First Aid Levels – What’s Safe
It is unlikely that anyone will contest the fact that Adventure Guides should have training in first aid, we all expect our guides or leaders to be able to provide efficient, timely first aid in the event of someone getting hurt, but first aid training comes in a huge variety of levels and focuses.
Take for example some who provides first aid in an office environment. Probably the worst they may handle is a paper cut, heart attack or someone spilling their tea over themselves. Generally professional medical help is only a few short minutes away so basic first aid would be deemed appropriate.
On the other hand consider an Adventure Professional, who may well be leading a group in a remote area, away from cell phone signal, hours if not days walk from any formal communication, and to top it all they are leading a group doing some activity they has a moderate to high risk that if something went wrong, the traumatic damage that could be caused is regarded as high. Would it be appropriate for the Adventure Professional to have only the same training as someone working in an office in the middle of a city? Definitely not.
It is also not only the fact that the level of training and hence number of skills needed may be higher for an Adventure Guide, but also the type of training. Adventure Professionals training should suit the conditions they are going to be in, that is remote or wilderness focused training. The luxuries experienced by the urban First Aider simply are not available to the remote Adventure Professional.
(C) Copyright: AdventurePro
