PMBA

PMBA has held it's first training course. Fourteen volunteer trail builders and riders took part in an intensive two first aid course geared specifically to those working (and playing) outside. The 16 hour course covered all aspects of first aid including CPR, dealing with bleeds, immobilising casualties and spotting heat stroke & hypothermia. The course was given by 3 trainers from Lancashire First Aid Training Ltd . The trainers are all part of one of the local mountain rescue teams (the one that covers Gisburn Forest) and were extremely experienced and used to dealing with mountain bike victims (we got a particularly gory account of a brake lever through the ribs. The course itself was extremely well run and very enjoyable with a major emphasis on hands on with a serious limit on the death by PowerPoint front. Day 2 even saw us rolling around in the mud to make the exercise feel that bit more real and culminated in a scenario seeing us dealing with a 6 rider pile up.

People from Brownbacks, Cyclejunkies, Gisburn diggers, BAD and SingletrAction all attended along with a few others. The aim of the course was to get as many of us First Aid qualified so we can continue to support volunteer trail building (qualifies the dig days for PMBA sourced insurance), guided riding (a couple of us are currently doing our Trail Cycle Leader qaulification which has First Aid a s a requirement) and the running of the Brownbacks race series. The course was paid for by P.M.B.A. from some of the donations and contributions already received and shows the positive sort of support for the mountain biking community we can achieve. The course was so popular that there's likely to be another one arranged in the future.