Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Freewheeling => Topic started by: jellied on 05 August, 2009, 10:19:03 am
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I might get more response in OT knowledge but here goes., the mods. can move it if need be.
I'd like to get a 1st aid certificate for use as a cycle instructor/ride leader but I'm having trouble finding a suitable course.
St Johns and Red Cross do quite a range but nothing seems to fit with cycling/ basic outdoor stuff, they all seem to be office based rather than sporty/outdoor stuff.
I spoke to SJA but the help desk was not very helpful. I don't want to spend a fortune but would just like to know the basics. Ideally I'd go for SJA as they are round the corner from me.
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I think "first Aid at Work" is the certificate you want. It is basic ABC stuff and applicable anywhere - outside or indoors.
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AFAIK, the qualification you need is the basic First Aid qualification offered by SJA/RC. This is normally a three or four day course with an exam at the end.
As far as I am aware, nobody offers a cycling specialist first aid course.
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I guess anything that covers BLS and minor injuries will be fine. LAS and GMAS offer good courses. It can be difficult to get a contact number for booking, mind. Not sure where you are, though.
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AFAIK, the qualification you need is the basic First Aid qualification offered by SJA/RC. This is normally a three or four day course with an exam at the end.
As far as I am aware, nobody offers a cycling specialist first aid course.
http://www.redcross.org.uk/standard.asp?id=40690 (http://www.redcross.org.uk/standard.asp?id=40690) is the Red Cross one. I did a similar course (with a cheapo company, not the proper Red Cross course), and everything you learn in the course can be used in the office or on a farm or on the roads.
If you reckon you are going to be in places where you are regularly over an hour from help, then consider researching a Wilderness First Aid course (I know white-water kayakers who have this qualification), but otherwise the standard course should cover everything you would need to know.
If you explain to instructors the scenarios where you might be using first aid, they are often more than happy to tell you how things might apply in your specific instance, but mostly it's just common sense of how to apply what you learn in the complete course. :)
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Thanks guys - it wasn't specific to cycling but the phrase "an hour from help" sounds like a good one. I can't see it happening on the sort of rides I lead but that would cover everything I hope.
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Thanks guys - it wasn't specific to cycling but the phrase "an hour from help" sounds like a good one. I can't see it happening on the sort of rides I lead but that would cover everything I hope.
Plus, it gives you a good get out clause as used by a friend of mine when a little old lady was taken unwell in a local pub. Of the four of us, three were first aiders, so the Wilderness-trained one said "If one of you wants to drag her to where she's over an hour from help, then I'll do something, but until then, I'm finishing my beer." :demon:
I don't know precisely what the wilderness course covers, having not done it myself, but it's more for when you're at the bottom of a gorge with no mobile reception and you need to keep someone alive whilst someone else does the trek back to civilisation. Like I say, the full four-day course has covered everything I've needed, from Agriculture to Zoos, including office and road, sedentary and sports. I'd suggest doing the standard course first, and then the wilderness training as an add-on after if you still feel unsatisfied (I'm not sure if you need to be a qualified first aider before you go on one of those courses anyway, since that's the case with defib training).
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I work for a county council as a road safety officer, and I often run cyclist training courses with my colleagues. We wanted to be trained in first aid, so one of our number contacted SJA who came up with a one-day basic course that covered what we wanted. It was absolutely brilliant, relevent, to the point, and interesting too. I forget what they charge a group of ten of us to do the course, but it was definitely a bargain.
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The course you need is the 'Appointed persons' one day course. Do it quick and I think you'll be covered for three years but I know from now/soon you'll need to do it each year.
I discovered that my local sports council did a sports specific version. Basically it boils down to have a phone and call 999 and they'll tell you what to do over the phone. Oh, and no-one is so allergic to plasters that you really need to worry about whether you can stick one on a child who doesn't know he's allergic. Most of the course was spent on CPR emphasising watching their chest to see if it rises or falls and if not, they're not breathing so keep pumping the chest hard until someone comes with a defribulator (sp?) rather than worrying about blowing air into the mouth which ain't going to do anything.
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going back about 6 years ago I did a course delivered by company I think was called something like Mountain Water Safety, whose course was focussed on the outdoors where you might not have instant access to medical help. It was organised by my local youth service for leaders involved with activites such as the Duke of Edinburgh's award. So it might be worth contacting your local youth service.
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I went on a first aid course at work. Can't say I was all that impressed with the teacher. You don't want to know where he recommended inserting a mars bar in an unconscious diabetic person. :o