It was a matter of life and death – but this time it was humans, not kiwi being saved as 18 people from groups and projects all over the Kiwi Coast got together for some vital Outdoors First Aid Training.
The Kiwi Coast recognises that those involved in kiwi-saving projects need to be able to draw upon good First Aid skills at any given moment. Whether they are trappers needing to deal with their own injuries in the forest, coordinating groups of volunteers to carry out pest control, or bringing crowds of people together for events such as kiwi releases – each needs to be able to keep themselves and others as safe as possible and have the confidence to respond to incidents.
The 2-day course was run by Mark and Kathleen Judge, of First Training Northland out at Matapouri. As well as covering the basics of First Aid, the course also took the crew through realistic outdoor scenarios. These provided the perfect opportunity to put knowledge and skills being learnt into operation, as well as bring the skills to life. The realistic role-playing scenarios were both challenging as well as a great opportunity for some of those involved in the Kiwi Coast to get to know each other better and do a bit of team-building.
The 18 people were from a good spread of projects involved in the Kiwi Coast, including Pupurangi Nature Sanctuary, Backyard Kiwi, Whareora Landcare, Bream Head Conservation Trust, Manaia Landcare, Matakohe/Limestone Island, Owhiwa Landcare, Russell Landcare, Nga Kaitiaki o Ipipiri, Puketotara Landcare, Tutukaka Landcare Coalition, Sandy Bay Kiwi, Pataua Nth Landcare and Ngatiwai.
Kiwi Coast Coordinator Ngaire Tyson says “I was amazed by the response we had. All places on the course were filled within 24 hours of emailing projects that the Kiwi Coast was running a First Aid Course. The Kiwi Coast aims to remove barriers in the way of community-led conservation projects and help those involved gain essential skills needed to get the work done. It’s about so much more than just traps! There was clearly a huge demand for this course and it was great to be able to help and support groups in this way.”
This photo gallery shows some of the action – please note that all patients are acting, all injuries are fake, and no-one was harmed during the course!
If you would like to book your own Outdoors First Aid Training Course, contact Mark Judge at First Training Northland.
