The 2 day (16 hour) Outdoor First Aid course is a standard course for outdoor instructors. This series of blogs will help those who work in the outdoors to learn more about adapting first aid skills to their environment.
Whether taking groups hill walking, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking or ski-ing this is the course for outdoor instructors. The course is also appropriate for Forest Schools and Outdoor Woodland Learning groups, countryside rangers, ecologists and estate workers.
Updated March, 2026 Everything you need to know about ticks, tick removal, and Lyme Disease. Why should we be concerned about ticks? Ticks are small arachnids that feed on the blood of birds and mammals, including humans. They may carry a range of pathogens (bacteria, viruses, protozoans etc) that are then transmitted to the host…
Tick removal and understanding Lyme Disease Read More »
FATC director Cory Jones writes for UKClimbing.com and explores 10 common outdoor first aid myths that could hinder rather than help. “Here are some of the most common – and potentially dangerous – first aid myths you might hear in the outdoors, and what to do instead.“
Outdoor First Aid – 10 Myths That Could Make Things Worse Read More »
FATC director and paddlesports instructor Cory Jones wrote a 3-part series on “First Aid for Paddlesports” for Paddler Magazine this year. Please find the 3 articles below which you can also download as PDF’s should you wish to save or read them later. They contain great first aid advice for all kayakers, canoeists, stand-up paddle
First Aid for Paddlesports Read More »
It’s Time To Adapt Your First Aid Kit For Cold Weather! Updated December 2025 The drop in temperature and shorter daylight hours means that winter is here. In Scotland, we’re really starting to notice the lack of evening daylight, and the frost and snow arrived a while ago. So how does that affect our first
7 tips for Getting You and Your First Aid Kit Winter-Ready Read More »
Mental health is often overlooked in expedition planning, despite being a leading cause of incidents, early withdrawals and impaired decision-making in the field. Stress, anxiety, burnout, interpersonal conflict and unresolved trauma can affect anyone, whether they are trekking in the Andes, conducting climate research in Africa, or undertaking conservation projects in remote Scottish glens.
Speaking at RGS Explore 2025 on Mental Health First Aid in Expedition Settings Read More »
Updated November, 2025 Open water swimming is increasingly popular and immersing yourself in cold water is being touted as providing many health benefits with many new people taking to the sea, lochs and rivers to try it out. However it is not without its dangers. As well as the cold water, other risks include injuries
Top 5 First Aid incidents in Open Water Swimming Read More »
Why Mental Health First Aid Training is Essential for Outdoor Practitioners. In the great outdoors, safety has always been the top priority. Outdoor practitioners undergo rigorous training to respond to physical injuries and environmental hazards. But what happens when the challenges aren’t physical, but mental? The growing awareness of mental health in outdoor environments has
FIRST – A framework for managing mental health distress in the outdoors Read More »
Ankle injuries are very common but difficult to diagnose. Slips, trips and falls are common in the outdoors. If someone takes a tumble and hurts their ankle, how do we know if it is broken, sprained or strained? Unless you see a bone sticking out then it is very hard to diagnose what is happening
Assessing and treating a sprained ankle Read More »
By Cory Jones As a wilderness first aid trainer, I’ve delivered courses in all sorts of wild and remote locations — from Highland forests to Kenyan savannahs. But in March 2025, I found myself somewhere a little different: the docks of Dover. I’d been invited by Noble Caledonia to run a bespoke wilderness first aid
Delivering Wilderness First Aid to Zodiac Guides in Dover Read More »
Updated March, 2025 What is SALTAPS? SALTAPS is an acronym that stands for See, Ask, Look, Touch, Active, Passive, Strength. It comes from the sporting context and is used to check if a player needs to be rested or removed from the field of play. If at any point during the procedure, the casualty indicates
First Aid Acronyms Explained – SALTAPS Read More »