Always expect the unexpected

training cadets is an extremely important task for us. We want our cadets to accel in first aid and have develop a passion for them through first aid and helping people. However training from slides and manuals can get a little boring over time and can make cadets lose interest in their training. To tackle this problem we have introduced first aid scenario’s into the mix to try and keep the situation as real as possible while being able to monitor the situation and make sure everyone is safe.

on the 21 of August 2017, we ran one of these scenario’s involving 8 adult members with a variety of different injury’s from broken arms all the way to suspected spinal. The scenario was a two car crash with a pedestrian and cyclist caught up in the middle. The cadets were told minimal information and that they would have to triage the scene upon arrival, green for able to walk, yellow for serious, red for life threatening or black for deceased. they immediately set up a triage area inside the school and started treating their patients with excellent care. They weren’t frazzled by the sheer amount of patients and they stuck with their basic’s pulse, breathing and sample to discover what their patients had.

Overall the scenario was a huge success, Everyone went back into the school and chatted about the scenario from all perspectives. Adults and cadets views were discussed and problems were identified as to where more training was needed and praise was given to different area’s that the cadets were skillful in. The cadets felt that they had learned a lot from the test and began to understand how a mass casualty incident could happen at any time. It also helped to motivate them all for the following year to learn more first aid and to be able to improve their skills and fix their mistakes.