Stretcher Training

After we'd seen the video of stretchergate, we decided to step up our own training regime to avoid any similar mistakes, and on Sunday we ran our first session.

As a starter level stretcher carrying course, the team stayed on the flat, but soon we'll be progressing to steps and other hazards.

Eagle eyed readers will have only noticed the different coloured safety helmets, whereas the more inquisitive ones will have also wondered why.

Well, in the white helmet is Allan, our Senior Coastal Operations Officer (SCOO) from Poole,  He is paid for the privilege of looking after us, and as the senior officer, he wears a white helmet for instant recognition.

Ian and Kerry are wearing standard blue helmets, which are often fitted with a light for working in the dark.  If you are going to be at the front, its important to get your sunglasses out of your car when there's a shout, just in case there's a photo op.

Finally, the orange helmet is used to denote an untrained person, and on a cliff (rope) rescue, we use it for the casualty before bringing them back up the cliff.  When two or more teams work together, we don't always know who's who, and the orange reminds the rest of the team. In this case, Duncan was the trainee stretcher bearer, and will switch to a blue helmet when he is signed off.

So what's really happening.....?
Actually, this was part of the incident on Sunday.  We'd prepared the helicopter stretcher for the casualty, but in the event he was able to walk to the helicopter, so the team were simply returning the empty stretcher to the helo.
And the helmets?  Well, the white, blue, orange hierarchy still applies, but as in this case, the orange also gets used from time as a spare, when a coastguard finds himself at an incident without his own helmet!