Whether you ride your motorbike with a group of friends or on your own, there may be a time when you are the first person at the scene of a fallen biker.
Injured motorcyclists need to be dealt with in a specific manner as it can be easy to cause them further injury, particularly by removing a crash helmet unnecessarily, or in the wrong way.
Biker Down is a free course, organised by Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and available to motorcyclists and motorcycle clubs in Wiltshire and Swindon. A similar programme is available in the Dorset area, organised by the DocBike project.
The course, which lasts about three hours, is in three parts:
- Part 1 teaches you how to manage the scene of a bike crash, using the same principles used by the Fire and Rescue Service. You are shown how to protect yourself and others, how to prioritise your actions, how to collect information for the emergency services and how to make use of the resources you have available to you, including other people.
- Part 2 shows you the ways of taking care of a casualty, including basic life support and the why, when and how of removing a crash helmet.
- Part 3 looks at what may work (or not work) when it comes to making yourself more visible to other road users. You will also learn about how people look for and recognise objects and how you can help to make sure that other road users see you.
Biker Down Wiltshire has been made possible by sponsorship from AJN Steelstock and Office Evolution.
For further information about Biker Down Wiltshire, visit www.facebook.com/bikerdownwiltshire