'I had basically died at that point': Air ambulance First Farmer on Scene course saving lives in rural communities
Despite representing just one per cent of the UK workforce, agriculture accounts for 18.5 per cent of all work-related deaths, with farm workers 20 times more likely to be fatally injured than the average across other industries.
This makes farming and agriculture one of Britain’s most dangerous industries to work in.
The farming industry is the lifeblood of Shropshire – its workers the beating heart of the county. Yet, by its very remoteness, our green and pleasant land presents a danger to those who would put food on its table.
Accidents happen; incidents occur. And, in a rural setting like ours, vital time can often be lost to any casualty simply because they are ‘out in the sticks’.
Thankfully, through a new learning programme, a treasured local charity is making it one of its many missions to give those who may be able to be the first on the scene of any emergency the tools they need to save lives.
Set up and run by Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, the First Farmer on Scene course is designed to give learners the skills and confidence to manage a casualty at the point of injury before the arrival of emergency teams.
This practical three-hour course covers key skills including casualty and scene management, with hands-on practice under expert tuition, including simulated activities.
Written and delivered by experts in pre-hospital care, the course is suitable for anyone working or living in a rural environment and any person who feels they may need to give immediate support to any casualty at their point of injury.
As Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s head of education and training Emily Browne relates, the course has been designed to empower residents of Shropshire in first aid, and give them the confidence to play a vital role in saving lives.
“I very much grew up in a rural community and recognize the need in such communities for this first aid training and the importance of it,” she said.
“Farming communities need us to be able to offer that training to them.
“These communities are often very stoic; they’re people who keep carrying on until they can’t carry on. But then what happens at that point?
“This is about allowing them to have the knowledge and training to do something when accidents or incidents happen as a stopgap before the emergency services arrive.”
As Emily iterates, First Farmer on Scene is, more often than not, about giving people in rural communities the confidence to follow their gut instinct in emergency situations.
