Battlefield to Cattle Field (First Aid Rural Medicine)

Anyone who has experienced a medical emergency in a remote rural area will know of the importance of fast action in the event of a serious injury or condition. Now, a new course, backed by the Countryside Alliance, offers training for any person living or working in a rural environment. The First Aid Rural Medicine (FARM) course takes place over two days and is aimed specifically to deal with worst case scenarios, whether that means an injury caused by farm machinery, chainsaws or, more rarely, firearms. It also looks at coping with more obvious medical emergencies in the field such as a heart attack or diabetic coma.

All of the training team for the First Aid Rural Medicine (FARM) course are ex military medics and instructors with operational experience from desert, jungle, arctic and temperate environments and currently maintain their skills as paramedics within the NHS. The course follows criteria laid out by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and has been developed with the assistance of the Royal Agricultural College Rural Skills management team.

The course is run by 7MST, part of the Surveillance Group based in Hereford. Steve Benbow from 7MST said: 'Standard first aid training, for instance, relies on a quick response from the emergency services. The FARM course challenges this by applying continuous casualty care with the assumption of a delayed NHS response due to the terrain or poor communications.

The UK has one of the world's best health services, but unfortunately in some locations it is quicker to get a take away meal delivered than an ambulance. Fortunately some communities have addressed the short fall in response times with community first responders, who are all generally qualified with First Person on Scene (FPOS) award. The FARM course also comes with an FPOS qualification and additionally teaches you advanced techniques in haemorrhage control and extremity trauma, through to delayed evacuation and prolonged field care, keeping the casualty warm fed and watered if need be.

The course is two days for the basic and five days for the advanced.

The course is held at either your own location for groups or at the Royal Agricultural College for individuals.