A Dundee company is offering free first aid courses after figures showed the majority of RNLI call outs were to paddle boarders.
Adam Harrison and his wife, who run Shield Scotland Training, will be offering a free first aid course in the city this Wednesday.
Adam, who is also a keen paddle boarder, said he had been moved by a story of a man who had passed away while taking part in the activity.
Our first FREE session was a great success!!!! More people within the #Dundee community with basic life saving skills. All for just 90 minutes of their time! 🙌🏼 Our sessions next week are a bit busier but still a couple of spaces left so get booking if you want to join us! pic.twitter.com/BqfzX7UbWS
— Shield Scotland Training Ltd (@TrainingShield) July 22, 2021
He said: “We saw a recent story about how a gentleman and his friend who had been paddle boarding together when his friend collapsed suddenly and sadly died.
“The gentleman was brave enough to share his story encouraging people to learn first aid, as he admitted he didn’t know what to do to help his friend.”
First aid training course
New figures show that up to 80% of emergency call-outs around Scotland’s coastlines are for paddle-boarders in trouble.
Stand-up paddleboarding has surged in popularity since the beginning of lockdown, with the activity now believed to be the fastest-growing water sport in the world.
However, the craze has also resulted in increasing call-outs to emergency services, prompting calls for awareness of potential dangers which can include offshore winds and quickly changing tides.
Adam and his wife hope they will give people carrying out water sports more confidence in providing help, by running two first aid sessions on Wednesday, at 9am and 1pm.
Adam said: “We were really saddened to read his post as we believe basic first aid should be affordable and accessible to everyone.
“So we decided to offer a couple of free basic life support sessions in the hope that we could give more people the skills and confidence to avoid ever being in the same situation.
“We wanted to aim it at the paddle board community due to the story behind it but obviously we welcome everyone to come along.”
The Tay coastguard has seen an increase in paddle boarders needing assistance, including a six-year-old boy who needed rescued.
Laura Erskine, RNLI water safety education manager for Scotland, said: “As an activity, stand-up paddleboarding has grown exponentially over the last 18 months. As fun as it looks, the dangers are very real.
“Whether you are a complete beginner or more experienced, it’s always useful to know a few tips and tricks and, if you can, always go with a friend.”
You can book via the Shield Scotland online booking system.