November 6th, 2013

Last week we attended our latest first aid course which is done every three years to keep us up to speed with developments in the first aid world. We made a special request to our female trainer, who was in the local mountain rescue service, to build in some practical demonstrations which could be of help, given that we work alone, sometimes in very remote locations. The day started off with general first aid and we progressed to dealing with different emergency scenarios which gamekeepers may encounter during their working week. Saving a fisherman who has nearly drowned in a loch, for example; a fisherman whose life could be saved through the quick actions of a gamekeeper with the necessary training in first aid. We then moved onto some of the incidents we had heard of involving vehicles, in particular quad bikes being crashed or turned over. We discussed the many different accidents that could arise involving the use of chainsaws, knives, fishing hooks and firearms. Everybody had a tale to tell but this was exactly what our instructor was keen to discover. Each incident was gone over with a fine tooth comb and it was made clear to us the vital importance of first aid in those critical first few minutes and hours. The last part of the course covered the use of a defibrillator; a machine which can help keep alive someone who has suffered a heart attack, until medical assistance arrives. Many public places now have these. As the price comes down each year, more and more shoots (especially the large commercial ones) would probably find that these invaluable life-saving devices are a worthwhile investment, especially when there are more senior guns out in the field. The great thing about these pieces of apparatus is that they can be operated by anyone. When the gadget is removed from the wall and opened up, the instructions are spoken in a similar way as a sat-nav machine talks to you in your car. Modern technology is amazing and, if it saves only one life, it is well worth the money. Everybody on the course found it  very useful and it was well worth the time and money to attend. When the course organizer recognized the fact we all spent the biggest part of our time in the hills and mountains, it dawned on us that maybe the mountain rescue service and the Scottish Gamekeepers Association should meet up and exchange ideas and information. The SGA certainly has a massive range of members who have the local knowledge when it comes to finding missing persons. They also have access to many types of specialized equipment, especially all terrain vehicles. Even helping the local rescue teams with land, or maybe a building in which to meet, could be very useful on their training days. Our first shoot is coming up this week so I am praying for some hard frosts to remove the last of the leaves from the hardwood trees so we can get a good view of the pheasants. The pheasant season is now in full swing. Speaking to the beaters and pickers up, who largely stay in an urban environment, they tell me it’s a bit like the rugby, football or Shinty; a pastime which keeps them fit and healthy while giving them something to look forward to each weekend!