Why

The motivation to create this training came from a number of discussions with other riders which had much in common. Many riders would relate a bad crash they had witnessed and the lingering feelings and recurring thoughts the scene engendered beyond the actual psychological trauma of seeing a riding buddy crash. Many of these riders mentioned feeling powerless and unsure of what best to do. In retrospect, they frequently failed to do as much as they wanted to. Sometimes the shock and unfamiliarity caused them to panic or just freeze up. Frequently, in a very serious accident (and especially if it involved a fatality), they related a haunting feeling of lingering guilt which made them feel ashamed.

In almost all cases everyone truly wished that they had known what things needed to happen beforehand so that they could have been of more assistance when the crash occurred. BMWSportTouring.com facilitated many members sponsoring "Tech Daze" for other riders to teach them how to service, repair and farkle their bikes. More than once the desire was expressed: "I wish there was a 'Tech Day for Riders' to teach us what to do when someone crashes out in the middle of nowhere."

Why is this training important to me and/or my riding buddies? The feedback received in over six years of offering this course has been overwhelmingly positive. When faced with a sudden traumatic event people help -they do - they almost always WANT to. This training helps to eliminate the uncertainty of what needs to happen, allays the fear of negative consequences for trying to help and thereby the caution that keeps people from getting involved. Participants relayed that even in a very serious accident, the knowledge that they had done all that they could was a source of comfort for them dealing with the aftermath. Even if someone knew they could not handle any potentially gory parts, just knowing how important calling for help is and the best way to do it was a great comfort to them, knowing they were making an important contribution and a positive difference the best they could. Remember, this is good information for you to know, but you also need to train your riding buddies in it so they can save YOUR hide when you find YOUR shiny side down.

Where

This lecture has been offered at San Diego BMW Motorcycles; Laguna Niguel; Sacramento; Dallas, TX; and East Granby, CT. This online site is an effort to make the information more widely available, potentially to riders all over the world.

When

Jamie developed his First Responder Training for Motorcyclists course in 2005 as a day-long lecture. Since 2007 San Diego BMW Motorcycles has sponsored a class every spring/summer that even includes breakfast and lunch for free. After the lecture given at San Diego BMW Motorcycles in August of 2011 and the assistance of attendee Scott Lydiard, we put this information up on the web for wider access.

How

The First Responder Training for Motorcyclists is not really new information. Jamie developed this course by simply collecting publicly available information from various sources (in print and online) and adding his own experiences as a rider and First Responder. How can an untrained lay person make a difference? You're on the scene - and that gives you a big advantage. In Pre-Hospital First Response, our axiom is "Time is Tissue" once the clock starts ticking you're racing against time to keep things from deteriorating quickly. With some very basic knowledge and skills, you can learn to recognize, treat and even prevent potentially life-threatening situations.

Jamie Edmonds    email: Jamie@shinysidedown.com