No doubt there are those who think I should be safely locked away to protect society but I hate to disappoint them, I intend to remain at large until they catch me. So far, whilst visiting a couple of friends who have not managed to stay below the radar, I have managed to slip in and out of secure units without being identified as a suitable case for treatment.
Whilst through activities like SCUBA diving, I have had CPR training, this doesn’t really seem enough. As an instructor and (deceptively) responsible individual, I decided that it would be sensible to get certified in first aid. After all, I think I owe that to my rope partners and students. I don’t want to be calling out “Is there a First Aider in the house?” if there is ever an accident. Seconds can often count and the wrong sort of intervention can just make a bad situation worse. With this in mind, I have also upgraded the first aid kit in my rope bag to a much more comprehensive sports injury kit, which even includes things like a space blanket. This will mean that I would be ready equipped in an emergency, rather than trying to find the one that the venue should have under HSE regulations. A lot of time could be wasted finding the person who should know where it is and in retrieving it.
Having researched the courses available, it seems that the HSE approved Sports First Aid is the most appropriate. This covers:
Aims & principles of first aid
Event planning and record keeping
Resuscitation (CPR)
Care of the unconscious casualty
Bleeds (including nose bleeds)
Soft tissue injuries and management
Fractures and dislocations
Head injuries
Spinal injuries
Hyperthermia / Hypothermia
I recently had one tight-wad bitch about paying $9.95 membership to read some of my safety articles, saying they should be all be free, which does beg the question whether he should be tying anyone if he doesn’t place the value of a couple of beers on his partner’s safety. Well, I say “Go tell that to the first aid trainers!” or suggest all doctors work for free. I would like to point out, to those who critcise me for charging membership to access some of the information on this site, that none of these courses are free. In fact, the fees are similar to the master class rates of some of the top Japanese shibari teachers. I have the good fortune to make my living from entirely from bondage but, to remain near the top of my game, I have invested a lot of time and hard cash in getting there, e.g. traveling to Japan and spending 10,000JPY per hour on tuition. I don’t have a rock star income and sadly none of the goods or services I need to live seem to be provided free. Of course, if the moaners would like to source everything at no charge that I need to live in the manner to which I would like to become accustomed, I promise I will return the favour by making all my content free. Deal? I won’t be holding my breath waiting…