FAB - First Aid Base Training

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FAB - First Aid Base Training Practical first aid courses for Birmingham and West Midlands workplaces, schools and nurseries. After all... it saves lives!

On a mission to get everyone, young and old, trained in the very basics of first aid.

You check your AED. But do you check where it lives?As the temperature starts to drop, it's worth giving outdoor AEDs a ...
16/09/2026

You check your AED. But do you check where it lives?

As the temperature starts to drop, it's worth giving outdoor AEDs a little attention.

AED batteries and pads don't particularly enjoy temperature extremes. And an outdoor cabinet has another job too — protecting the AED from cold, damp and condensation.

A cabinet that's swollen shut, or a battery that's died quietly in the cold, doesn't announce itself. It just isn't ready when someone ever needs it.

Before winter arrives:

✔ Check the AED's status indicator and turn it on!
✔ Check the expiry date on the pads.
✔ Check the battery according to the manufacturer's instructions.
✔ Make sure the cabinet is dry, secure and working properly.
✔ If it's a heated cabinet, check that the heater is actually working — don't just assume it is.

And if you're responsible for an AED at work, school, sports club or community venue, check the storage requirements for your particular model. They aren't all identical.

An AED is a technical machine and it needs to be there and working properly for the day you hope never comes.

Make sure it's ready when that day does.

The weekend is upon us.Which means somewhere, someone is about to:Attempt some DIY they watched once on YouTube.Light a ...
11/09/2026

The weekend is upon us.

Which means somewhere, someone is about to:

Attempt some DIY they watched once on YouTube.

Light a barbecue with unreasonable confidence.

Go for a bike ride despite not having touched the bike since May.

Let a child loose on a trampoline.

Or discover that wasps are still very much with us.

I’m not suggesting you spend the weekend expecting disaster.

But knowing where your first aid kit is would be a good start.

And perhaps have a quick look inside it before you actually need it.

Because the least useful time to discover you’ve run out of plasters, gloves or dressings…

…is when somebody is bleeding on the kitchen floor.

Have a good weekend.

Preferably an uneventful one.

Your first aid certificate can be perfectly in date - Your confidence might not be!Three years for renewal is a long tim...
21/08/2026

Your first aid certificate can be perfectly in date - Your confidence might not be!

Three years for renewal is a long time.

Long enough to forget which order to do things in.
Long enough to hesitate.
Long enough to think, “I know I did this on the course…”

And unfortunately, emergencies aren't scheduled and don't come with multiple choice answers.

If you look after first aid in a workplace or school, don't just check whether everyone's certificate is still valid.

Ask yourself:

Would they actually know what to do if someone collapsed today?

Because first aid training isn't really about having a certificate in a file.
It's about having something useful left in your head when you most need it.

People don't rise to the occasion.
They fall back on what they've practised.

If you're reviewing first aid provision, planning training for the new term, or using the last of this year's training budget, now is a good time to check whether your team needs more than just a valid certificate.

That's exactly what a tailored 4-hour refresher is for. Message me — let's build one around your team.

Most first aid kits don’t look incomplete.That’s the problem.I’ve seen it in schools and workplaces more than once.The k...
06/08/2026

Most first aid kits don’t look incomplete.

That’s the problem.

I’ve seen it in schools and workplaces more than once.

The kit looks tidy. The boxes look full. Everything looks almost new. It all seems to be there and fine.

Until someone actually needs it.

That’s when people find out:
• No gloves.
• The cold pack has already been used.
• The dressing they need isn’t there.
• Something was used months ago and never replaced.

It’s rarely because nobody cares.

It’s because the kit gets glanced at, not properly checked.

Treat it as a safety control — not something that simply lives in a cupboard.

A proper first aid kit audit checks:

• Is it clearly marked and easy to find?
• Can staff reach it quickly?
• Is it stocked for what your setting actually needs?
• Is everything clean and in date?
• Are seals and packaging intact?
• Is there enough for your numbers — staff, pupils and visitors?
• Has anything used since the last check been replaced?

The same goes for your AED:
• Is it accessible?
• Is the status indicator showing it is ready?
• Are the pads and battery in date?
• Is the AED preparation kit complete?

The best time to find something missing is during an audit.

The worst time is during an incident.

Want the checklist? Say so below.

The festival season is here.Thousands of people are about to head off to music festivals, outdoor concerts and camping e...
24/07/2026

The festival season is here.

Thousands of people are about to head off to music festivals, outdoor concerts and camping events over the next few weeks — armed with tickets, wellies, and approximately zero plan for what happens if things go sideways.

Most weekends end with brilliant memories. A few minutes of preparation can help keep you make yours amazing too!

Before you head off, think about more than just your tickets.

✔ Stay hydrated and eat regularly.
✔ Look after your friends. If someone doesn't seem right, don't ignore it.
✔ Carry any medication you might need (asthma inhaler, epipen), and let someone know where it is.
✔ Charge your phone and take a power bank if you have one.
✔ Agree a meeting point and an end-of-day time before you split up. Mobile batteries die, signals disappear and festivals are much bigger than they look.
✔ Save your campsite, parking space or accommodation using what3words. If you ever need help, knowing exactly where you are can save valuable time.

If someone becomes confused, difficult to wake, collapses, has a seizure or struggles to breathe after taking alcohol, drugs or anything else...

Call 999 immediately.

Be honest with the ambulance crew about what you know. Their priority is getting the right treatment to the right person as quickly as possible — not getting anyone in trouble.

Whatever you're doing this weekend...

Do it safely.

It is going to be the busiest weekend on the road this weekend starting off the holidays!So, before you even leave the d...
17/07/2026

It is going to be the busiest weekend on the road this weekend starting off the holidays!

So, before you even leave the driveway...

Make a checklist, and then check the checklist!

This week's 'Weekend Ready' isn't really about first aid.

It's about preventing the situations that lead to needing first aid in the first place.

You're sitting in the first traffic jam, ten minutes from home, when someone asks where the passports are.
Still on the kitchen table.

Or the red warning light on the dashboard decides now is the perfect moment to tell you the oil's low. Because of course it does.

Then there's the service station stop. Everyone piles out, your child hops out barefoot "just for a second"... and steps straight onto a piece of broken glass.
* A forgotten inhaler.
* Not enough drinking water.
* A tyre that's a little flatter than you realised.
* The child's EpiPen still sitting on the kitchen table, apparently waiting to teleport itself into your bag.

None of these feel like a big deal... Until they suddenly are.

Five minutes prepping & checking before you set off can save you so much stress later.

Whatever your plans this weekend—staying local or heading off on holiday—I hope you have a brilliant time.

Please, just take those five minutes to check the checklist.

Your future self will thank you.

Safety starts with sharing information. Simple as that.You can't prepare for information you were never given.The new Df...
09/07/2026

Safety starts with sharing information. Simple as that.

You can't prepare for information you were never given.

The new DfE guidance on allergy safety in schools drives that home — and it's a bigger shift than you might think.

Schools are now expected to take a whole-school approach to allergy safety, not just a "grab the EpiPen and hope" emergency plan.

That includes:
✔ Allergy safety policies
✔ Staff awareness training
✔ Individual Healthcare Plans
✔ Food allergy management
✔ School trips and educational visits
✔ Learning from incidents and near misses

Schools: the summer holidays are your window to get this sorted before pupils are back in September.

Parents: this is your cue to check your child's school has up-to-date info on allergies, medication and healthcare plans.

Remember; it is a shared responsibility!

I've written a practical guide on what the new guidance actually means, with links to the official resources at the bottom
https://firstaidbase.com/allergy-safety-schools

Some weekend advice for you all... Have a fabulous weekend, just do it safely!
03/07/2026

Some weekend advice for you all...
Have a fabulous weekend, just do it safely!

Heat stroke doesn't ask permission. It just arrives.The warning sign nobody talks about? Sweating stops while you're sti...
23/06/2026

Heat stroke doesn't ask permission. It just arrives.

The warning sign nobody talks about?
Sweating stops while you're still burning up. That's not relief — that's your body throwing in the towel.

Confused? Slurring? Seizing? Stop watching. Start dialling.
999.

While you wait — cool place, fewer clothes, fan or wet cloths on the skin, small sips of room temp fluids. They help.
They don't replace the call!

Don't wait for "really bad." By then it already is!

One of the most useful emergency tips I teach is also one of the least known.Did you know you can contact the UK emergen...
04/06/2026

One of the most useful emergency tips I teach is also one of the least known.

Did you know you can contact the UK emergency services by text message?

The service was originally designed for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-impaired people, but it can also be invaluable if you're somewhere with poor signal or in a situation where speaking out loud is not safe.

The catch?

You need to register before the emergency happens.

Because when someone has collapsed, a child has stopped breathing, or you're in danger yourself, your brain isn't (always) thinking clearly. It's not the moment to be searching online for instructions.

It takes less than a minute:

1 Text REGISTER to 999
2 Read the reply
3 Reply YES
4 You're phone is now registered to text 999

If you ever need to use the service, remember the 3 Ws:
• Which emergency service do you need?
• What is wrong?
• Where are you?

Every time I mention this during first aid training, somebody says:

"Why has nobody ever told me this before?"

So now I'm telling you! Take 30 seconds and do it now.

Hopefully you'll never need it.

But if you do, you'll be very glad you took a minute today.

Have you already registered your phone?



Please note:
✔ Register before an emergency happens
✔ If you change your mobile number, register the new number
✔ The service only works in the UK
✔ If possible, always call 999 first – texting should be used only when calling is not possible.

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