I’ll stick with humans I reckon……..

It was First Aid with a difference for me last Sunday when I travelled with Fiona, our Canine First Aid Instructor, to Hessilhead Wildlife Sanctuary in Beith, Ayrshire for one of their renowned Wildlife First Aid and Animal Handling courses.

Hessilhead is a fantastic facility and Andy and Gay at the Sanctuary have been caring for Scotlands injured and orphaned wildlife for more years than they probably care to remember.

Our colleagues for the day on the course consisted of mainly aspiring vet students and we started with a comprehensive presentation on the packaging and transport of casualties. What was immediately apparent was the fact that a well meaning rescuer with no knowledge can exacerbate an animals problems considerably. A little knowledge CAN be a powerful thing.

The correct packaging of an injured bird, in a covered box with newspaper crunched up in the bottom to give it some support, can stop further damage to its legs and, more importantly, can ease its stress and stop it from flapping it’s wings around. Gay explained that some birds with fairly minor injuries can be back in the wild in a short space of time however a bird that has caused damage to it’s feathers during the stress of transportation can take more than six months to get back to normal.

If in doubt…..get advice.

Following our lecture it was outside to get our hands on, quite literally!

My “day job” involves dealing up close with our nations varied wildlife so it was the perfect opportunity to work, under expert supervision, at the art of handling wild animals that can do the handler considerable damage.

Two excitable, perhaps rather too excitable for my liking, recuperating badgers cubs were our first stop and I have no shame in admitting just how nervous I was going into their enclosure with Andy. I know all too well how strong the bite in these gorgeous animals can be and I really didn’t relish the thought of being on the wrong side of them.

Fiona, eye to eye with a young Badger

They quickly set about having a good sniff at me before testing me out with their teeth! The shoes got it first, then the trouser legs and finally, as I put my hand down to attempt to lift them in the proscribed and safe manner………..one took a nip at my hand! Twice!!!

Just before I got it all wrong.....Andy demonstrating the correct area to hold

My own fault.

Handling animals such as these requires confidence and at that time I wasn’t showing it. A deep breath and a second go saw the offending badger, firmly in my grasp, upside down. I had a second go, just to satisfy myself that it hadn’t been a fluke and left the enclosure a little better prepared for such eventualities in the future.

The nip it had given me had easily broken the skin so it was a visit to A+E when we got home and a course of antibiotics to follow I reckoned.

The day continued with safe handling of foxes and we practiced securing the head, much in the same manner as Fiona teaches on the Canine First Aid Course, before “scruffing” the fox to get it into a suitable container for transportation.

After lunch we concentrated on birds and smaller mammals and Fiona was a natural at hand feeding injured pigeons, whether they wanted to feed or not. Hands on with some dead animals allowed us to look at the techniques of splinting fractures which I found extremely fiddly compared to a human which Fiona found extremely amusing. I’m pretty sure we are both working in the right field of First Aid!

The day finished with the handling of swans, much easier to do than I would have ever expected and we were assured that the idea of a swan breaking our arm was a myth.

All in all it was an eye opener for me and a CPD session for Fiona. For any animal lover or interested party then it’s a course that is definitely worth doing and whilst it doesn’t cover any kind of in depth First Aid it gives you a huge insight into how to safely handle and transport injured wildlife to definitive care. It also helps raise funds for this worthwhile charity.

You can learn more about the sterling work that the Hessilhead charity do at:

http://www.hessilheadwildlife.org.uk/

And you can find more info on Venture Medicals Canine First Aid courses at:

http://www.venture-medical.com/

Craig

Our Canine First Aid course is here!

Renowned as the best, most loyal friend of humankind the dog has been a revered companion of many throughout the ages. Their unconditional love and loyalty is the stuff of legend and there is no reason why a dog owner cant take steps to keep their canine companion safe in the event of an unfortunate accident.

 

Venture Medical now has its very own Canine First Aid Instructor. Fiona holds the Internationally recognised Canine First Responder Instructor Certificate and has studied Animal Psychology and Companion Animal Behaviour and is currently about to undertake full time study in Animal Care. She combines this with voluntary work in relation to assistance dogs and rescued dogs.

Our canine companions are without doubt her life long passion.

 

Venture Medicals Canine First Aid course is a one-day certificated course which is suitable for all who share their lives with dogs, whether through work or shared pleasure.

It is a course designed to help you treat minor and major injury and keep your dog alive in the interim period between an accident occurring and getting to definitive veterinary help.

You can read more on the syllabus and available course dates at our Courses section of the website

 

http://www.venture-medical.com

Motorcyclists and Medics……be CRASH aware

The CRASH card scheme for motorcyclists has been around for a while now and a simple green dot, affixed to the right hand side of a bikers helmet or visor is the only symbol that shows it’s presence.

What is interesting in the article link below is that belief that Bikers are more likely to stop at the scene of a road accident. That’s my professional experience as well, and not just at other motorcycle accidents.

The other thing is that it quite clearly states that only someone professionally trained should attempt to remove a motorbike helmet.

 

I totally agree with that sentiment……………SO WHY IS THIS LIFE SAVING PROCEDURE NOT TAUGHT AS STANDARD ON FIRST AID COURSES!!!!!!!!!

 

I’m fed up saying this, there is absolutely no point in teaching how to maintain someones airway following an accident if you cant get access to it because no one has taught you to safely remove a full face helmet.

Bikers, whether low rollers, speed demons or downhill mountain bikers…before you book a first aid course ask if they teach helmet removal. If not, take your business elsewhere.

 

As an aside, the strength of biker safety gear today is excellent and here is the reason why it’s so important to wear the right protective gear. The driver of this car was stationary on the road when she heard the most terrific bang and was showered with glass. Looking behind her she saw a helmeted biker in the back seat!

His only injury was a broken leg.

No wonder medical professionals shudder every summer when they see t shirted bikers on the open road.

 

http://www.ambulancemotorcycleclub.150m.com/infomation.htm

Watch for the Blue Lights

I’m sure it’s happened to most folks driving, that glimpse in the rear view mirror that shows an emergency vehicle, lit up like a Christmas tree, bearing down on you.

If it’s a Police vehicle then the first thought of many is to hit the brakes and check their speed! Not always the best idea.

A new video, produced by BlueLightAware.Org, gives drivers and other road users some pointers of how to react when an Emergency vehicle is coming your way and is definitely worth a few minutes of your time.

I’ve been driving emergency vehicles for a couple of decades now, in all road, traffic and weather conditions and I’ve been fortunate enough to have been trained to an exceptionally high standard. I’ve pretty much seen it all and know how drivers can and do react as we approach them whilst on a call….. regardless of all that though, anyone can get caught out!

Best advice for any driver still holds true, expect the unexpected and you wont go far wrong.

http://www.bluelightaware.org.uk/

 

Venture Medical UK breaks into the HSE Market

After some gruelling hours of study, homework, presentations, demonstrations and assessments I’m pleased to announce that Venture Medical UK are now approved to deliver Health and Safety Executive First Aid courses including the three day First Aid at Work, the one day Emergency First Aid course and the two day refresher.

These courses will be available in addition to our highly acclaimed Adventurous Activities Outdoors First Aid designed specifically for the Outdoor Adventurer and mean that, if you require an HSE approved first aid qualification for your workplace, no longer will you have to endure dull and lifeless HSE courses and refreshers. Now you can attend a Venture Medical UK HSE approved course and enjoy the benefits of trainers who are passionate about what they instruct, are up to date with what they teach and, more importantly, have, and continue to put into regular practice, the life saving skills they’ll be sharing with you.

Don’t dread an HSE course, relish the prospect of a Venture Medical UK one.

The unsung heroes of the Ambulance Service

They may not wear the familiar green coveralls or bright fluorescent jackets. They don’t drive ambulances under “blues and twos” in fact, they rarely leave their desk and telephone headset but the Emergency Medical Dispatcher of the Scottish Ambulance Service has a role far beyond that of answering a telephone.

Our ethos at Venture Medical UK is that to be the best instructors for our clients we need to be using our personal skills at the highest end of emergency medical intervention. One of the ways I do that is to be part of the Scottish Ambulance Service Community First Responders scheme, a voluntary scheme that sees me work alongside the Ambulance Service by responding to specific priority one emergency calls within my community in addition to an ambulance crew at the direction of the Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre (EMDC).

Last night I got the opportunity, as a scheme co-ordinator, to attend at EMDC Cardonald and witness the work that they do and see the process they go through before dispatching me to such a call.

First impressions of a giant, run of the mill call centre are quickly dispelled as we listen in on the dispatchers attempt to placate, reassure and decipher the many frantic calls for assistance from the public.

The first thing the Dispatcher obtains is the location of the call. That information is immediately sent to the nearest ambulance response vehicle and so, as the dispatcher continues to get all the information from the caller, an emergency response is already on its way with the crew being updated on route. That means that there is no unnecessary delay in you, the member of the public in need, getting help.

Standing by, and monitoring all the calls coming through, is a Clinical Paramedic Advisor, an experienced Paramedic who can alter response levels to a call dependant on the clinical indicators to ensure that those calls that need them most get them quickest.

It’s an impressive set up.

These dispatchers, talking to fraught and scared callers in highly charged situations, can also make all the difference in life or death situations and we had a very moving demonstration of that during our visit. One dispatcher, sitting only feet from us spent almost twenty minutes talking the caller through CPR as he fought to save his friends life at what would inevitably be a fatal accident in a remote part of Scotland as ambulance crews raced to the scene. Seconds after he had hung up from that call as the crews arrived, he answered his next emergency in a calm, reassuring and efficient manner as if nothing had happened. The mark of a true professional indeed.

The Heroes of the sky – SAR Flight HMS Gannet

I can still quite clearly remember my first time anywhere near the mighty Sea King helicopter. I’d been climbing with a Mountain Rescue colleague on the Whangie rock face just outside Glasgow when the thrill of a beautiful summers night and warm rock was unexpectedly shattered by the sound of rope whipping through metal and a sickening thud.

The fastest way to the top in a rescue - Rescue 177

We knew what was happening and I quickly topped out and made safe as my mate untied himself from the belay and started responding to the shouts for help. Having made my way down off the top of the route I joined my colleague who had already started assessing the casualty. Albeit we were only a fifteen minute walk uphill from a road there was no way a land ambulance would get to us so it was a request for Mountain Rescue assistance that saw me load my first casualty into the waiting arms of a SAR Helicopter.

They are big beasts. As we made our way towards the helicopter carrying the casualty, strapped up in a McInnes rescue stretcher, the first thing that hits you is the downdraught. It can be ferocious and you certainly don’t want any loose equipment laying around. Its also not ideal if you have yourself perched on a sliver of rock as it approaches! As you walk through that buffeting air towards it, the next sensation is  the overpowering smell of aviation fuel….and the heat.

Craig leaving the helicopter after being winched down to a casualty

I love seeing them in action and at times they have been a real sight for sore eyes. The noise of the rotors approaching as you’ve got a seriously injured casualty on the hillside is truly a noise to savour.

I’ve been extremely lucky to have flown with the crews from both Rescue 137, based in Lossiemouth and Rescue 177 from HMS Gannet and it was great to pop in and see the crew at HMS Gannet yesterday. It was a bit of a special day for me. The last time I had guided 177 in to land was to assist in the rescue and transfer of my best friends seriously injured son and I was back there with the youngster to let him see the inside of the helicopter, something he had missed previously through being unconscious in a stretcher.

A sledging accident last winter saw young Jamie unconscious on the ground. I’d seen a commotion at the bottom of the slope and gone over to offer help when I realised who it was. I’d set to work maintaining his airway and a secondary survey saw me diagnose a significant depressed fracture of his skull. Having spoken to the dispatcher at Ambulance control the severity of the injury and need for swift transfer was agreed and Rescue 177 was tasked to attend. The roads were dire with the weather conditions but once the Paramedics and Ambulance arrived I left Jamie in their safe hands and, having retrieved my Mountain Rescue rucksack from the car, I established a landing area and brought 177 with the aid of a red smoke flare.

Both these stories relate to incidents where I wasn’t engaged in Mountain Rescue duties, just an ordinary member of the public with some additional training. That’s why, on a Venture Medical UK Outdoors first aid course, you’ll get inputs on dealing with the Sea king Helicopter and get to see how visible rescue flares will make you and how they benefit an approaching rescue helicopter.

The good news is that young Jamie has now made a full recovery and his dad, my best mate, was so impressed by the service he received during the accident…..he decided on a career change and joined the Ambulance Service. You can read about his new career here:

http://breakingnews.heraldscotland.com/breaking-news/?mode=article&site=hs&id=N0459391302181698884A

Lt Cdr Sweeney (SAR Flight), Jamie and Craig Borthwick (Venture Medical)

Welcome to Venture Medical UK

Welcome to Venture Medical UK on the web.

Learning doesn’t stop at the end of a course, but is a continuing process….so practice those skills folks.

Completing your Venture Medical UK First Aid course is only the start. Through your training we hope to start you on a journey of discovery of all things medically related to your favourite pastimes so starting right here we’ll be providing news, views and reviews on all things that may be of interest.

Keep the comments, suggestions and requests coming and we’ll do our very best to fulfil them.