15 Mar Security officers need enhanced first aid training
Security officers are often the first to respond to incidents and are required, at times, to help citizens who find themselves in challenging situations. To train them, there are many courses to support the Security Officer and enhance their capability, explains Simon Rogers, CEO of Turret Training.
One such course is first aid, which is quite generic. But this course does not equip the Security Officer to deal with a critically injured person or multiple casualties. Whether the casualty is working on a building site, involved in a car crash or subject to violent criminality, where security officers are First Responders, they should be trained in pre-hospital trauma skills that help them help the casualty when there is no immediate ambulance support.
Following a UK government-led inquiry after the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena, it revealed a lack of capability, medical equipment and poor medical training for security personnel dealing with badly injured casualties. Numerous recommendations were made. One such recommendation related to enhanced first aid training. Security companies will be required to enhance their medical capability around protecting publicly accessible locations (PALs).
Many first aid training providers do not have the capability or experience to deliver pre-hospital trauma courses for security officers. These trauma courses should be clinically endorsed and certified by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh – Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care. Such courses have been cited by many corporate organisations and demonstrate the capability around treating badly injured people in some very hostile and challenging situations. The below extract is from a research document reviewing pre-hospital capability with the UK Emergency Services;
“Some extremely challenging incidents were dealt with and examples of excellent care predominate. In particular, three terror incidents and multiple casualty calls were attended; exceptional examples of triage and decision making, with prompt effective care in high-pressure environments, were illustrated”.
(Medical Training Police Officers Specialist Role: a retrospective review, Mssrs Hartley Howells Thurgood, 2010-15 FPHC RCSEd)
This extract refers to the clinical skills specialist roles course and demonstrates the effective use of such skills which are now being shared within the UK security industry to develop the professional security medic role.
In 2008 Dubai made it mandatory that all hotels train their staff in first aid and Automated External Defibrillation (AEDs). And in November 2020 Dubai passed the Good Samaritan Law which allows citizens “to give assistance or relief to another person in an emergency situation”.
With the Good Samaritans Law now in place, it’s even more important to provide trauma training for security medics. This dual role, single solution skill set will deliver a very capable, credible and potent response to a critically injured person. In addition it will build the professional status of the security medic and enhance the security company’s capability to deliver exceptional safeguarding in PALs.
Simon ROGERS Msyl is the CEO of Turret Training Ltd. He is a specialist training provider of pre-hospital trauma courses and an advisor to the board for the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care, The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, UK. Simon is a former National Police Firearms Instructor with a regional portfolio for medical trauma training, served with distinction and decorated four times.