Central West First Aid Training

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Central West First Aid Training

Central West First Aid Training Specialists is located in Bathurst. Delivered by current AHPRA registered on road paramedics.

We provide accredited first aid and CPR training to individuals and businesses and service Bathurst and the surrounding areas.

08/12/2025

This photo means a lot to me. It’s me and my kids, soaking up a quiet moment before the holiday season really kicks off.

This time of year can be full of excitement. There’s lights going up, school winding down, plans being made. But it’s also a time that brings serious stress and hardship for many families.

An alarming number of Australian families will reach out for support this Christmas, whether it’s for food, financial help, shelter, or simply a gift for their children.

I think about that a lot. And I think about how important it is to raise kids who understand the power of kindness. Not because someone’s watching, not because it’s expected, but just because you can.

I’m a big believer in random acts of kindness. If you’re not in a position to donate money, donate your time. Help someone carry their groceries. Pay for the next person’s coffee. Hold the door. Smile at a stranger who looks like they’re having a rough day.

It doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be thoughtful.

I feel a real responsibility to make sure my kids grow up knowing that kindness isn’t just nice, it’s necessary. And I truly believe the world would be a better place if we all made a little more effort to look out for each other.

So here’s my question: what act of kindness did you do today?

07/12/2025

Every workplace faces different risks.

The challenges on a mine site aren’t the same as those on a factory floor and a generic first aid course won’t prepare people when seconds matter.

That’s why Central West First Aid Training Specialists partnered with Woodchem to deliver training built around the realities of their work environment.

For their team, it was about knowing how to respond in a high-risk setting, using the equipment and scenarios they’re most likely to face: first aid, CPR, advanced resuscitation and oxygen therapy.

Our job is to close that gap. Taking what we’ve learnt from years on the road as paramedics and translating it into practical, hands-on training that sticks.

Because when something goes wrong, the difference between panic and action comes down to whether the training prepared you for a real scenario.

06/12/2025

Why doing CPR on infants in your arms is dangerously wrong.

It’s a worrying trend we’ve been seeing more and more in training: people being told to perform CPR on a baby while holding them in their arms.

Here’s why that advice could cost a life.

- CPR only works when compressions are deep, firm and consistent.
- If a baby is in your arms, there’s no solid surface underneath.
- Without that, compressions can’t generate the blood flow needed to restart their heart.

The correct approach is simple but critical:

Always place the baby on a firm, flat surface before starting CPR.

This isn’t about nit picking technique; it’s about life or death.

As a practicing intensive and extended care paramedic, I see how quickly misinformation spreads in first aid training. But in an emergency, doing it the wrong way can mean the difference between a restart and no chance at all.

That’s why our training is evidence based, current, and grounded in what actually works on the road.

If you’re a parent, carer, or workplace safety lead and want confidence that your people are learning the right skills, get in touch today.

05/12/2025

Lately I've realised how much we all assume about other people’s days.

We see someone walking into work, a parent dropping their kids off, a colleague in a meeting, and we think we know what their day looks like. But the truth is, we rarely do.

Maybe they’ve been up since 5am juggling breakfast, homework, and emails.

Maybe they’re carrying worry about a loved one, a tricky situation at work, or just the weight of fatigue that never seems to leave.

Maybe they’re celebrating something quietly, or maybe they’re holding it together while everything feels a bit too much.

The point is everyone has a story we don’t see. And sometimes, the best thing we can do is assume nothing, offer kindness anyway, and remember that a little patience and a little understanding, can mean more than we realise.

I try to remind myself of this often, because you never really know what someone is carrying, and small gestures of support can make a huge difference.

04/12/2025

If someone collapsed in front of you right now, would you know what to do?

We’ve stood in those moments as paramedics and seen what happens in the first three minutes when a person goes into cardiac arrest and we’ve seen the difference between a bystander who freezes and one who can step in.

The part most people don’t think about is that most cardiac arrests happen at home, at work, on site, or out at your local sport. Which means it’s rarely us who get there first. It’s a mate, a family member, or a workmate standing closest.

That’s why at Central West First Aid Training Specialists we don’t just tick boxes or teach theory.

We run people through realistic scenarios and train with bleeding manikins, the same kinds of emergencies we’ve managed on the road and that can happen on site.

When it’s your teammate, your dad, or your child, you don’t rise to the occasion, you fall back on what you’ve practiced. And that practice can save a life.

03/12/2025

I’ve spent most of my career working in male dominated industries.

I’ve been the most senior clinician on a job and still had people look past me for someone else’s answer. At times it’s been frustrating, but it’s also shaped the way I work.

It’s pushed me to be sharper, clearer and more determined to make sure what people take away can’t be ignored. Because my mission has never been about titles or recognition.

It’s about impact.

It’s about people leaving a room with more confidence than they walked in with. About psychological safety and knowing you did everything you could, with what you had in the moment you were needed.

Over a fortnight in September we drove more than 1,500 kilometres training teams across Ulan and Mudgee and the feedback has been incredible. Leaders have mentioned it’s the best training they’ve done in decades, that it’s relevant and that it’s changed the way the team feel on site.

That’s why I keep showing up and what makes the hours, the pressure and the travel worth it.

Because at the end of the day, the mission is bigger than me.

It’s about building confident, capable teams who have the potential to change what happens in those first critical minutes, whether that’s onsite, at home or on the golf course.

01/12/2025

I’ve built a career out of thriving in chaos.

High risk jobs, long shifts and pressure is the norm, not the exception.
Give me ten balls to juggle and I’ll find a way to keep them all in the air.

But the part I don’t always admit is that it can take a toll.

The late nights, the overtime and the exhaustion that follows me through the front door, it would be easy to wonder if all of that is worth it.

But then I look here and I know exactly why I do it.

Our kids are always watching.

They watch how Aaron and I work, how we treat people and what we choose to give our time and energy to.

That’s why it’s special to share this part of our lives with them.

To show them that hard work, helping people and courage matters.

One day, they’ll carry those lessons into their own lives and that’s bigger than any title I’ll ever hold.

30/11/2025

Six nights.

Hundreds of staff.

One goal: making sure every person at Ulan No. 3 feels confident and capable when an emergency happens on site.

We’ve been working with Glencore to deliver a mix of sessions across their workforce:
- First aid awareness for all staff, building confidence in the basics
- Advanced resuscitation and oxygen therapy for select groups
- Pain management for deputies and senior staff, so they can step in with Penthrane or oxygen underground if needed

What I love about this is it shows real commitment. Glencore isn’t just ticking a compliance box, they’re investing in their people at every level.

For me, standing in that room each night, watching staff lean in, ask questions and practise until they get it right, reinforces why we do this work.

Because underground, when something goes wrong, it’s your team, your training, and those first few minutes that decide the outcome.

If you want your people to feel confident in an emergency, let’s chat about which of our tailored training sessions would suit your site best.

28/11/2025

Confidence underground comes from training side by side.

One round of training at Appin wasn’t just for their GM3 workforce, Mastermyne contractors joined in too.

It was great to see that the impact of training doesn’t stay in one room. When contractors and crews carry these skills with them, it spreads across sites and strengthens safety networks across the whole industry.

Across the sessions we covered advanced resuscitation, oxygen therapy, pain management and advanced first aid awareness.

Because underground, it’s not about permanent or contracting. It’s about every person being capable, confident and ready to act in those first few minutes.

That’s what real preparedness looks like.

27/11/2025

Supporting Teen Mental Health: From Everyday Challenges to Crisis Care

Earlier this week, Eliza Daley, Pierrick Jacquety, Kate Woods (not pictured) and I hosted a Teen Mental Health Night.

It was a chance to bring parents, carers and community members together to talk openly about what our young people are facing.

We covered everything from day-to-day support and building connection, through to recognising early warning signs and knowing how to respond in a crisis. The conversation was honest, practical and grounded in real experiences.

The feedback from attendees was incredibly positive, and it was great to be able to answer questions specific to people’s own situations.

Nights like this remind us how much our community cares, and how powerful it is when we learn together.

Thank you to everyone who came along and contributed.

25/11/2025

Why more mines are moving to Advanced First Aid

We had the pleasure of running Advanced First Aid at Ulan Underground recently and it’s something I’m seeing more sites switch to after recent serious incidents.

For a long time, the standard legislated course was Provide First Aid.

But underground, when an emergency happens, it’s rarely just one person with a simple injury. You might be looking at multiple people hurt, crush injuries, chest trauma and sometimes a mass casualty.

That’s where Advanced First Aid comes in.

We cover triage, taking command, coordinating evacuations, wound packing, tourniquets, flail chest, crush injuries and chest wounds. The kind of training that’s actually relevant in high-risk environments.

It’s not just theory.

Teams get thrown into situations that look and feel like what they’d face onsite and they get to practice keeping control in the middle of a chaotic situation.

The difference is people walk away knowing they could handle it if it happened tomorrow.

Is your site prepared for Advanced First Aid and emergency training?

24/11/2025

Earlier this year, we were onsite at Peabody Energy Metropolitan Mine, Helensburgh delivering Provide First Aid with advanced elements tailored to their team and environment.

We also had the chance to head underground for a tour, which gave us a firsthand look at the site and the unique challenges it presents, helping us shape training that reflects the reality of their work.

A big thank you to everyone involved for the warm welcome and for taking the time to walk us through the site and its history.

We even came across the old underground stables where horses once lived to haul coal carts with the saddles and shoes still in place.

Such a unique experience and we’re looking forward to continuing to work with the Metropolitan team and building training that’s grounded in their needs.

If your team needs this level of training, let’s talk.

Address

Bathurst, NSW
2795

Telephone

+61437437833

Website

https://www.centralwestfirstaidtraining.com.au/

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