This weekend we had to refresh our first aid certificates. A valid first aid certificate is essential for our business to operate. However, what we learned on this course will ensure that we can help in any situation, regardless of whether it is on a walk or anywhere else. Everyone should do this.
Ruth and Sharon also joined us on the course, as they felt that it was important to know about first aid.
We all thought it would just be another first aid course and we would just get it over with. It actually turned out to be fun.
Life Saving Training
We had chosen Life Saving Training to deliver the course and Ruth had arranged for us to use Alnwick Methodist Church. Ian and Helena, from Life Saving Training, introduced themselves and we got on with the course.
Starting off with the basics, we listened intently. However, soon we would be practising the casualty assessment routine on each other. This would be the theme for the entire course and caused much hilarity. Forgetting one thing or another, especially “Help! Help! Help!”. Quickly we moved onto CPR. This was more familiar territory, but it’s a good thing that we didn’t have to do this on each other. We would really have needed first aid.
Having dealt with the unresponsive breathing casualty and the unresponsive non-breathing casualty, we moved on to the more complex situation of the responsive and breathing casualty. This where Ian and Helena came into their own. Ian especially enjoyed overacting the more animated casualty. No doubt he had honed this over years of pretending to be a casualty and dealing with real people, as a member of the North of Tyne Mountain Rescue.
We continued looking at various other scenarios including choking, anaphylaxis, bleeding and broken bones. Poor Helena played the casualty mostly on these. We finished off with a session outside on Alnwick Pastures, practising sheltering the casualty, before returning for a wrap up and goodbyes.
Life Saving Training does what it says on the tin. What we learned was literally life saving training and we all felt that we really learned a lot from the training. This was mostly due to the way it was delivered. Always lighthearted and keeping us involved, this is the way courses should be delivered.
Thanks to Ian and Helena, from Life Saving Training, for providing the training.
Thanks to Ruth for organising the venue and providing tea and cakes. Her lemon drizzle was especially delicious and extremely popular.
Julie and Martin