SYDNEY: first aid course for riders

The motorcycle-specific first aid course is on again.

Sunday 14th December at the St John training centre in Surrey Hill.

I think it was $90 when I did it, but check with the man running it,
Eddie Furnell
PH 0408 410 667


The course is specifially aimed at bike crashes, rather than being
a standard first aid course with a spiel about taking helmets off.
So you learn how to deal with the specifics of broken bods, especially
about neck injuries and bleeding.

I am glad I did it, and think anyone who does a lot of group riding or
hooning in the usual hoon spots should do it.

I haven't had to use it, but I now know how utterly helpless I'd have
been if I had been confronted with a crash and known nothing.

Zebee

 

How would you have known?

Hammo

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 26 Nov 2003 10:24:14 +1100

What, that I'd have been helpless? By being helpless.

Zebee

 

She saw me, in full make-up, not wearing a lot....and that she cut off.



regards,
CrazyCam

 

You really have no other first aid experience?

Hammo

 

Like what? Performed a trackie with a pen?

Hammo

 

I trust you have it on a jar of formaldehyde?

Hammo

You city types are odd.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 26 Nov 2003 23:39:39 +1100

NO more than you pick up without training.

Like most people.

THe problem is that there are many things to do, some of which aren't
obvious, and they have to be done pretty damn fast.

Sure - many crashes just need the equivalent of a bex and a good lie
down, but the problem is knowing which ones, and realising what not to
do until you know.

Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 27 Nov 2003 06:57:30 +1100

Don't even need to remove it. Just need to jolt an already separated
neck as you try and find out where all that blood is coming from. OR
try to stop major bleeding with a tornequet and bugger that up. Or not
realise what are the signs of broken ribs or collapsed lung and make it
even harder for them to breathe.

Zebee

 

Speaking of bex and a good lie down, anyone heard from Auntie Samantha
lately?

Cheers


-------------
Kevin Gleeson
Technical Director
Blue Rocket Productions
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
www.blue-rocket.com.au

 

Sounds like a good idea. Any similar setups in Melbourne?

j

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 27 Nov 2003 11:03:08 +1100

No idea. This course is Eddie Furnell's baby, why not email him and
ask?

Zebee

 

Been missing those flying tea bags?
GDR

 

Jeez

Don¹t you Sydney siders have a cold chisel and hammer in your tool kits?

 

Yup

Cheers


-------------
Kevin Gleeson
Technical Director
Blue Rocket Productions
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
www.blue-rocket.com.au

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 27 Nov 2003 12:05:11 +1100

Don't all ride Z13s you know.

Zebee

 

I'm surprised you never had any with the Unis that you have worked at.
Weren't interested? They had enough qualified people?

No, not really. Getting over the initial "shit" response is one thing.
Panicking and not wanting to be involved is another, Look at the potential
health risks of helping someone, not to mention legal.

First aid is first aid, regardless of the training, it cant guarantee that
that person will be saved. How do you console someone when the person they
were "helping" dies and that it wasn't their fault afterwards?

That is a good reason to become an Ambo.

Hammo

 

With out sounding pedantic, but what would you do in that situation?
Punctured lungs from broken ribs or from a handlebar entering the chest,
there is only so much one person can do. Apart from making them as
comfortable as you can, there will be things that happen on the road (or
anywhere) where nothing can be done with out lots of training and equipment.

Not that I am saying that people shouldn't do the courses, but there should
also be an understanding that refreshers will be required or it may be
better not bother doing them at all.

Hammo

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 27 Nov 2003 13:11:48 +1100

It's a matter of recognising it, and then knowing *how* to make
comfortable.

With any serious injury al lyou can do is to try and minimise danger at
the crash site, stop the serious bleeding, hope they keep breathing (CPR
has a very low sucess rate) and try hard not to make it worse.

Knowing how to do those things is important and not all of it's common
sense.

Zebee

 

I wasn't specific enough in my question. I meant with the collapsed
lung/impaled scenario?

My rather grim point was that some times there is nothing you can do with an
under seat first aid kit (apart from write down what you saw and all that,
the time you arrived etc).

Hammo