First Aid in Airsoft
Ever been in a situation where having a little First Aid knowledge may have been beneficial? I think the majority of us have.
While over half a decade ago, a gentleman suffered a heart attack at The Gaol. Thankfully, the marshall team were trained, and were able to administer First Aid to ensure the gentleman was alive to tell the tale. However, this event could have ended up with the loss of a life. With that in mind, the event sparked us to write a feature on basic First Aid over the course of thirteen issues within AI, written by now editor CJ who has experience within the field having taken part in training on two occasions; first in his youth when working as a Lifeguard, followed up by a refresher course with St. John’s Ambulance some years later.
We’ve recently revisited this series of articles, with the first appearing in Volume 20 Issue 7 of Airsoft International. If you’re interested, below is a snippet of the first article!
First aid is the assistance given to any person suffering a sudden illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial intervention in a serious condition prior to professional medical help being available, such as performing CPR while awaiting an ambulance, as well as the complete treatment of minor conditions, such as applying a plaster to a cut. First aid is generally performed by the layperson, with many people trained in providing basic levels of first aid, and others willing to do so from acquired knowledge. Mental health first aid is an extension of the concept of first aid to cover mental health.
There are many situations which may require first aid, and many countries have legislation, regulation, or guidance which specifies a minimum level of first aid provision in certain circumstances. This can include specific training or equipment to be available in the workplace (such as an Automated External Defibrillator), the provision of specialist first aid cover at public gatherings, or mandatory first aid training within schools. First aid, however, does not necessarily require any particular equipment or prior knowledge, and can involve improvisation with materials available at the time, often by
untrained persons.
WHY LEARN FIRST AID?
A lot of people often wonder why they should learn the basics of first aid, and I can understand some of the arguments brought up. Whilst most people agree that knowing CPR is a valuable skill, they often devalue the knowledge to treat a broken bone or a burn because – and rightly so – they believe there should always be capable individuals on hand to treat such injuries. And on a whole they are right. 99% of the time you’ll be able to call on the NHS who will provide an ambulance to deal with your injury. Outside of that, all companies are required by law to have trained First Aiders on hand at all times. However, you do come across occasions where staff are ill trained, or simply not trained whatsoever, and unfortunately I’ve frequented a couple of Airsoft sites that had next to no knowledge and no equipment on hand to treat injuries. Thankfully you’ll find that Airsofters on a whole aren’t idiots, and injuries are few and far between, but personally I’m not someone willing to take that risk and would rather be prepared, just incase. So much so that you’ll often find me with a full medical kit at every game I attend, and also why I’m the general medical point of call for the AI500 along with the paramedic team we hire for the events.
I personally only picked up my training due to having worked as a lifeguard during my youth. One of the biggest courses you have to complete outside of the poolside training is related to first aid. Due to the pool having a large soft play area as well as a kitchen, I was fortunate enough to be taught how to deal with everything from broken bones to burns and everything in between. One thing that you find from the process of learning first aid is that it’s a rewarding one. Each skill has a practical use that you’ll find a use for, from wrapping a sprained ankle to cleaning a cut correctly, and you know you’ll get use from each skill at some point in your life – and if you don’t, you’ll probably pass on that knowledge to someone that will.
So why should you want to learn the basic principles of first aid? Well outside of the fact you may save a life or massively help someone in distress at some point, you will no doubt find the skills rewarding to learn and transferable. You’ll also find that if you do go on to do a recognised course, you’ll be more employable which is always a bonus. You may even find that if you ask your current employer he or she will be more than willing to send you on a course, meaning it won’t cost you anything apart from travel costs – but you may even be able to claim those back.
In closing, having some knowledge of First Aid is advantageous for a number of reasons beyond the general idea of it could save somebody’s life. If you’ve made it to this point of the article though, you’ve probably already made a conscious decision to pick up some basic knowledge. With that in mind, I look forward to seeing you next month.
DISCLAIMER
This is not a training qualification or any form of certification for First Aid, but a quick overview. The following information should be used only to accompany information provided in a certifiable First Aid course. It is always recommended that individuals gain an official First Aid certificate through the correct and current channels.