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Outdoor first aid courses, First aid but outdoors! Why do then?

DAC Outdoor First Aid Courses Suffolk

There is so much to enjoy in this great big world and nothing beats getting out into the great outdoors. The great outdoors doesn’t have to mean travelling to an exotic country, it can mean a walk in your local nature reserve, the beach, the mountains, hills, moorlands or even just a visit to your local park. Every step we take in life, wherever we are, there is always the possibility of injury, minor or major, to yourself or you may stumble across another person who may need assistance. We believe everybody has it in them to stop and help but most people are afraid to do something wrong or fear they may make the situation worse. Calling the emergency services is often the correct and first thing to do. However, with a little bit of training you could do more and it could save your own, someone you love or a complete stranger's life and that comfort and confidence in itself is worth considering. 



Are outdoor first aid courses only practical learning?


In the most part, practical skills are what is taught but let's talk about confidence first as we are often told that people are put off first aid courses because it's just too scary. In most unfamiliar situations, especially when it comes to a medical emergency, confidence is often the thing we all lack and this is what causes us to panic. Confidence comes with experience and education. Outdoor first aid can be a scary thought and no-one would ever expect you to learn an entire medical journal and know exactly what to do in every situation. An outdoor first aid course simply gives you the confidence and knowledge to be able to assess a situation and stabilise a person while waiting for the fully trained medical professionals to arrive. These simple acts on their own can very likely save a person's life. 


Often all it takes is some quick clear thinking, drawing on knowledge gained through an outdoor first aid course that can prevent a situation becoming worse. If a trained first aider is available on scene then many times the medical professionals are not required and this saves valuable resources that could be dealing with a more severe situation elsewhere. Thinking of yourself as a first aider can be a bit daunting. It doesn’t mean anyone expects you to perform surgery but it does show that you have taken the time to learn a set of life saving skills. 


Outdoor first aid courses do not only focus on practical skills like CPR, which stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and is used when a person's breathing or heartbeat has stopped. Staying calm is one of the core values taught on outdoor first aid courses and it is perhaps one of the most important. Clear thoughts and an ability to assess a situation quickly.


What will you learn on an outdoor first aid course?


Depending on which course you choose to do there are different levels pertaining to different skills that you are able to learn. There is a One day 8 hour or the two day 16 hour outdoor first aid course. These courses will teach skills, among others like, learning to identify when to administer CPR to an adult, child or infant. The recovery position, choking from mild to severe. External bleeding, cuts, grazes and bruises. Identifying and dealing with shock. Head, neck or spinal injuries including fractures, dislocations or sprains. The effects of being exposed to elements and seizures.

All or a mix of these skills and more, can be taught on our outdoor first aid courses. 


Who will teach my outdoor first aid course?


Our MD delivers all of DAC Education's outdoor courses because quite honestly there is no-one more qualified to teach calm, clear and practical skills. Having built up over two decades of global expeditions, youth development courses and as a search and rescue volunteer, he always says;


"Teach me and I Forget, get me involved and I learn!"


4 December 2024
A quick story time from the weekend about why having a trained first aider in a group is a great idea. This weekend one of our instructors was out in the Suffolk countryside with a mixed group of friends and strangers. As they began their walk, they hadn’t made it more than a couple of paces when one of the older gentlemen in the group went sheet white, became weak, collapsed on the ground and started vomiting. The gentleman's son was with him, caught him as he fell and called out for help. Thankfully, our instructor was within shouting distance and was the only trained first aider in the group, in fact he is a community first responder, so he had with him in his truck an oxygen tank, defibrillator and every piece of kit a first responder would need. He quickly got the gentlemen assessed taking his heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar and asked him about any past medical conditions that may be relevant. He did an assessment, used his training to ascertain whether an ambulance was needed or whether the kit he had with him was sufficient. Thankfully, an ambulance wasn’t needed but the gentleman was taken home and is feeling much better. It made us think, here in the office, that while this situation did not need an ambulance if the first aider had not been there, it would have been a scary situation for everyone because no one there really knew what to do for the best. The moral of the story is that the benefit of completing first aid training is that you never know when your skills as a trained first aider may be able to help a friend or a stranger. It is also important that anyone who has been trained in any level of first aid should carry some essential kit with them. Some useful things in a basic first aid kit would be: A couple of pairs of gloves Sterile wipes Medical tape Scissors Tweezers Gauze Resuscitation face shield Plasters Sterile bandage Triangular bandage Eye wash Emergency foil blanket Whistle (especially if you are going for walks in remote areas) Who is the best first aid training company in Suffolk? Well, this is an easy answer and here are some reasons why. Our MD is an award winning first aid instructor who has real life experience in emergency situations. We teach our Outdoor First Aid course outdoors under a parachute in the middle of Sutton Hoo Woodland. We teach all levels of first aid from basic first aid training up to the more advanced First Responder on Scene level. At the end of our higher level first aid courses in Suffolk, we use a local charity, Casualties Union, who provide actors to re-create scenarios for our learners to put into practice all their first aid training. Our instructors talk through kit requirements on all our first aid courses whether we are training you in Suffolk or at your premises, ensuring the kit is relevant to your needs. Our first aid courses are not boring! Many people dread doing a first aid course because they have a stigma of being boring and just listening to a PowerPoint presentation for six hours stuck in a classroom, being taught by someone who doesn’t actively have any real-life experience. That's not us, we get you involved, get you interacting with the equipment, pass on knowledge from real life emergencies and make it enjoyable. We offer first aid kits of varying sizes and for different requirements. Our most popular choice is a DAC mini Ouch Pouch which is the perfect pocket sized first aid kit. Is it time for you to book a first aid training course in Suffolk? Any time is a great time to complete a first aid course, and we would love to train you. Gatherings are more common at this time of year with Christmas shopping in full swing the high streets are busier, markets are full and places where crowds gather can become a hot spot for accidents, injuries or exacerbation of underlying medical conditions. We run first aid training throughout the year with open courses that anyone can join. Many of our first aid training courses are in Suffolk but we do travel nationwide as well. We would like to encourage all those who have taken a first aid course with DAC Education, or indeed, with any first aid training company in Suffolk or beyond, please do ensure that when you are out and about your skills and knowledge are not wasted and please carry with you even just a basic first aid kit. It's better to carry one and not need it, than to need it and not have one.
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