#emergencyfirstresponse

[bangkokfirstaid]

First Aid Instructor course with 8 doctors and paramedics from Vietnam. Congratulations to them. #firstaidinstructor #bangkokfirstaid #emergencyfirstresponse https://www.instagram.com/p/B10rylhAGwa/?igshid=v0gx7p60dw3v

[bangkokfirstaid]

First Aid Instructor course today with doctors and paramedics from Vietnam. WWW.BANGKOKFIRSTAID.COM #firstaidinstructor #emergencyfirstresponse #bangkokfirstaid (at Bangkok First Aid) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0_JcG3glcD/?igshid=nuymynr0jhh0

[bangkokfirstaid]

Congratulations to our new Emergency Responders: Khun Czaba, Yanika and Dasha. Ready to save lives! #cprtraining #cprcertified #savelives #basiclifesupport #emergencyfirstresponse #bangkokfirstaid (at Bangkok First Aid) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bolx9PchZxy/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=145er10f3mlwp

[bangkokfirstaid]

First Aid training at our academy. Join us. www.bangkokfirstaid.com #firstaidcourse #firstaidcertified #emergencyfirstresponse #bangkokfirstaid (at Bangkok First Aid)

[reneehutchins]

#WordOfTheDay "manual" = "manual" Sometimes you really should read the manual. #WOTD #Spanish #inglés #palabradeldía #español #English #manual #cpr #firstaid #emergencyfirstresponse #book #leer #readthemanual

[djldiving]

Great technique from Josh as he completes the #PADI #EmergencyFirstResponse and #RescueDiver course with #DJL! #DJLfamily #FirstAid #KohTao

[djldiving]

Congratulations to Amanda on completing her #EFR - #EmergencyFirstResponse Primary and Secondary Care (First Aid & CPR) and #RescueCourse with #DivingInstructor James and #Divemaster candidate Joe! Amanda has done a FANTASTIC job and now knows how to prevent and manage problems in the water, and has become more confident in her skills as a diver. We look forward to training and seeing you progress into a #PADI #DiveMaster.. Welcome to the #DJLfamily!

[abilityexpeditions]

Team Training – “Simplicity & Clarity” August 2016

And in the blink of an eye that is another six months gone! (I know this because it was time to leap head first back into training with Ability Expeditions crew once more). The year has flown by, and so far over three thousand five hundred clients have trickled, ran, trekked and flown through our programs in one style or another. The demands placed on our the team year in year out are almost Rainbow wide in variety, as such their ability both collectively and team-wise needs to match that demand. But how does a team respond to an event that you hope will never happen, and in reality seldom does? “Simple” take the team to the emergency (make it happen!). And so this my friends is what we spent our weekend doing. 

Saturday 20th August saw the team sat at our lecture facility in the Adventure centre, anticipating a weekend of inputs and mini practical’s, little did they know just what was in store for them! To really appreciate the needs and demands of an emergency the only way to feel it is to be pushed into a situation without any warning that is as realistic as it can be. The first day was sedate, instructional and designed to facilitate a refreshing of core skills and protocol’s. River rescue, Lost man, First aid, Briefings, all these are key and basic skill sets for a staff adventure team, however when the team is rarely faced with these demands the spontaneous and immediate recall can become dull and un dynamic. The team were simply instructed, “Please attend with full jungle equipment” nearly all presumed that the need was merely for an inspection or group discussion point later in the day. 

The first day ebbed into late afternoon, and with that the team were instructed to collect their kit and head for our Jungle base camp a few miles into the forest. A look of surprise was on some faces, rye smiles on the rest. The smiles had seen that the day was far from over, (In fact it was 24 hours away from being over). The team were now on a practical assessment phase, six rolling emergency scenarios had been planned ahead of time, victims briefed, make up and props sourced and we were off. Off course some still expected a little medical “event” on route, an hour first aid and then back to the centre for “tea and medals”…how wrong they were, of course any practical test so soon into the fun zone would be very predictable and utterly pointless. No we would wait until darkness had fallen, then the fun would begin.

Dinner cooked and minutes from being served, rain falling (as if on cue) and a blood curdling “SCREAMMMMM” breaches the jungles own orchestral melody…. snake strike (scenario), the team now knew they were in for a long night (and next day), but all were definitely “up for it”, the energy was very evident, the tempo of the next twenty four hours was fairly unrelenting. In case any are concerned yes they did get some sleep and dinner (eventually), but 0400 Sunday morning when most of the world (at least in our time zone was sleeping) found the Ability crew rudely awoken from their slumber and straight into searching for a suspected unconscious lost man casualty, full lost man protocols, comms base and logistical support in play. The casualty was found half way down a ravine slope, most definitely not in the best of health (skull fracture) and needing well considered swift first aid followed by hospital. An outstanding full rescue from the team, and before daylight breached (and the night time terrors were over), but not so the day version (evil smile).

Between dawn and sunset on that second day they dealt with four other critical incidents, each one run by a new lead pair, river rescue with multiple casualty’s, high tower falls and transfer to HLS (Helicopter Landing Site), Fire drills (with real smoke) and more lost man incidents, oh and multiple phase technical recues on the high rigging tower with a casualty in acute cardiac arrest (just for fun). Everything that was thrown at the team was caught with both hands and bagged up. Incredible effort was applied and although no doubt for some the learning curve was steep the seniors and newer team members all worked as a team and looked after one another as well as sick, wounded and whining, (learning is at its most acute and most effective when conducted in difficult and testing circumstances, after all……Not much that is good and great in life ever came without a little challenge or two!)

Ability crew were certainly put to the test, they were not found wanting (one or two mini shine ups needed) but overall genuinely outstanding work.

Congratulations Ability Team!

~ Phil Austen-Smith, Expedition Manager