RYA First Aid

Accidents and illness can happen at any time. This may be on your own boat or you could be required to render assistance to another boater in trouble. One of the joys of Inland Waterways is their isolation, but when a medical emergency occurs this can be an additional handicap! Time is critical when trying to save someone's life and the administration of basic First Aid can be crucial in keeping the patient going until professional help arrives.

The course will teach you how to deal with most common situations such as fractures and dislocations, choking, bleeding, head injuries, burns and shock. In addition it also covers ‘boat’ related emergencies such as cold water shock, hypothermia and ‘near death’ drowning.

Another major element will be to look at cardiac arrest and practical training will include resuscitation techniques using a resuscitation dummy.

Whilst we can’t turn you into Doctors in the one day we will make sure that you know how to administer First Aid so that you will be more confident about your ability to cope in an emergency situation.

The course is based on the RYA First Aid course but is suitable for skippers seeking the MCA Boatmasters Licence or RYA Helmsman’s Instructor qualification.

See "Syllabus" for more detailed information.