Field Notes: Junior Rangers learn first aid

Quinag conservation officer Romany Garnett reports on the Ullapool Junior Rangers’ latest achievements.

The John Muir Trust-led Junior Ranger programme aims to equip young people with practical skills for employment focusing on environmental work. As part of this programme the 10 Ullapool High School Junior Rangers recently qualified as emergency at work first aiders. The picture above shows the young people proudly receiving their first aid certificates, which will be valid for three years.

To gain their certificates they took part in two half day sessions, resulting in a One Day Emergency First Aid at Work qualification. BASP qualified instructor Chris Di Rollo taught them resuscitation, the recovery position, how to check a causality for injuries, bandaging and lots more.

It is a useful skill as anyone could fall ill suddenly and knowing what to do in an emergency situation can save lives! The purpose of a first aider is to give immediate, temporary care before the professionals arrive. Knowing the basics of these skills helps to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening and hopefully will promote recovery. It can be a scary situation when someone around you suddenly is injured or ill, but the young rangers demonstrated a competence in dealing with different first aid scenarios and conditions.

As well as the first aid course, the Ullapool Junior Rangers have been learning bushcraft skills, navigation, horticulture, visitor management, carbon capture, sustainable deer management and river surveying. The underlying theme throughout these sessions is learning about the environment around them and how to take care and protect it for the future.

They have worked extremely hard, in all weathers (including hailstones at the tree nursery). As the academic year draws to a close, they will have built up enough competencies to be achievers of the Scottish Countryside Ranger Association Junior Ranger Award and the John Muir Award.

Working with the Junior Rangers has not only been extremely rewarding, it also meets the aims of the Trust by enabling a deeper understanding of what’s involved in looking after wild places.

Well done Ullapool Junior Rangers!

^ Portrait of Romany clearing drains on the Quinag path taken by Chris Puddephatt for our Wild places need heroes campaign.