Twenty-four walk leaders and ramblers attended two separate full-day First Aid training courses in September and October. The courses were organised and funded by Mole Valley Ramblers.

 The courses took place in and around Effingham Village Hall and were delivered by course leader Brendan on behalf of  Surrey First Aid Training. Brendan (now an MVR member!) was an excellent trainer and you just trusted him instinctively. He had served (and was wounded) with the Paras in the Falklands and then served with the Met Police so you just knew his anecdotes (all very entertaining) were (mostly) true! His training style was to talk and engage rather than plough through loads of boring slides. He used one page on a whiteboard all day and he kept it all fresh by moving location indoors and outdoors. Luckily the courses were on sunny days and naturally the courses focussed on the sort of events that might happen "on a ramble".

In the morning we concentrated on CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and the use of an AED (automated external defibrillator).

In the afternoon we covered other topics including:

• Bleeding
• Breaks
• Shock
• Hypothermia
• Choking
• Epileptic fits

My favourite moment was when Brendan organised us into three groups of four and took us outside with three "test dummies" and chucked us all three AEDs and said everybody just get on with it. We knew by then that an AED is not a "silver bullet" but we had not yet been shown how to use one; my best takeaway from the course was Brendan saying "It's not like on the TV - he's flatlining everybody - stand clear - shock - and then the casualty sits up for a cup of tea". You bring back a cardiac arrest casualty with both CPR and (ideally) an AED. Brendan's training plan was very well considered. Today's AEDs are just so smart. You just switch them on with the big green button and "Miss Bossy Boots" tells you exactly what to do next - so just listen and obey!

I was inspired by the course to check out my local AED. I live next door to the Plough Inn in the centre of Coldhabour (blue door opposite phone box). We have a village AED so I went to find it. It's in a big yellow unlocked box on the outside wall of the shop. I'm sure many of you know where that is. If you ever need a first-aider to help at an incident on Leith Hill call me on 01306 712512 - or find me. I will also leave contact details of other local first aiders (and some CPR / AED tips) on a laminated A4 sheet with the AED - to help out random strangers.

I have added the Coldharbour AED to the BHF (British Heart Foundation) database so it's now on the map (use RH5 6HD to find it). It's very easy to do this - see The Circuit. It would be really useful if ramblers keep their eyes open for AEDs on walks. You sometimes see them outside pubs and shops or village halls. Some of them are in locked cabinets (and you need to phone a given number to get the access code - call 999 if in doubt). Many others are not. Maybe you could post a photo of an AED you find (and its location) on the Mole Valley Ramblers Facebook Page? There is a brilliant  and free "location" tool called What Three Words. Download it to your phone if you haven't already.

The course notes are worth a read - whether you went to the course or not...

Simon Lea