Survival skills and Certifications

The harder I practice, the luckier I get.

First aid course 2020:

I took part in an intense 3 day Wilderness First Aid Responder Course with Green School in North Bali. The certification is called Green First Aid and it is a course designed to develop first aid knowledge and to gain hands-on experience in a tropical setting. It also had an emphasis on motor accidents. This 20 hour course focuses on the challenges you may face while living in environments where medical care can be delayed, unreliable or even unavailable. It is a fast-paced, dynamic course, with roughly 50% of the class time devoted to role-playing scenarios that will help retain information and improve performance in a real medical emergency. The class included informative lectures, student self-study, and hands-on practical assessments.

Since taking the course I have been the first responder to a motorbike accident on Lombok Island. The crash took place hours from the main hospital. As a result of using learnt technics the victim survived her ordeal, thankfully.

Wilderness International First Responder-course 2020:

I was also part of the International First Responder (IFR/WFR) training which is a 90 hour internationally recognised course following the Wilderness Medical Society standards that prepares participants to manage complex emergencies in remote places and offers skills that are invaluable in any medically resource-poor settings. This rigorous and intense program prepared me to take care of a patient for over 76 hours and it's extended role scenarios have prepared me to act in real life emergencies.

https://www.villageresponder.org/projects-1

At the beginning of this course we had to get CPR certified. To do this we had to go through a series of scenarios, some lectures and a final exam. This was all very serious and nerve-wracking compared to other high school courses but also prepared us for the daunting task of trying to keep someone alive with CPR as the final attempt. This gave a new insight to the difficult position first aid rescuers are sometimes put in and positions I might be in the future. Due to this I found it even more important to have these skills moving forward.

Surf Rescue Course:

I did a First Aid and Surf Rescue course with the SOAP™. For two days, we learned essential emergency first aid, CPR, surfing skills and other important ocean safety procedures. The certification we gained has an internationally recognised accreditation as a Surf Lifeguard. It included a timed 200m sprint and 200m swim. I re-certified recently in 2021. I still surf as much as I can and luckily haven't had to put my skills into action.

Padi Diving and Free Diving :

I completed my open water diving certificate over a six week period. It was a huge commitment for me. I enjoyed it and was quite frightened of the concept of diving, the fear of claustrophobia, so I had to overcome that. Since then I've been to the Komodo National Park on a dive boat, Flores and the Gili Islands, and so far have chalked up over 30 dives including a night dive and a drift dive. After getting my certificate I signed up for a two day level 1 freediving course. We free dived down to 20 meters, which is deeper than I could have imagined. The whole first day was about relaxation and getting into a near meditative headspace. It was a new feeling for me, a sport where you had to completely relax, It felt like another world being surrounded in a silent stillness.

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