A North Staffordshire training firm – which has been operating for more than two decades – says it has been able to expand its support to hundreds of emergency staff thanks to its own “lived experiences”.
Abacus Training has been delivering specialist pre-hospital care courses to Staffordshire Fire and Rescue since 2017.
Following work with the fire service, the company was also welcomed on to the National Framework for the Provision of Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine Training and Associated Services and Support to Blue Light Emergency Services in 2019.
The framework is a recognised organisation for emergency services seeking reputable pre-hospital care training providers.
Mike Taylor, founder of the Blythe Bridge-based firm said: “One of the main things we pride ourselves on is that all of our trainers have lived experience in their field and have worked previously in the emergency services themselves and are all qualified teachers.
“It is really important for all of our team to share their own lived experiences so we can help those who are there to serve others day-in day-out with emergency care.
“Staffordshire Fire and Rescue have been a big part of our work since 2017. Each staff member has to retrain every three years and via our programmes we have helped to train and retrain around 600 staff so far.
“We also understand that various scenarios can come up for the fire service, and therefore we don’t just train in a classroom – we go on site during simulated incidents and support staff – whether they are trainees or experienced officers - to work through each process step by step.
“It really is serious work and when you have worked in the emergency services yourself, you understand what is required.”
Martin Weaver, Head of Learning and Development from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “It’s been a real privilege working in partnership with Abacus to ensure our work force are fully trained and able to deal with a range of situations in times of need.
“We strive to give our communities the most efficient and effective service, and this is made possible by the high-quality training we receive from organisations like Abacus.”
Apart from the work with the emergency services, the training provider has been working with various industry organisations including manufacturing, education, trades and government since 2002 and trained thousands of employees UK-wide.
Mike – who was previously a volunteer for West Midlands Ambulance Service for 13 years and has been working under East Midlands Ambulance Service with emergency call outs since 2022 – said the last two decades of being in business is testament to the expertise staff bring with them.
He added: “We have a great team who fully understand how important pre-hospital care and first aid is in the workplace and outside of the workplace.”
“To be able to teach someone something new, something so important and something which can ultimately help to save lives – really needs to be done with an understanding from within.”
