One of the staff has just emailed me a link to a site saying they (if it reads as it seems to) they only need a 1 day FA qualification (which they can get done at work at anytime) and not a 2 day as seems to be stipulated by the ATC, which they have said is nigh on impossible. Again due to their work commitments they haven’t been able to get on an ATC run first aid course.
Due to an indifferent approach to AT qualifications on Wing they are looking at doing a BELA privately.
Anyone know what the real situation is, ie a 1 day or a 2 day to hold a BELA?
HOWEVER, you will need a FA ticket if you want to use your BEL ticket within the ACO, and almost every single employer in the country!!!
As such, you can tell them to crack on and do their privately paid for BEL… BUT, if they want to do something with it, then they’ll need a FA ticket too. Pretty sure the ACO stipulate a 2 day one.
I suspected as much from the ATC. Making the rules up as they go along … as ever.
It’s a national award and the guidance as to minimum requirements should be respected, regardless of the empire individuals wish to construct. I can fully understand being employed ie paid employment and needing more, but we aren’t employed by the ATC … although as a Sqn Cdr I do wonder sometimes if I miss a pay packet each month.
I have no issues with making people taking cadets into an outdoors environment have a proper First Aid qualification. Most of the 1 day qualifications are only actually around 4 hours of training and are of no use in an outdoor environment. (That’s not what they are designed for).
Just because the company selling BEL say you don’t need to have any first aid training doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea.
Why would a paramedic have to resit the FAW? Their training covers BLS and Pre hospital care, that’s the whole chain of the survival. I could understand a Docter maybe having to But not a Paramedic?
Where does the ATC stand on First Person On Scene (FPOS) Qualification? Or Medicines in Remote Areas?
OK having an FA ticket, but if the overseers of the award say that it isn’t necessary it just opens a can of worms and opens the door for empire builders as we have in the ATC at the top.
This isn’t about the people who oversee the award, this is about the ATC and Risk Management. There are lots of different awards which allow people to take groups out be that, walking, canoeing or mountain biking etc. All the ACO is saying is that if you want to do Adventure Training you need to have an acknowledged qualification and have an activity First Aid qualification.
I don’t see that it opens any cans of worms or causes any empire building, after all you don’t need a First Aid qualification to be an RCO but you can’t run a range without having a First Aider.
Agree with Daws here - no can of worms to be opened. This is no different to the ACO saying that ML’s can only take out 1:6/1:8 people in ML terrain - there’s no stipulation on your ratios when you speak to MLT - they say it’s at the discretion of you as a professional and that of your deployer/their insurers.
It’s the same situation. You have a qualification to lead groups. But your deployer (in our case the ACO) balances whatever dark art they do and come up with a figure to best manage the risk.
In this case, they ask the question “shall we let this trained and competent person lead up to 10 young people in the Great British Countryside with or without a first aid ticket”. The answer for us is a simple “yes - probably best to show due diligence”. For a school where there is already dedicated first aider and medical room available, and where the activity is low level risk (tent construction or orienteering?) - probably overkill.
BUT, we don’t operate in the same manner, so our risk managers add an additional layer of competance to pass to ensure standards and safety aren’t put at risk.