First aid knowledge is incredibly important in every industry, but especially so in air travel. When you’re in the skies, you don’t have immediate access to healthcare professionals, and you can’t make your way straight to a hospital. The same goes for ground bases – access may be limited and the areas are often rural. This is why it’s essential that everyone working is first aid trained and ready to tackle a medical emergency with confidence.

The Saxon Air team appreciates how crucial this training is, which is why we recently joined Rachael at First Class First Aid for her Emergency First Aid at Work course. 

Why first aid training matters for private air travel

For the team here at Saxon Air, we have to think about the medical situations that may occur on the ground or reach us from landing aircraft. We need to be able to provide immediate care to anyone who requires medical help in an emergency, be they colleagues, visitors or clients, and to stabilise any situation that requires it. 

Our helicopter team is often at rural bases, which are either difficult to access or are far from hospitals – because ambulances may take time to get there, we need to be prepared to step in. Open days are also a regular event for us, with the public stopping by, including families with children, so it’s important that we’re ready for any emergencies that could occur during these important days.

With proper first aid training, we can also communicate more easily with emergency service providers while we wait for first responders to arrive. It’s our duty to provide people hurt with care, and by being able to follow medical instructions properly over the phone, we can deliver this care more efficiently.

The course 

The Emergency First Aid at Work course, led by Rachael, is designed to ensure employees are ready and prepared to handle medical emergencies safely while feeling comfortable and confident doing so. 

Under Rachaels’ guidance, we learnt what it is to be a first aider and the responsibilities that come with the role. We learnt about dealing with unresponsive breathing casualties and non-breathing casualties, including top-to-toe surveys, the recovery position, chain of survival, and CPR. The team can now safely use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and provide first aid to several types of injuries and emergencies, such as external bleeding, burns, seizures, and choking.

The impact

This first aid knowledge is invaluable to us at Saxon Air, as we are dedicated to the well-being of our clients and guests. With this first aid training under our belts, we now feel confident that we can handle several medical emergencies in a calm and collected manner. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the course as the material was engaging and hands-on, allowing us to get really stuck into practising. Rachael took the time to explain everything thoroughly and was warm and friendly when we had questions. We felt well taken care of throughout the day and found each new skill learnt an intriguing challenge.

Rachel, from Saxon Air’s Helicopter Operations, had this to say about her experience at the first aid training course:

Was there anything your team learned that stood out as particularly important for your industry or day-to-day operations? 

 “We spend a lot of time at rural sites setting up helicopter landing sites. Learning about CPR and recovery techniques is so valuable, as if we had a medical emergency somewhere such as this, it may be difficult for an ambulance to get there quickly. Being confident in first aid skills will help us all to feel more capable if a medical emergency were to arise.”

What did you enjoy most about the training day?

 “I enjoyed discussing the logistics of getting somebody into the recovery position when they may have collapsed in a challenging location. This was thought-provoking and required creative thinking in relation to best protect and look after the patient.”

Do you feel more confident and prepared to handle emergencies in the workplace now?

“I absolutely do feel more confident and prepared when it comes to handling medical emergencies in the workplace now. Having this confidence makes everyone in the company feel more protected and prepared for any eventuality.”