“DAD! TRAE’S NOT MOVING – his eyes are rolled back in his head, and he’s lying in a pool of blood! What should I do?!!”
Argh! It’s a phone conversation you never want to have with one of your kids!
Moments earlier, I’d tried calling my oldest son, and it went straight to answer phone. My mate Taz and I were about to drive to Queenstown’s Skyline Mountain Bike Park and join my two boys who were already riding. When I didn’t get an answer from my eldest, I rang his younger brother … and his panicked pick-up and frantic description of what lay before him (the crash had happened just seconds earlier) had me fighting the urge to freak out!
Thankfully, my mate Taz was there. A highly trained first-aider and ski patroller, he took the phone from me and calmly talked through the situation with my youngest. An overshot jump on an infamous trail called ‘Huck Yeah’ had caused the damage. While he spoke, we leapt in my truck and hightailed it to the bike park … 15 minutes away (and one of the longest 15 minutes of my life!).
During our drive over, Trae regained consciousness and, with the help of some other riders, climbed onto a gondola and made his way down the mountain. We were there to meet him as he hopped out … looking pretty messed up and not making much sense. After a quick checkover by Taz (primarily for neck and back injuries), we made the short trip to the medical centre – straight to the front of the queue – where he was patched up by an amazing medical team*.
Unfortunately for him, his mountain biking holiday was over. With a broken hand, concussion, and a face that only a mother could love (he had some good facial cuts that had to be glued together!), he spent the next few days watching me and his brother ride some incredible South Island trails. The good news was, it could’ve been worse … much worse! And despite the gouges and grazes, his pretty face healed up quickly …
*In case you’re wondering, the ambo was called straight away but we had him at the medical centre before they even showed up. They are seriously understaffed!
One of the things that haunted me for a while afterwards was the memory of that original phone call with my youngest son. The panic and helpless sound of his voice was horrible. I also felt some guilt that I hadn’t prepared my kids for what to do when things go bad … which, with the sports and adventures we love doing, is not that uncommon.
So, I made a conscious decision to get them – all four of my kids – trained in first aid. And, specifically, trained with the practical skills they’d need when dealing with an emergency in the outdoors. I didn’t ever want them to feel unprepared or helpless in a situation again.
With all that in mind, I knew exactly who to contact: my mate Henners – owner of Peak Safety and a legend in outdoor safety training and management. He and I have enjoyed a few adventures over the years, and I’d previously done some first-aid training with Peak. Quite simply, they’re one of the best operators in the business.
These guys have been involved in nearly every emergency management scene possible … from first responders at the Rotorua Mountain Bike Park to pre-hospital emergency care training (and everything in-between) – and are the real deal.
So I gave him a call, and we devised a plan: a two-day outdoor first aid course with a mountain bike focus. If we could get 10 people registered, they’d come out to us and run the programme here in Whangamata. A quick chat with our local mountain bike club, some advertising on our community social pages, and we had a date set with 16 people keen and ready to go.
The first aid course was happening at the Wharekawa Lodge in Opoutere, and early Saturday morning, the crew began arriving – all keen mountain bikers from all sorts of backgrounds. Peak Safety had sent one of their tutors, Cait, who was quick to put everyone at ease and fill us in on what the next two days would look like. With all their staff active First Responders in many of the extreme sports we enjoy in NZ – including mountain biking and skiing/snowboarding – these guys have plenty of real-world experience. Something (we were soon to find) that would bring the training to life …
Peak’s training philosophy is to bring as many real-life situations into their programme as possible. And Cait did a great job facilitating these. It was interactive, fun, and entertaining – and for those of us who hadn’t been in a classroom environment for a while, it was an enjoyable way to get the brain ticking over again!
But when I say classroom, don’t picture a room with four walls. While we did spend some of our time inside, most of our learning took place outside in realistic scenarios, putting our newly learnt skills into practice: managing accident sites … assessing a patient … identifying neck or spine injuries … treating a fracture … managing airways, bleeding, shock, hypothermia – the list goes on! We worked in small groups, acted out various injuries, and competed against each other to see whose group managed their patient the best – loads of fun! We even had a go at CPR on these fancy ‘dummies’, which gave us feedback on whether we were doing it right or not!
And Peak Safety’s real-world experience that I mentioned earlier? This was on full display during our ‘in-class’ learning, when Cait showed various medical emergency videos they’d collected during their years as First Responders. It’s one thing to act out dealing with an open or compound fracture, but it’s another thing to see one being treated in real life! But don’t worry: if you couldn’t handle seeing something a little gruesome, Cait gave us plenty of warning – so those with a squeamish stomach could look away (most of the time!).
DRS ABC’s
DRS ABC’s is a widely used acronym in first aid to guide responders when helping an injured person.
– DANGER (check the scene is safe)
– RESPONSE (to voice and then to pain)
– SEND FOR HELP (if no response)
– AIRWAY (open and observe)
– BREATHING (look, listen, and feel)
– CIRCULATION (check for life-threatening bleeding)
SAMPLE
The SAMPLE method in first aid is a systematic approach to gathering essential information from an injured person.
– SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
(ask the patient to describe their symptoms or observe any visible signs of injury)
– ALLERGIES
(inquire about any allergies or if they’ve had an allergic reaction before)
– MEDICATIONS
(ask about any prescription medication they’re taking)
– PAST MEDICAL HISTORY
(any pre-existing medical conditions?)
– LAST MEAL
(what was their last meal?)
– EVENTS PRIOR
(ask about the events leading up to the current situation)
The two days flew by! Cait’s delivery of Peak’s excellent course left us all feeling equipped to handle most emergencies we might encounter in the outdoors. And, as an added bonus, we had a great time doing it! We were given a detailed programme manual and Peak’s own First Aid Guide to put in our kit: a compact reminder of what we’d learnt, like the acronyms for patient assessment – DRS ABC’s and SAMPLE (see sidebar).
But for me, the most important outcome of this course was knowing that all four of my kids have now had some quality first-aid instruction. Which puts me a little more at ease when they’re off having adventures. Because, let’s face it:
It’s not a matter of if, but when …
MIKE’S ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO GET ALL HIS KIDS TRAINED IN GERIATRIC CARE SO HE CAN SPEND HIS OLD AGE LIVING WITH THEM, BLUDGING THEIR FOOD AND MONEY, AND THEREFORE COMPLETING THE CIRCLE OF LIFE …
IF YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT PEAK SAFETY AND THEIR COURSES, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE WWW.PEAKSAFETY.CO.NZ
