BASP Refresher

This weekend, I have been taking my BASP 2 day emergency first aid refresher. The course has been based at GWC and has been run by Mark Tennant. I found this refresher course extremely useful and was specifically tailored to the hills and with the outdoors in mind.

I can remember from last time that a lot of the specific examples and situations involved mountain biking, so it was good to get a different perspective on things and share our experiences with a different trainer.

Mark ran an excellent course and I would like to thank him for delivering the content and making it an enjoyable way to spend the weekend. During a couple of the coffee breaks, I had the opportunity to chat to Mark about his involvement in the Borders Search and Rescue team. He said that I should give it some serious thought, as they are always on the lookout for experienced and keen folk like myself. This got me thinking - would I like to sign up? I'm not so sure, but it's certainly something that I might consider in the near future.

BASP 2 Day Emergency First Aid Course

My weekend was spent at GWC participating in the BASP 2 day Emergency First Aid Course. Our instructor was Rod Mcintosh. I was hoping to do a training course for the Mountain Leader Award later in the year, so I thought this course would fit in perfectly. I had read a lot of first aid books in the past but I hadn't been on any recognised courses so I was very much looking forward to this and having things explained to me properly.

The course was excellent and I got a great deal out of the two days training. It was clear that Rod was extremely experienced in this field and he certainly had a story or two to tell about the various incidents he's been involved in over the years. I found the practical scenarios the most helpful, as this was closer to real world situations. Rod was great at tailoring the course to meet our specific needs when taking groups out into the hills.

I would very much recommend the BASP courses to anyone who is involved in the outdoors and/or interested in first aid. It has nothing to do with skiing, despite what you might think. A very worthwhile weekend.