Asking questions, looking for clues and making the most of the things you have to hand.
Working Through Scenarios (Photo Credit Dan Willmore)
For three jam-packed days at the end of May, I attended the WSA’s first Advanced Outdoor First Aid course near Llyn Tgid (Lake Bala) in North Wales. The course was delivered by Jason Taylor of Tirio – a company specialising in outdoor adventures and more importantly for this course, a lifetime’s worth of experience in delivering and developing first aid techniques in remote and difficult situations.
But it was more than that. Jason is a bit of a disrupter. His methods aren’t what you expect from a first aid course where you have to sit and learn endless acronyms and technical jargon. Over time he’s developed and refined his methods to give students structure and prompts that should you find yourself in a position that requires your first aid skills, you will have the tools – even if you mind goes a bit blank – to deliver. It’s practical, clever and evidence based.
Theory: Simplifying Complex Concepts
Jason’s taken complex concepts and without dumbing it down put it into non-medical images and language and for me this made it much easier to remember - I basically think in pictures – so it made a lot of sense.
Over the 3 days we spent a LOT of time in the classroom – this is Advanced First Aid and there was a lot to get through… Starting with basics then building and building.
This is a good example of what I mean. Shock can mean a lot of things, and we often say, ‘they’re in shock’ without really knowing what that means or even say it ‘correctly’. Before this course I didn’t know that there were so many types of shock. This was the ‘basic’ bit from which we went on to learn the characteristics of each type of shock and more importantly the things we can MEASURE and look for in order to either rule things out or make a diagnosis.
We learnt about the importance of asking questions and being thorough, and through scenario’s learned how things can be missed if you don’t do both.
Practical: Maximising Available Resources
I said that there was a lot of theory – there was also a LOT of practical. With this being an advanced course, we quickly covered off the basics of CPR and this is where it then got interesting. Jason did warn us that he was going to really challenge our thinking, and he did. Like the theory, this started off with individual elements which then got more complicated in the scenario setting.
One thing that I really enjoyed about the practical parts was thinking about how to make use of what you have to your best advantage – and most importantly not over complicating things for the casualty. I have to be honest, this made my brain hurt initially – it takes you away from a more traditional notion of first aid! But, when you get your head around it, it makes perfect sense, and for me was better – because it’s more practical.
Here’s a good example of what I mean. Here Jason has shown us how to take a very lightweight kit bag which has a simple valve at the base and turn it into a protective ‘moon boot’ style cast to stabilise and support the ankle joint. The thing that I like about it is that this piece of kit can perform several functions, and it’s lightweight – and therefore a good piece of kit to carry. There was a lot of kit chat!
Scenario Setting: Testing Skills Under Pressure
Jason rigorously tested us throughout the 3 days – verbally through questioning to make sure we’d understood, in scenario setting, and there was also a multiple-choice test at the end.
The scenario setting was a biggie (it was a JAM PACKED 3 days!). It enabled us to put the theory into practice, testing our individual skills, decision making and group management. Scenarios were then debriefed and constructively fed back on – both individually and as a group.
Prompt card enables a consistent system of analysis
Group feedback on casualty situation
Treating a casualty that's come off the water
It started off relatively easy with ‘this casualty has hurt his ankle’ and finished up with ‘you’re 3 days into a remote group expedition with no phone signal and a casualty with a number of things going on’.
There were 5 in our group and none of us were perfect but these scenarios were set up to test ‘under pressure’ and learn from.
Who Should Attend this Course?
This course is a level 4 in Remote Emergency Care (REC4) so if you’re new to first aid, then this course isn’t for you. The good news on that front is that there is also a standard WSA Outdoor First Aid Course (REC2) taking place on 8th-9th July 2023 in North Wales.
If however, you’ve done some first aid and are now looking to extend your thinking and skills or you’re an instructor that’s leading on group trips, then this is for you.
For me, this course was about personal development. I volunteer for the coastguard in my local area and I’m a WSA SUP Instructor and a WSA Surf Instructor. I’m in and around the water a lot outside of that, and I regularly go out into the outdoors with friends recreationally.
It was a good fit for the fact that it’s quite likely I’ll be delivering first aid in the outdoor setting in the not-too-distant future, and having that extra knowledge can only be a good thing.
I like to be prepared.
For others in the group, most of them were either currently leading or working towards leading SUP adventures and expeditions through the WSA. I’m sure that they’d agree that in addition to the knowledge and practical aspects, the course was well tailored to that and is something that will only benefit groups they take out going forwards.
Value for Money: Comprehensive Training
This course cost £250 for 3 (FULL) days.
After a quick scan of other REC 4 courses available I was surprised to see that most other courses cost slightly less but for only 16 hours (2 days). For this course we spent 28 hours together as a group over the 3 days (including breaks where we were often given a bit of ‘homework’).
Honestly, there’s no way you could fit what we did into 2 days – it really was full on.
You also have the ‘Jason’ effect, which is very difficult to put a value on, but this guy is exceptionally GOOD!
The course didn’t include accommodation or food so that is something to also take into consideration when you’re budgeting but there are good campsites nearby, and I stayed in a reasonably priced local air bnb.
For me, it’s been worth it’s weight in gold. It was hard work, but we did also have fun along the way.
We did have a bit of fun :-)
And in-house entertainment from Lloydy
And Finally...
If you share my thirst for knowledge and are intrigued by the insights I've shared, I highly recommend reaching out to the WSA. While I haven't been prompted to write this article, I genuinely believe that this course offers outstanding Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for anyone passionate about the outdoors.
Read more about the 2-day WSA Outdoor First Aid Course taking place on 8th-9th July 2023 in North Wales, which is tailored to SUP Instructors, SUP Club members and SUP Social paddlers, as well as personal paddlers just embarking on adventure paddles.
Remember, being prepared is key, especially when venturing into remote and challenging environments. The WSA's Advanced Outdoor First Aid Course empowers you with the skills and knowledge needed to handle emergency situations effectively.
About Heather peacock:
Heather is an ambassador for the WSA. Follow her outdoor adventures on Instagram @Heatherpea.
