Tag Archives: RATS

First aid in Hostile Environments training

First aid provision is required in every workplace and in the UK most workplaces send staff on first aid training. Lazarus Training has produced a range of NGO centred first aid training courses to meet this need, but also the real life need of the NGO sector.

Our First Aid in Hostile Environments training has been designed to cover the specific risks that warzones and disaster areas present, but also cover the more commonplace need to care for an ill or injured colleague.

Our course is focused on providing the best possible medical care, often with limited resources, whilst remote/separated from medical care. The course content can be adapted to reflect the clients’ equipment and risk assessments, along with the likely effects of the environment/situation too which the delegates are deploying.

All training is conducted to our twin ethos of [#trainforreal & “first aid training is a contact sport”]. Delegates are required to take part in a high number of practical sessions and scenarios. Live roleplayers and mannikins are the casualties- not the delegates. We use a wide range of teaching styles, but focus heavily on the practical application of the required skills in a “real world” setting. Delegates are exposed to stress via noise, darkness and casualty simulation.

Content of the “standard” version of our First Aid in Hostile Locations training:

The pre-hospital environment

  • scene safety
  • minimising the risk of infection
  • triage

Patient assessment

  • communication with patients
  • examination and assessment
  • safe moving and handling- including casualty evacuation

Respiration and Airway management

  • recognition of respiratory problems
  • common breathing difficulties
  • basic airway management
  • use of basic airway adjuncts [if available to delegates]
  • ventilation support

Basic Life Support

  • perform basic life support [all age groups including child bls and infant bls]

Circulation and Shock

  • recognition and care of bleeding including ballistic & blast injuries
  • shock [to include faints]

Medical related emergencies

Recognition and initial care of

  • heart attack/angina
  • diabetes
  • stroke
  • epilepsy
  • unconscious patient
  • asthma/anaphylaxis
  • handovers to the paramedic/medical care provider
  • basic record keeping

Trauma Related emergencies.

  • recognition and initial care of injuries to bones, joints, tendons and ligaments
  • recognition and initial care of burns and scalds
  • recognition and initial care of other trauma related injuries
  • skeletal stabilisation

Environmental considerations

  • hypothermia
  • hyperthermia

If this training course is of interest, contact us on info@lazarustraining.co.uk or on [UK +44] 0800 242 5210.

Tourniquet testing- RATS

The use of tourniquets in pre-hospital care is now widely accepted, at least it is within “sensible” circles and an increasing number of our NGO sector and media clients are including them into their first aid kits. But before we can advise people on their selection, or training people we have a session of tourniquet testing- RATS being the most recent.

Because of this change in the contents of issued first aid kits the use of tourniquets is a staple part of many of our first aid courses [such as our FPOS I and NGO first aid training] and we therefore take quite an interest in new products hitting the market. As we become aware of new models we like to put them thorough a series of tests to check the ease of use and ease of training, two areas of specific interest to us, with the later often being overlooked in most online reviews of new tourniquets.

tourniquet testingYou might have noticed our “Tourniquet testing” videos gradually appearing on our YouTube Channel [see below], but the latest addition which has literally just arrived is the RATS – Rapid Application Tourniquet System. We have been following [with some amusement] the CATS versus RATS debate online. Our favourite line so far being “CATS eat RATS”. Based on this alone we had to check out the Rapid Application Tourniquet system and include it in our tourniquet testing.

 Tourniquet testing- RATS

We will be uploading a product review and tourniquet test in the next few days, so keep checking here or subscribe to our YouTube Channel [you can do this by clicking here].

If you are aware of new tourniquets hitting the market that you think we should look at [or you have a new tourniquet coming out], drop us a line on info@lazarustraining.co.uk to have it included in our tourniquet testing.