Red Cross Blogs

A competition like no other

By Chris Jefferies
September 14, 2009 at 8:10 pm

Beautiful weather graced Beaudesert Park Campsite in Staffordshire last Saturday. The sun was shining and not a cloud hung in the deep blue sky. Sounds of laughter could be heard from the various groups of young people and adults enjoying a weekend away.

A group of yellow clad people appear, their hi-visibility clothing glinting in the sun. Suddenly screams ring out from an area of heathland. A man runs towards the group, covered in blood. “They’re coming back! They shot my friend! Help me please”.

Fortunately, the blood is fake and the screams come from well-rehearsed actors. The group are first aiders taking part in the National First Aid Competition 2009. As I explained in a previous post, this is an annual competition designed to find the best first aiders in the country!

This year, eight teams entered from throughout the UK. Amongst these was a team from Hampshire comprised entirely of young people (aged 15 – 19). The teams faced eight gruelling scenarios, ranging from car accidents to shootings. Trained actors portrayed the casualties and realistic makeup challenged the team’s first aid skills (and stomachs!).

Overall, Merseyside team emerged the winners. They will now go to Serbia in 2010 to represent the British Red Cross at the First Aid Convention in Europe which brings together teams from many European national societies. I’ve blogged previously about my experiences competing at FACE last July.

For now, the bandages and slings have been cleared away. Beaudesert has returned to its original tranquillity.

Until next year, anyway.

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Tags: competition, FACE, First aid, Merseyside, NAFAC, National First Aid Competition, Serbia

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 14th, 2009 at 8:10 pm and is filed under First aid. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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