Staff first aid

Adult Staff The Staff Mess
1

i have noticed that all ACO staff need a first aid qualification… what about SI’s.

surely service first aid corses like GDT or Mod 1 will cover this?

playing devils advocate saying they cant make an aco heartstart course

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2

Hi Snowpaw

SIs can use their annual GDT certificates to cover the heartstart requirement.

Hope this answer your query.

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3

I think your MATTs cover it.

4

So a JPA print out will sufice?

5

I would imagine so? If it’s indate.

I am just a troglodyte though, you might need to ask a responsible adult.

6

Staff first aid quals are one of those ‘look what we do’ parts of the ATC, for no real purpose than ‘look what we do’.

The AFA doesn’t get the recognition the EFAW does in many companies and most workplaces only recognise the EFAW and FAAW as a bona fide transferable first aid quals. I’ve know staff do the AFA and had to do an EFAW or FAAW to be recognised as a first aider in their workplace.

Having been FAAW for too many years to think about with work, I’ve not taken any interest the AFA content.

7

AFA is sufficient for pretty much everything that we do with cadets and I have no problem with use expecting staff to have sufficient first aid training. (It’s only a 2 day course). Things that are more dangerous the additional content of FAAW wouldn’t make a blind bit of difference. (And offering FAAW isn’t practical due to the length of the course.)

8

The requirement is for all staff to be HeartStart trained - something that is delivered on squadron to all cadets and takes 2 parade nights.

AFA gives staff the ability to act as First Aid Cover for High Risk activities - Shooting/AT

Just like a Range Qual its for he RAFAC not the individual’s benefit to become qualified.

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9

Shooting and AT are not high risk activities. Nothing in what we do in the ACO has a high risk to it. They wouldn’t allow us to do it if it was.

What would happen if you open up your sqn without a FA qualification?

10

My understanding is that Heart Start is acceptable for now but the expectation is that this will be extended to “a 16 hour FA Course” in the medium term.

11

Then they had better get their pre-staff training properly nailed down and perhaps even rethink the value of SSIC/OIC. The whole of the corps needs to be in a position to regularly provide this level of training if it is to become mandatory - I’ll tell you now that we are not currently in that position.

Whoever is making the decisions based on best-practice and paranoia needs to thrown in a handful of practicality and reason before they sign off any new policy.

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12

They know we aren’t in that position, that’s why they have settled for what is in effect a pointless qualification.

13

Don’t I know it. The schools I’ve worked in don’t recognise the AFA, so I’ve done EFAW so I am recognised as a first aider under their insurances.

Why the Corps doesn’t get staff doing the proper FAAW, is a mystery.

14

speak for yourself…our Wing offers FAAW

15

Because it’s a three day course… ergo it can’t be run over a (non-bank holiday) weekend.

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16

The whole argument about first aid for ‘high risk’ activities loses credibility by the fact we did them for more years without a compulsory requirement for first aid qualfications, than after the need.

I ran ranges and attended them as a cadet and no one was first aid qualified and I’ve forgotten how much AT I’ve been involved in pre first aid.

But we are stuck with pointless and worthless policies and no one in the pension enhancement group with the nuts to rescind them.

17

I do think it might be useful if AFA automatically gave you EFAW as well, as I don’t think there’s anything in EFAW that isn’t in AFA.

18

Or we just do the EFAW.
Or will that mean people not being able to claim pay etc? But people might be more willing to give up ½ a day rather than a weekend and you could do 2 courses in a day.

After all the Corps makes up it own rules around first aid and for whatever reason decided on AFA, when it could have equally picked on EFAW.

EFAW is considered more than adequate by 100s if not 1000s of employers, or do the high and might consider the ATC is spesh?

19

EFAW does not meed the necessary contact-time and assessment criteria required by NGBs who require a current FA ticket to validate their qualification, nor does it permit holders to teach YFA to cadets (a restriction of the YFA authors/owners)

AFA is a sensible full first aid qualification for this organisation but it is well beyond a sensible baseline - that should be EFAW and not Heartstart as we have currently - though I am happy to argue that the requirement for ALL staff to hold a basic FA qualification is somewhat ridiculous.

So the qualification we deliver to you for free does not meet your workplace’s requirements? Boo hoo!
I admit it would be great if AFA could be recognised as granting an equivalent to EFAW, though it may require some minor tweaks to content (probably regarding record keeping and HSE first aid kits)

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20

I thought that BELA for instance doesn’t actually require a first aid ticket of any description, it’s just the ATC making up it’s own rules for the sake of it. So EFAW would be more than adequate.

So no YFA, it’s another invented requirement by the ATC hierarchy wanting to look good in front of others and give the scout look to the ATC another boost. The cadets don’t seem overly bothered about it, other than the badge.

I’m FAW so I don’t care about the AFA.