Last week at Oasis HQ our overlanding and office crew were joined by several overlanding colleagues to participate in a Travel Safety Training day. The course covered lots of topics including personal safety, assessing risk, emergency first aid, firearms and landmines. Do you know what to do if you are aggressively questioned at a check-point? Well the good news is our crew do!
The training was delivered by Charlie McGrath who spent 15 years as an Army Officer. He now provides safety training to a range of clients including journalists, Gap Year Travellers and business professionals. Charlie and his team also provided training to Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman prior to their ‘Long Way Round’ and ‘Long Way Down’ expeditions – trips that may of our travellers try to re-create by travelling from Cairo to Cape Town.
During the day the team watched several thought-provoking video clips which helped to highlight what to do in an emergency situation. In true overlanding style we didn’t bother with a conference room – oh no. Instead we watched video clips and listened to scenarios on the back of our truck called ‘Habibi’ and practiced first aid in our ‘outdoor classroom’! Who needs a posh room when you have a truck!
After a delicious lunch, the group set about going back to basics and thinking about how they would effectively deal with a road traffic accident or a situation where emergency first aid was given. This reiterated the skills that our crew already have. Oasis driver Nev volunteered to be the victim and ended up semi – undressed in the search to “see if he had any injuries”! Whilst it was amusing watching him play the manikin, it was a stark reminder for all our crew of the important of acting quickly with any emergency situation.
Our day ended and after bidding our farewells, we all remarked what a worthwhile and useful exercise it had been. In Oasis style, we lit the BBQ and debriefed into the wee-small hours!
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