Emergency First Aid For Motorcyclists

Regular readers of my blog will recall the FBOS (First Bike On Scene) first aid training for biker’s post I did a little while ago, well I have found another course run by the St John Ambulance.

The Emergency Aid For Motorcyclists course has been devised with motorcyclists in mind and  trains you so that you will have the confidence to be cope if you have the misfortune to be at the scene of an accident.

The course, which lasts for about four and a half hours, includes instruction on the following

• Bleeding.
• Casualty movements.
• Communication and hygiene.
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
• Crash helmet removal.
• Emergencies in public.
• Head injury.
• Primary survey.
• Rescue breaths.
• Shock.
• Unconscious casualty.

During the course you are continually access by your trainer and a St Johns Ambulance certificate, which is valid for 3 years is issued when you successfully complete the course.

For further details, and details on reserving a place on a course being run near you either click on the St John Ambulance logo at the head of the post or follow this link – First Aid Course for Motorcyclists

Details on the FBOS (First Bike on Scene) Course can be found here

I really think that both courses are a really good idea and I will be looking into doing them at some point in the near future.  I will keep you updated and once I have attended the courses I will write a blog entry about them.

First Bike On Scene (FBoS)

I am a fairly new rider, although I had been a pillion passenger for over 20 years and I can quite honestly say I have never heard of the First Bike On Scene course offered by various Ambulance Service NHS Trusts around the country. And now I do know about it, I think it’s a brilliant idea and definitely worth attending one if at all possible.

The course was designed by a State Registered Paramedic and biker at Lancashire Ambulance Service, as a response to enquires from motorcycle groups and organisations, who did not feel that traditional first aid courses dealt with the issues found at the scene of a road traffic accident. The course was written with the rational of “What can we reasonably expect a layperson to do at an accident scene whilst awaiting the arrival of an ambulance”. The course is designed to give bikers the practical skills, theoretical knowledge and confidence to deal with the accident scene and casualties in the minutes before the paramedics arrival.

The theory session deals with the following issues:-

• Trauma and the Mechanism of injury- what is trauma, how does it affect the body and how can we recognise or predict the injuries sustained by a casualty by looking at the scene of an incident.
• Compensatory mechanism- the bodies response to traumatic injury and blood loss, and how the body can sometimes appear less injured than it actually is.
• Scene management- protecting the scene, making an appropriate 999 call giving relevant and important information, looking at safety factors of the accident scene.

The practical elements of the course involve a great deal of student interaction and includes:-

• Snatch rescue- sometimes we have to move a casualty, there is a safe way of doing this
• Removal of the crash helmet- when, how and why we remove it and the implications (This skill can also be used to assist an ambulance crew)
• Spinal care- positioning of a casualty to protect airway and spine (This skill can also be used to assist an ambulance crew)
• Resuscitation skills- including airway management with consideration for spinal injury (This skill can also be used to assist an ambulance crew)
• Major haemorrhage- direct and indirect pressure to deal with severe bleeding.

The whole ethos of the course is about dealing with the significant life threatening issues. Its not about teaching people how to put on plasters or frozen peas on twisted ankles, it’s about being proactive, recognising significant injury and giving help immediately.

The course lasts for approximately six hours and is competency based, with lots of hands-on practice on all practical elements of the course.

Although the course was first started in Lancashire, it is now available through the following centres as well and you can contact them either by phone or email. Each FBoS Centre has a dedicated team offering professional training to all delegates. No matter where you go for your course, the course is delivered to exactly the same high standard.

For more information contact your local centre

Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cumbria, Cheshire and Merseyside
0870 8330 999
http://www.firstaid-training.com/firstbikeonscene.asp

Wales and Cheshire
07940 392586
http://www.bikesafe.co.uk/

Oxfordshire and surrounding area
07940392586
Ashley.scott@oxamb.nhs.uk

Midlands and London
0870 225 0101
http://www.lifeskillsmedical.com/

Yorkshire
01226 282999
http://www.top-run.co.uk/

Dorset, Devon and Cornwall
01305 257643
Kim.davis@swast.nhs.uk

Lincolnshire
01523 869197
matt@ertsonline.co.uk

If you and a group of your mates want to take part in one of the courses it is easy to arrange one, just call your regional number and organise one.  The course costs about the £50 mark but I think this is a small price to pay for the skills you will learn.

Devitt is one of the motorcycle insurance companies which supports the scheme, and if you check out the DEVITT SUPPORTS FIRST BIKE ON SCENE (FBoS) page on their site you will also see that they off a 5% discount for anyone who has attended the course.

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