[Update 8-Feb-2017: Please note that booking through the MCC is now closed; for the few remaining places, please book through Red Cross for course code 170304A.]
Have you ever been in a situation when someone near you has got hurt and you weren’t sure what to do? Knowing what action to take can sometimes make all the difference between life and death. The nature of our sport means that climbers are always exposed to a certain level of risk, however small. Only last week a climber broke off a large block from the popular route at Wied Babu “Call out the cops”. The rock hit the thigh of the belayer below, who screamed in pain. The leader took a large fall and ended up hanging upside down near the belayer. Both climber and belayer weren’t wearing a helmet. Luckily, the belayer wasn’t badly hurt, suffering bruises. It could have been a lot worse.
Would you have known what to do if you were there, as the climbers called out for assistance??
With such incidents in mind, the MCC is organising a course in Basic First Aid for the local climbing community which will be run by the Malta Red Cross Society. This course, which covers first aid skills in an out-of-hospital setting, will be held over two consecutive Saturdays: 4 & 11 March 2017, from 09:00 to 16:00 at the Red Cross premises in Pembroke. Those who successfully complete the course will be issued with a certificate valid for three years.
While the syllabus covered is the standard Basic First Aid one, this course delivery is intended specifically for climbers, so that particular attention can be paid to circumstances that are of more direct relevance, such as the one described above. We would like to have a full class of climbers taking this course, so we encourage you to apply.
Places are limited, so booking and pre-payment are essential. The course costs €35 per person; if an ID is required this costs an extra €5. The ID can also be obtained later, through the duration of the certificate’s validity. To book, please complete the following form and submit payment. Your registration will be confirmed when payment is processed.
Featured photo by Rama is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike license.
Malta Climbing Club 