My Report on 'YOUR FEEDBACK FROM BIKER DOWN '

Below is a copy of my report based on your feedback from the BIKER DOWN EVENT, going to my managers and other interested parties.

Report For Managers on The First Biker Down Event at Ashford S11​

As you are aware Wednesday 17th August saw the first ever Biker Down event at held at Ashford Fire Station. In response to the new Strategic Assessment Plan for this part of the County set out from South Group Management Team, the KFRS Fire Bike Team devised what is primarily an Accident Scene Management and First Aid Course for Bikers. The delivery team consisted of CM Jim Sanderson KFRS Fire Bike Team, FF Andy Haynes from Green Watch, Ashford, Andy Booth and Andy O’Neill the KFRS Emergency Life Support Instructors and Kevin Williams from Survival Skills Advanced Motorcycle Training.

With a budget from the KFRS Community Safety Team and logistical support from the KFRS Marketing Depts Chris Steele and Nina Carr, the event proved to be a great success.
Our students were all taken from one organisation, called the South East Counties Bikers, a very new club, , of approximately 100 members. There were 19 in attendance which was over the initial requirement of between 12-15 per course but it was felt by the team that we could cope with this number.

They were welcomed on Station and briefed with regard to Health and Safety, Fire Alarm and amenities and then taken to the upstairs lecture room where they received the input on Module 1: ‘Accident Scene Management’ from me (Jim Sanderson) lasting approximately 40 minutes. Next they were taken to the Bays where the ELS (Emergency Life Support) Instructors were set up and received Motorcycle specific, First Aid Training including CPR, managing major bleeds and helmet removal. This lasted approximately 1hour and 15 minutes. They then went through to the BA Lecture room where Kevin Williams was set up and were invited to have Tea, Coffee and Biscuits before receiving a power Point lecture on Group riding Techniques lasting 30 minutes.
All participants are issued with a certificate of attendance, a Biker Safety pack from the Highways Agency and a KFRS Fire Bike, First Aid Kit designed to be carried under the seat of their bike.

At the end of the course they were invited to fill out a questionnaire and were asked to be ‘brutally’ honest in order to assist us in further developing the courses, below you will find a report from analysis of figures and feedback received to give some indication of it’s success.
They were asked a series of questions and required to score appropriately on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the highest score, as to how they felt. Therefore if we assume a score of 1 or 2 is a positive, a score of 3 is neutral and 4-5 negative

Q1, Did you find the presentation interesting? 100% YES
Q2, Did you find the presentation informative? 100% YES
Q3, Will this affect your behaviour as a rider? 72% YES / 22% NEUTRAL / 5% NO
Q4, How did you rate the level of Instruction? 100% scored this as 1
Q5. Is a Fire Station a good venue for this event? 100% agreed.

One of the hardest issues trainers and safety advisors face is changing peoples behaviour, motorcyclists and drivers are particularly difficult to influence in this area, as we have seen with some recent KFRS Campaigns, shock tactic programmes such as Car’n’age work to some extent but for how long, i.e. does the memory of the images wear off and previous behaviour re-assert it self? This is an area I am working on with regard to Motorcyclists and developing some ideas but influencing people’s behaviour can also be done as this new scheme may show, by offering life skills and knowledge to cope, rather than just information on the consequences. I feel that by offering people the ability to train we are giving them responsibility and with this sense of responsibility will come a change in attitude.

I hope as one of the interested parties in this scheme that you will continue to support it and I would welcome ANY comments or suggestions you may have, ultimately I would like to see it become a National Strategy if it is successful but this will only happen if it is what Bikers want and is recognised as a worthwhile project by you.
Please read on for some of the written comments we received from our first group.
Written Comments included:

“Excellent Course, very informative and not too long to lose concentration, will give me the confidence to assist if I come across an incident!”

“More time to practice Helmet removal needed”

“Coffee was a bit poor and could have done with some Donuts!” (This individual scored us as a ‘1’ on everything)

“This was a very good few hours and I think every rider should attend, it opened my eyes to some points I never knew, I have away today known I could help when needed!”

“Good all round, very interesting to see what the differences dealing with Bikers are, compared to general casualties”

“I didn’t get bored, I learnt a lot, even though there was plenty of light hearted chat. The information given was very clear and concise”

“Slightly longer session would have been good as we ran over the 2hours”

“A really useful experience, would highly recommend, makes me feel quite comfortable that I could assist in a crisis”

 

Thanks for sharing Jim. Great job, well done.

 

Thanks Hanna!

 

Great that all feedback is positive and everyone who attended had a good day and left with more knowledge of possible situations and how they can be handled x

 

Tom it's a fact that we wont get 100% results when we are talking about changiong attitudes, certainly not from a one off course! Change often has to happen slowly and as I said in my report, changing anyones attitudes to their own driving/riding is an onerous task and not one that will be completed witha miracle 'cure all', also not everyone needs to change their attitude so who's to say you aren't in that category? I have been riding over 20 years, but it wasn't until I did the Police Motorcyclists course 3 years ago that my attitude changed noticeably and even now I slip occasionally! I see it as a vocation that we involved in road safety need to settle down into and be prepared for the long haul just chipping away at the obstacles, I certainly feel that training, knowledge and skill acquisition are the way forward rather than too much heavy handed enforcement.
p.s you weren't the only one there was one other who scored a 4 for this I believe.

 

Jim this was a good night,and the comment about the coffee and donuts pmsl,he so thinks he's funny,bless him,you'll get to now him,he's hardly ever serious lol .

 

Have to admit that one did make me LOL. That's why I included it in the 'Report' I had positive feed back from our Chief Exec of KFRS today she had read the report and was happy with it so can't be too bad.

 

Hiccing here but Jim been out tonight to a *do* and met a girl who works with/for/invoved with you - and Bikjer down etc and bloody forgotten her name .....she knows you and laurence . Dont loose sleepmover it though lol

 

Probably works in our Media or Marketing dept?

 

YESSSS she does -- been their about 3 months

 

when is the next one ?

 

I shall put a date up here shortly.

 

If it's @ ashford fire station again & it's ok for me to hopple round on crutches I'll defanitly be there

 

I have another date available just waiting on another club to sort their lives out and give me a bloody answer! If they knock it back then you guys get first refusal!

 

Thanks for posting up the feedback Jim, I'm sure it will help improve and streamline the course for future applicants!