The BTA, in developing its recently released Recovery of Persons in Water (PIW) Guide to Good Practice for Small Vessels (available here), unearthed various myths, misunderstandings and inaccuracies about casualty care, and found first aid treatment knowledge not always sufficient to provide the recovered party the best chance possible.

All too often drills and training extend to retrieving the casualty to the deck and considering the task complete. In a real incident retrieval of the casualty to the deck is only half the job.

The emergency services may be a considerable time and distance away, and casualty care beyond basic training necessary.

To go some way to counter this, the BTA has issued in collaboration with Saviour Medical Limited (https://www.saviourmedical.com/) the Maritime Immediate Emergency Care Checkcards.

The algorithmic flash card system provides simplified pre-hospital care. It distils a set of interlinked, simple yet comprehensive check-cards, which remove the memory test from pre-hospital care, and in doing so improve casualty outcomes and build responder confidence.

The cards provide an ATMIST Handover System standardised to the His Majesty’s Coast Guard and the UK Emergency Services, seeking to improve communications with emergency services and improve lifesaving capability.

Areas Covered by the Immediate Emergency Care Checkcards:

• Assessment of the Casualty
• Control of External Bleeding / Crush
• Care of Unconscious Breathing Casualty
• Resuscitation – CPR
• Burns
• Drowning
• Cold & Hypothermia
• Casualty Handover (ATMIST)

The Saviour Medical checkcard card system has been proven with over 400,000 patient interventions across the RNLI, UK Maritime Pilots Association, PD Ports, regional Fire & Rescue Services, National Grid and Lowland Rescue.

Various BTA members have already put the care cards on their vessels, ready for crew training and hopeful lack of real world use.

The cards come in a ring bound plasticated wipe-clean A5 format for durability and ease of use and may be ordered via William Rann, wrann@ukchamberofshipping.com for £15.00 ex vat per + shipping.