There has been a lot of interest in first aid kits and training in the off-road community recently. Some of that interest has been driven by some unfortunate events, where people have become sick or injured while out enjoying the sport in somewhat remote areas. This has led to many of us really thinking about our level of preparedness and ability to render aid while waiting for professional help to arrive.

The BOAR team believes that it is an opportune time to get together and learn or refresh some basic life-saving skills. Some of the items we will cover include:

- CPR/AED

- Bleeding control

- Bandaging

- Splinting

- Effectively communicating with dispatch

- Building an appropriate and effective first aid kit

- Other items as requested by attendees

As with other BOAR trainings, this will be a fun, casual get-together with a lot of group interaction and hands-on experience. The training will be led by an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) with 12 years experience with a volunteer ambulance service. While attendees will leave the training with some enhanced skills and knowledge, they won't earn any special certification and the training would (most likely) not count as continuing education hours towards an existing certification. Our main goal is to instill some confidence and share some skills that will help us act efficiently in an emergency situation until professional rescuers are on scene.

We are in the process of compiling a list of recommended items to carry in a basic first aid kit. This training will focus on effectively using these items, and we will also make many of the items available for purchase (at cost) the night of the training. The hope is that by buying some of these specialty items in bulk, we can help you build a personalized kit filled with items that you will feel comfortable using, and at a price far cheaper than most commercially available kits. That said, there is no cost for the class and zero obligation to purchase any of the materials... we simply want to make them available to facilitate the building of your personal kits. Also, if you've already purchased or put together another first aid kit, feel free to bring it so that we can help you fill any supply voids and make sure you feel comfortable using all of its contents.

Due to the hands-on nature of the training and the limited supplies and training aids available, we will need to limit the group size to 12 people. Please contact us via email(boaroffroad@gmail.com) or through our "Contact Us' page to let us know if you plan on attending so that we can get you added to the list. Also, the training location is secure, so all attendees 16 years of age and older MUST bring a photo ID for entry.