Why bespoke first aid training is essential for today’s security teams and other high-risk industries
Should more organisations consider first responder training?
Bespoke first aid training is no longer optional, it’s essential
The HSE states that First Aid at Work training should be refreshed every three years, with annual refresher training recommended. However, bespoke first aid training tailored to specific industries and risks is becoming increasingly essential.
The truth is that not enough people follow this guidance. Employers can be at risk of letting training slide, relying on outdated qualifications and complacent attitudes. This is a huge risk, especially in high-threat industries such as security, forestry, construction, and others where emergencies demand quick, confident, and competent trauma response.
The problem: outdated first aid training in a modern threat landscape
If you’re a security manager, employer, or safety officer relying solely on the Emergency First Aid at Work course or even the traditional 3-day First Aid at Work as the gold standard for your team’s training, it’s time for a wake-up call.
These courses were designed for low-risk, controlled environments and don’t prepare your people for the brutal realities faced in today’s high-risk sectors. Yet many providers cling to outdated content, long-winded sessions, and “war stories” that waste valuable time, while employers mistake compliance for true preparedness.
High-risk industries that need more than basic first aid
Security isn’t alone in these challenges. Other sectors regularly confronting severe trauma and emergencies include:
- Forestry and tree surgery, with chainsaw injuries and falls from height
- Construction and heavy industry, where heavy machinery causes severe, complex injuries
- Maritime and offshore workers, operating in isolation with delayed emergency response and risks like hypothermia and crush injuries
- Outdoor adventure and tourism guides working in remote locations exposed to falls and environmental dangers
- Film and production crews operating in hostile or remote areas with limited immediate help
In all these industries, basic first aid is simply not enough. Bespoke first aid training, customised to your team’s specific environment and risks, is what truly saves lives.
Is emergency first aid at work +f (forestry) enough? Some describe this as bespoke first aid training!
For arborists and forestry workers, the Emergency First Aid at Work +F course is the minimum required, but is it truly enough?
Let’s be blunt. Arborists work at height with chainsaws, facing brutal risks like catastrophic bleeding, traumatic amputations, impalements, and crushing injuries. Often, they’re remote and far from immediate help. Does a one-day course really prepare someone to manage a severed femoral artery or control catastrophic bleeding while suspended in a harness? Of course not.
The +F adds only a few forestry-specific topics to the standard syllabus on a basic level. One day in a classroom doesn’t build the skills or confidence needed when the worst happens.
Relying on minimum training is a gamble. Employees should demand more. Bespoke trauma-focused days tailored specifically to forestry and arborist environments provide practical skills and scenario-based experience needed when things go badly wrong.
Minimum legal requirement does not mean maximum safety.
Is the 3-day first aid at work (FAW) course enough?
Many see the 3-day FAW course as the gold standard, but its content is largely static, designed decades ago for factory floors and offices. The course is often generic, slow to adapt, and sometimes factually out of date.
Lesson plans can include outdated protocols that don’t reflect current evidence-based trauma care. Practical time on critical skills like catastrophic haemorrhage control, airway management in trauma, and situational risk assessment is limited. The course rarely tailors content to the specific needs of high-risk industries due to the poor outdated content supplied from the awarding organisations.
Even a 3-day FAW certificate can leave your team underprepared for real emergencies where rapid, decisive trauma response is crucial.
Why are providers and employers still stuck?
Providers often stick to tired models because they’re easy to deliver and meet minimum legal requirements. “War stories” and drawn-out intros fill course time without developing deeper practical skills.
Employers accept this status quo due to budget constraints, operational pressures, lack of awareness about evolving threats, or the mistaken belief that “a certificate is a certificate.” Compliance has become a box-ticking exercise rather than a genuine commitment to competence and safety.
“its ok, we have a first aid box and a few of us did a first aid course” Wake up!
Real-world lessons: the cost of inadequate training
The gap between basic first aid and real trauma response can be deadly. Recent high-profile incidents show how insufficient training leaves responders unprepared for complex severe injuries, especially in high-threat situations:
- Manchester Arena Bombing (2017): Blast injuries overwhelmed responders often trained only in basic first aid. Rapid hemorrhage control was critical but often lacking.
- London Bridge Attacks (2017): Quick bleeding control saved lives, proving advanced trauma care knowledge is essential beyond standard first aid.
- Westminster Attack (2017): Some responders’ advanced trauma skills made the difference between life and death amid multiple casualties.
- Liverpool Car Incident (2025): A deliberate vehicle attack caused multiple traumatic injuries, highlighting the urgent need for training focused on rapid hemorrhage control outside traditional first aid.
Relying on minimum standards isn’t just inadequate it’s dangerous. Up-to-date trauma training tailored to today’s risks saves lives.
Why FPOS is a game changer – Complete Bespoke First Aid Training
The First Person on Scene (FPOS) course is a fantastic option for those needing more than basics but not ready for higher-level qualifications like FREC. It bridges the gap between standard first aid and advanced trauma care.
FPOS covers:
- scene safety and risk assessment
- primary and secondary casualty surveys
- CPR and use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs)
- managing bleeding, shock, and spinal injuries
- casualty evacuation and communication with emergency services
It’s designed for those working under pressure in remote or hostile environments, where standard training doesn’t cut it.
Perfect for first responders, security professionals, remote workers, and anyone in high-pressure, high-risk settings, FPOS builds the skills and confidence needed to take control when things go wrong. Find out more about the First Person on Scene course and how it makes sense for your organisation.
What needs to change?
Employers must take responsibility and demand more than the bare minimum.
Training should be bespoke and industry-specific, tailored to real threats in security, forestry, construction, maritime, and other high-risk sectors. Hands-on, scenario-based learning should replace anecdotes. Teams need practical scenarios to build confidence and muscle memory, if they can’t perform under pressure, the training has failed.
Training must be regularly updated to keep pace with new evidence, techniques, and emerging risks. Competence, not just attendance must be assessed. It’s not about who shows up; it’s about who can perform when it counts.
Final thoughts
In today’s world, where threats come in many forms and risks grow, old Emergency First Aid at Work or standard 3-day FAW courses are not enough. They never were, but the gap has never been more dangerous.
Employers, providers, and regulators must raise the bar not just ticking boxes but preparing people for real-world emergencies. Because when seconds count and lives hang in the balance, “good enough” simply isn’t.
At Optimal First Aid, we know what’s at stake because we’ve been there ourselves. As a veteran-led provider of bespoke first aid training, we bring over 15 years of experience delivering high-quality, practical first aid training in Devon, the surrounding areas, and throughout the UK. We don’t just teach it — we’ve lived it.
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