First Aid Training Day

 By Simon Lambourn 

First Aid training day

Every so often someone has a tumble on a ride, mostly with minor scrapes and bruises, but we sometimes worry about how to cope with a more serious incident.   Jennie Jackson organised a first aid training session for a group of nine volunteers, run by a nurse, cyclist and trainer at Wimbledon First Aid Training.   It was an excellent session, tailored for cyclists, and covered most of the things we could think of, and several we hadn’t! 

Recovery position

The topics covered were:

• First aid kit contents
• Priorities at the scene of an incident (keep everyone safe as the top priority)
• Assessing  an injured person
• Recovery position
• CPR
• Head and spinal injuries
• Dealing with bleeding
• Broken bones
• Incident reporting

And then we got to practice some of the techniques, which I think made us all feel more confident that we would know what to do if called upon to help.  It was a very worthwhile and thought-provoking day.   Thank you to Jennie for organising.

Watching a video of real-life CPR (it ended well!)

If there is sufficient interest, Jennie may be able to arrange further courses.   Please contact Jennie if interested.

First Aid Kit contents

A simple first aid kit can be very small, easily carried in a cycling jersey pocket, and might help treat a minor injury or prevent something becoming more serious.

Contents can vary but might include:  a dressing for grazes, antiseptic wipes, a foil ‘space blanket’, plasters, paracetamol & aspirin(*NB), safety pins, protective gloves, a bandage.

If you have been trained, a CPR mouth protector is also recommended.

(NB.  giving medication is generally discouraged (get advice from 999 responder) but can be helpful – for a consenting adult.  You must record the time given and dose for the emergency services.)

The trainer, Jen Craven, also recommended that everyone should have the What3Words app on their phone – this identifies your location if you need to call emergency services.   She also stressed the importance of documenting all incidents and any assistance given, for the protection of all involved.  Cycling UK has an incident reporting form – if you need assistance contact any ride leader or Committee member.