mountain first aid courses

Outdoor First Aid Blended Learning

Due to the increase in both COVID cases and demand for courses, we are offering blended learning for Outdoor First Aid courses. You can see the booking page here. I have been providing Outdoor First Aid or as we call it, Wilderness First Aid for 24 years and have seen significant change in this time in best practice.

My priority is your safety and well being. High Peak First Aid has its own training facility and we are the only ones who use the building. I am quite proud of our efforts on keeping the building clean. You can read more about it here.

Over the last few months I have received many calls and emails from people who need to requalify on their first aid courses. There have been extensions given by the HSE for Emergency First Aid at Work, First Aid at Work, Paediatric First Aid and for FREC (First Response Emergency Care): NOT REC (Rescue and Emergency Care). However, Outdoor First Aid does not get a mention. Some people have a genuine need to get qualified to go to work or lose income; not all sectors are furloughed or receive grants.

I have been providing blended learning for FREC 3 courses for a number of months now and it is working really well. I wanted to extend this to Outdoor First Aid so contacted a number of Governing Bodies and almost all were in agreement. I became quite vocal when one Governing Body presented their rationale (lack of) on blended learning, this led to yet another conversation with the IOL (Institute for Outdoor Learning). The outdoor sector has many stake holders and serves a diverse sector: therefore, it is almost impossible for everyone to agree on how to proceed with blended learning. The IOL issued a statement that in summary says, that as long as your provider meets the IOL requirements, First Aid Awarding Organisations Forum and HSE then blended learning is accpetable under the current COVID restrictions. However, none of these have stated what is the correct split for Outdoor First Aid.

I have spoken at length to the IOL about this. High Peak First Aid meets requirements now and we have opted for a 50/50 split. This would be:

  1. 4hrs on Zoom with a Tutor using short videos (a lot of them are our own made specifically for the outdoor sector), quizzes and discussions.
  2. There will be four hours of learning material on our website portal for you to access before the practical day and over the next three years, with the most up to date guidance on CPR and current best practice available.
  3. I can also prove to anyone that you have met all standards.

On completing the High Peak Wilderness First Aid 16hrs outdoor course, you will have received the theory in the comfort and safety of your own home, spent another 4hrs learning on the portal with our engaging, interactive videos that I have produced and one full day on-site when you can attend. If for any reason you cannot attend due to restrictions we will move you to another date with no financial penalty. It is a great opportunity to get started and demonstrate to an employer you have taken all resaonable measure to be qualified in accordance with HSE guidance. Also, if you need accommodation we have found some places who will take you as you are here for education and work.

So, if we have you attend for half the time, it should be half the price? Firstly, teaching via Zoom is not just a chat and looking at PowerPoint. I have completely revised our presentations to meet the learning outcomes I have sent to the IOL. I make our own interactive videos that gives you the option to pick the outcome for the patient. Our learning portal knows how long you spend on it and monitors your learning. For safety, we cannot have you interacting as much with other participants as we used to so we have a full-body, advanced life support mannequin who speaks when spoken to. In addition to overcome the social distancing, I also installed an immersive classroom on-site so we can put you into any environment where you have to interact with a constantly evolving and dynamic scenario to make up for the lact of interaction with other participants. That all costs a lot of time and expense, coupled with the fact we only take 6 per course to give you more attention and keep you as safe as possible.

We could do the whole course outside. I did that about 15 years ago. In the Summer on a nice day it’s a great experience, but we still lose learning potential. Some people like to take notes, read, see a video, discuss AND do practicals. Luckily our training facility has a wide screen TV and immersive classroom located within private wilderness terrain. Ouside in the winter under a tarpaulin incase it rains: we did that years ago, and not for long as nobody likes the Tutor yelling above the wind on the theory behind asthma or listening to how to use an auto-injector with rain seeping into your jacket or wondering when you can go home as you are so cold (face masks are pretty useless when wet as well). Participants on our outdoor courses attend with good quality clothing but after a couple of hours in the cold, even moving about, start to lose the will to learn. I know because I have asked people.

I am not going to provide a course where you just meet assessment criteria on the day. I want you to meet the assessment criteria and retain it. So much, I put myself through an MSc in Risk Crisis and Disaster managment with a thesis on improving and retaining knowledge in scenario based learning. We are not the cheapest but we are always busy and I have now personally trained over 36,000 people.

COVID is serious, but you know that. I won myself a bout of COVID before Christmas on frontline ambulance work as a student Paramedic – even with the appropriate PPE. I see photos of outdoor courses being provided on the internet and have mixed emotions on people’s interpretations of what is and what is not COVID safe. COVID will not just stop overnight, even with the vaccine and when the warmer weather comes and you need to go back to work, there will be a rush to attend courses as there was last Summer and there will be more spikes of COVID cases.

I believe blended learning is the best current option to keep you in work, keep you as safe as possible and provide the best learning experience. This is a constantly evolving situation so we will look to extend this as long as is needed.

Eight Outdoor First Aid courses a month

High Peak First Aid has eight outdoor first aid courses a month held at our training facility in the Peak District.  These 16hr first aid courses meet the requirements for a number of governing bodies.  Following the links to these organisations will demonstrate the requirements for each sport. Hillwalking and climbing activities are supported by the Mountain Training Association and paddle sport by British Canoeing.

Mountain biking has a number of awarding bodies such as MIAS (Mountain-bike Instructors Award Scheme).  British Cycling states that training providers should meet criteria as laid down by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).  Mountain Bike Coaching (MBC UK) also lays down clear guidelines.

High Peak First Aid 16hr first aid courses for the outdoors are not limited to the above sports, so please contact us if further details are needed.  All of our first aid courses offer you the opportunity to learn in two dedicated classrooms before skills are transferred to a variety of wilderness terrain.  We are lucky to be situiated in the middle of private land in the Hope Valley, Peak District which gives us immediate access to the outdoors.

We are not limited to outdoor first aid for the UK.  There is the opportunity to take a three day first aid training course for expedition leaders. The Wilderness First Aid Modules 1-3 is popular for those taking expeditions overseas and is currently accepted by a number of leading expedition providers.  If you are short on time, it is possible to attend the Wilderness First Aid Module 3 for one day to add on to your existing first aid training.

There is also the option of taking your first aid training up a notch to attend the First Response Emergency Care suite of qualifications.  High Peak First Aid is a Qualsafe approved centre (no: 906483) for the provision of the First Response Emergency Care Level 3 and the First Response Emergency Care Level 4.   To complete your guided learning hours High Peak First Aid can offer you modules from the range of courses to include topics such as altitude illness, bites and stings, and expedition medical kits. This approach makes a truly unique outdoor qualification that not only prepares you for working in a remote seeting but may just give you the edge when applying for a post as an expedition leader.  Your guided learning hours can demonstrate your interests and knowledge.

All of the above first aid courses include training in the use of haemostats and tourniquets as laid down in the current European Resuscitation Council Guidelines. To find out more about the first aid courses, please look at the following links or contact High Peak First Aid on 01433 621484 where our receptionist will be happy to help.  We take calls outside office hours or you can email on info@highpeakfirstaid.co.uk

 

 

 

 

Free Outdoor First Aid Training 16hrs

Free outdoor first aid training is currently available for anyone who is considering taking the First Response Emergency Care Level 3 at High Peak First Aid. The outdoor first aid courses have been recognised by the major governing bodies for outdoor education for the past twenty years.  Details for the outdoor first aid courses can be seen here.  The First Response Emergency Care Level 3 is a five day regulated qualification plus guided learning hours.  The FREC 3 is an ideal opportunity to gain a regulated qualification combined with guided learning hours orientated to the outdoor environment and specific to the individual. The High Peak Wilderness First Aid 16hr course can be used as part of the guided learning hours and we offer full support for free after the FREC 3 to complete the learning.

This would be an ideal opportunity for a person who hopes to gain expedition work in the uk or overseas, for event first aiders who are likely to work in more remote prehospital settings and for those who provide first aid cover at motocross events.  It would be ideally suited to security consultants working on contracts in remote or hostile environments where help may be delayed.  If you are interested in this great opportunity please contact info@highpeakfirstaid.co.uk

 

Free Celox Training

Free Celox training is available for any previous participant on a High Peak First Aid course.  This offer is limited until October 2016:  after this date a course fee will apply.  However, the Celox training can be taken as a bolt on Module to First Aid at Work, and is incorporated into Wilderness First Aid Expedition Leader Module 3, 4 and 5.

For people who have not attended a course at High Peak First Aid, you are welcome to join us and pay the course joining fee for Celox training.  By charging a fee we can provide courses for small numbers and do not have to wait for a course to fill to make it viable.  Staff are working in the office, so to take a break and provide training is no trouble at all. The course fee also covers certification, tea and coffee and the use of the Celox in the practical sessions.

 

Expedition First Aid Training

The High Peak Wilderness First Aid 40hr course has another date added to the calendar as the October course is now fully booked.  This expedition first aid training course is modular to enable participants to progress as far as required to satisfy due diligence for expedition companies, those working in hostile environments and companies who send employees who are critical to the day to day operation of a business overseas.  An employer may have undertaken a risk assessment and realised that the expedition, company or employee is at risk of an environmental hazard such as earthquake, GLOF, fire, tsunami or tornado.  At High Peak First Aid we place an emphasis on active and experiential learning using simulations or scenarios as a tool to ensure that participants are given the skills and confidence to deal with an accident, emergency, disaster or near miss in an urban, remote or hostile environment.

If you haven’t the foggiest of the difference between an accident, emergency, disaster or near miss: we can make sure you do after attending the High Peak Wilderness First Aid 40hr course.    Heinrich’s accident theory will make sense along with normal accidents…what is normal about an accident you may ask?  This first aid course starts with core competencies in basic first aid.  The basic skills matter as you will find out when we refer to the trimodal distribution of death and the platinum 10 minutes. As you progress you will be able to manage basic first aid occurrences in your workplace whether that is based in an urban, remote or hostile environment.  Regardless of where you work in the United Kingdom you still need to comply with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines. Reporting of accidents, COSHH and RIDDOR is common sense after you have attended this course. At High Peak First Aid we are pretty good at sneaking in the legislation that could send you to sleep. We also offer courses for clients overseas who have high standards and although not regulated by the HSE, they know and like to advertise that they adhere to the best possible safety standards.

Before you know it legislation will seem like common sense and is a small part of the course.  You will spend most of your time interacting with the Tutors who are highly qualified and experienced.  We are pretty fussy about who we employ as we expect our Tutors to work hard to impart all of their knowledge for you. As you progress on this course and you become competent at more advanced skills we never forget the basics.  The basic skills such as the primary survey, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and treatment of bleeds are what counts when an accident happens.  If you need to know when, why and how haemostatic dressings, Celox and tourniquets are needed, we can tell you, show you and have you practise.

You might be working at altitude so need to know how to recognise and treat altitude illness.  It’s not all about high altitude mountaineering: you may have a business client and be driving at altitude on the way to a factory. Attend a course with us and you will be able to recognise the symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPE) and High Altitude Cerebral Oedema (HACE).  You will be able to act fast as you will have undertaken a comprehensive risk assessment and  be carrying a first aid kit complete with drugs for altitude illness. If you are leading a group overseas and altitude illness strikes you will also know how to use oxygen, a pulse oximeter and an oxygen concentrator.

Depending on your place of work or expedition your skills may be needed to aid a medical professional in a remote environment where help is likely to be delayed.  We cannot give you a licence to practise but can ensure you have  been trained to recognised guidelines and are competent to assist a medical professional.  You will be sharing this expedition first aid training with other like minded people who have a desire to advanced their first aid training.  We hope you never need to use the skills learnt during first aid training but we know we can give you the skills to feel confident and step forward when it counts.

This course is available in the UK for individuals and for groups in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.