be for someone lying on the ground in pain, with claret coming out of a scalp wound!

Standard "first aid at work" trained off to do an "outdoor first aid" to bolt on to my T.C.L in the Spring.

Love to learn skills that may make a real difference anywhere one day, but hopefully the skills wont be called on.

Get help from someone who knows what there doing, as quickly as possible.

There you go that's your first aid training.

Yes

no matter what the course its always breathing, bleeding, breaks, burns in order of priority.

Having had the conversation with numerous medically trained people my conclusion is to go fitted mainly for crazy bleeding incidents and shock when biking. Cpr needs no kit, serious breaks not much can be done and serious burns unlikely.

1st aid at work + defibrillator.

I'm a qualified 999 caller and let the professionals deal with it.

I'm a qualified 999 caller and let the professionals deal with it.

Yes, text book sarcastic reply.

No, advice from people who actually know what they are doing.

These days if you dial 999 they talk you through anything that you can do as a punter. If you can't get 999 then the person is either ill enough they will die anyhow, or well enough they will live.

the person is either ill enough they will die anyhow, or well enough they will live.

I have a mate who is a paramedic and he tells me that you have a higher chance of survival if you are picked up by an ambulance which has two technicians on it rather than a technician and a paramedic. He claims it's because the technicians will go for the scoop and run approach rather than the stay and play approach that the paramedic may take.

St Johns freebie (mainly for surfing)

had do do m2m twice now, once in sea, once in car park in middle of Dorset

Yup, Advanced Life Support trained (used to be an instructor) and ATLS trained Nurse and Remote Medic. Ive only ever used my skills once in anger in a bike related capacity..at a Sportive this year some dipstick without a helmet (is that a can of worms over there.....?) came off a road descent at 35-ish mph and consequently left a fair chunk of scalp of the tarmac. Spent an hour trying to keep him still, comfortable and warm and stem the bleeding until the road and air ambulances could find us...we were in a very remote part of Swaledale and it was thick fog and bloody cold.

I have a mate who is a paramedic and he tells me that you have a higher chance of survival if you are picked up by an ambulance which has two technicians on it rather than a technician and a paramedic. He claims it's because the technicians will go for the scoop and run approach rather than the stay and play approach that the paramedic may take.

On a side note to the above post...if i ever crash, i want Paramedics, NOT 2 EMTs. They arent trained to cannulate or perform ALS (nad least not around here), they are generally glorified first-aiders. Paramedics are supremely well trained in my personal experience and when it comes to trauma, they have more knowledge and skills than anyone i can think of apart from the military.

bruneep - Member

One thing being "trained" and another thing being able to use it correctly.

Too true. An incident a few years back involving motorbikes, walls and limbs highlighted this to me. One of my mates crashed and had his leg severed off. One of us had first aid training, but sat with his head in his hands shaking like a shitting dog. Me and another friend (with no training) kept him conscious and made a tourniquet out of my favourite belt. When the ambulance crew arrived they said we saved his life as he would have bled to death if not for our actions (insipred by watching war movies as a kid 8) ).

Talking later, we were both surprised how calm and collected we were. I've pestered my workplace for first aid training every year since - without success.

I've done a few courses and they're reasonably helpful.
I carry a first aid kit which is good for cuts n' grazes, maybe dislocations and has a few helpful meds in it for pain/allergies etc. Tick knife is the most used toy in the kit.
The courses are most useful for reinforcing the "common sense" stuff e.g. avoid moving potential back injuries, have a minor head injury checked out when you get off the hill, pressure on big bleeds etc.
CPR is worth trying I suppose but if the casulty is miles away on a moor the chances are they've had it.

I'm a qualified 999 caller and let the professionals deal with it.

When [i]exactly[/i] do you ring 999 then? In the example I gave and in another situation I've dealt with [i]not[/i] ringing 999 immediately and following the common sense approach learnt at first aid courses helped prevent further injury.

Sorry that's far too polite. When you've watched your own father's eyes roll back in his head as he loses consciousness whilst a pool of blood collects from the open wound in his face and still dealt with the scenario calmly and efficiently, then I'll respect your opinion. Until then, I'll think you're an ignorant ****er 🙂

OooOooh! Get you! (Seriously though, agreed).

I think the whole 'trained' vs 'experienced' thing is largely a matter of character; put in a stressful situation, some people flap, others don't. Experience and training both have a place in mitigating flappy tendencies, but never truely erradicate them. I've worked with some right flappy ambo staff, it's a bleeding nightmare!

Yep, I'm a bike guide so Outdoor First Aid course every 3 years. Used it loads of times as well. Patched-up a lot of bleeding people, put slings on quite a few broken collar-bones.

Nastiest one was an open fracture of the forearm (both bones!) - in that case my response was indeed to call for help and then not do very much other than keep talking to the casualty, make sure he was warm and wasn't losing sensation in the arm. Fortunately, it wasn't actually bleeding much, which I was very grateful for. Really didn't want to have to start trying to put on bandages/apply pressure around the ends of bones sticking out!

About all the paramedics eventually did beyond that was to give him morphine!

Interesting thread, anyone care to recommend a course for a casual mtber?

Thanks,

Not me.

I have a mate who is a paramedic and he tells me that you have a higher chance of survival if you are picked up by an ambulance which has two technicians on it rather than a technician and a paramedic. He claims it's because the technicians will go for the scoop and run approach rather than the stay and play approach that the paramedic may take. Obviously generalised to the point of being absurd, but interesting all the same.

Yeah that was based on an old theory published in America that proved to have very little standing. So much so that that all services are now pushing for a Paramedic on every emergency crew not the 75% that the recommended level is.

Experience and training both have a place in mitigating flappy tendencies, but never truely erradicate them.

Agreed. But there are an awful lot of people, myself included, who obtain confidence through knowledge. I had to deal with a casualty before my first aid training and I was not very effective.

If anyone gets covered in something nasty or toxic while out riding, I'm fully trained to give them a damn good wash!
[img] [/img]pic courtesy of Drac

CBRN Refresher day Woody, perchance? 😆 excellent excuse for a (rare) day away from the coal face. We played giant jenga and badminton...

CBRN Refresher day Woody, perchance? excellent excuse for a (rare) day away from the coal face.

Oh there was no messing around we were testing errrm, errr, our tolerance in the suits yeah that's what we doing.

It was a good move. Instead of 1/2 hour in the suit to test tolerance, I got 5 mins due to being able to ride a bike 😆

Edit: Next one 5/12 - you going Drac?

Can't get then I have OSCE's

No worries. Is it the BSc you're on or something else?

First aid trained though it a NPLQ which means training every month, though tbh if i see you on the floor all bloody and dirty with your body lying all wied and like im going to.

Take a picture for evidence ofc...
Phone 999, ask if you ok(yes we have to do that..) shout for help, then let them deal with it.

though if you not breathing i might save your life 🙂

I got my first (of many) St John's basic first aid certificate in 1972 and I've been "in ticket" ever since.