Introduction

This training attempts to address issues you might face out in the beautiful - and frequently remote - places we like to ride. Most of these concepts can be applied universally to varied scenarios when things unexpectedly go sideways. This First Responder Training For Motorcyclists serves to better prepare untrained riders who suddenly find themselves in the role of "lay rescuers" trying to help a riding buddy.

The course covers awareness, pre-planning, prevention, risk mitigation, as well as the riders' responses, goals and priorities in a "ride suddenly gone wrong" scenario. Rolling up on the scene of a bad crash is NOT the time to be without answers to concerns like:

• What can I do if I'm not a professional rescuer?
• What do I do first?
• What do I do next?
• What should I NOT do?
• What if I do something wrong?
• Will I get sued?

In addition to preparation and education, this course attempts to answer - ahead of time - as many of these Emergency First Response issues as possible in a format accessible to the layperson and tailored to riders. This training will help you make the best of a ride gone bad:

• Legal aspects of providing help
• Prevention and recognition of Cardio-Vascular emergencies
• The latest basic CPR info you need to know
• Other riding specific concerns
• What to do on the scene of an accident
• How to quickly assess a crashed rider for life-threatening injuries and triage multiple patients
• How (and when) to remove a helmet, and how to protect the cervical spine
• How to best summon help in the back country
• The anatomy of a First-Aid kit
• Basic First-Aid for motorcyclists including treatment of sprains, strains, fractures, burns, splinting, bandaging, etc.
• Environmental concerns like hypothermia, hyperthermia and maintaining proper hydration and electrolyte balance
• What to do AFTER the accident to best help your riding buddy get through the tough times ahead and hopefully back on the road

This course is by no means comprehensive or a substitute for other First Aid, CPR, or Wilderness First Responder training which are all highly recommended. The freely available Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) and other disaster preparedness training is recommended not only for riders but also for everyone in your family, neighborhood and at work.

When "the Big One" strikes, you need to know how to be self sufficient for the first 72 hours. Likewise if you're out in the middle of nowhere you need to know what to do for the first 72 minutes to make the best you can out of a bad situation.

In Public Safety we save more lives through the unglamorous "prevention" part of our jobs than in trying to fix a (frequently preventable) bad situation once things have gotten out of control. This course will deal with prevention, preparation, training and risk management. One cannot eliminate all risk and we know that riding a motorcycle is inherently and statistically more dangerous than watching TV on the couch. However, but we can make better decisions with more knowledge of alternatives and the consequences.

And still, "stuff happens" . . . on a regular basis and this is why we employ highly trained Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians and other Rescue Professionals. But think of how many more of you there are than of us and consider the relative numbers and location of rescuers vs. bystanders in any disaster (or just a bad motorcycle crash) and you’ll see how a well trained and prepared bystander population is critical for survival.

The “Chain of Survival” concept was first developed for surviving a heart attack. A modified version works for this and many other disaster-type scenarios. Having even minimally trained bystanders on scene quickly is the lynch-pin of a strong "Chain of Survival".    Preparation, Early Recognition, Early Access to 911 and Early Intervention are the first four links of that chain and they rely solely on you.

Would you know what to do?

I welcome your comments, questions and additions to help make this site a more useful resource for riders everywhere.   Ride Well,

Jamie Edmonds   (Jamie@shinysidedown.com)