First Aid Course

On 22 April Pat Irving and I attended The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames first aid course at the Spring Health Leisure Club (the old Richmond swimming pool). The course was run by Hilary Sutch who is their Training Manager/First Aid Trainer/Assessor. She is a very down to earth lady with a unique and somewhat laid back approach to the subject. I hasten to add that comes from knowing your subject inside out and years of experience.

Pat and I were both renewing our existing, albeit out of date, qualifications as 'Appointed Persons' for ourselves, Aquarius and in support of the proposed Youth Sail Training Programme due to start in May. The course covered a whole range of theory and practical subjects including the task of the appointed person, legal implications, first aid boxes (do & don'ts), managing an incident/priorities, cardio pulmonary resuscitation, shock, dressing wounds, recognising angina/heart attack, burns/scalds etc.

The practical exercises included bandaging, slings and resuscitation on adults, children and babies and how to put someone into the recovery position. Being the only male in a class of women was an interesting and not unpleasant experience. I might even have picked up a couple of potential new members who asked about visiting Aquarius for a 'look see and sail'. It struck me later that if any of these girls did actually join we would have even more 'appointed persons' available.

Both Pat and my certificates of attendance on the course are now on the foyer wall together with Tony's first aid certificate gained through his place of work.

Mike (Over Easy) Baker