Survive First Aid is a leading provider of Remote Area First Aid and Wilderness First Aid Courses within Australia. As a Registered Training Organisations we award participants Nationally Recognised Units of Competency and are able to design courses to suit client needs. Founded to provide quality, tailored training every staff member has a passion for education and believes in what we do.
The Team
Survive First Aid is exceptionally proud of its ‘Team of Staff’ who are the face of our company, and with whom the success of our Training is dependent. All of our staff have a current Certificate IV in Training and Assessing (TAE40116) and are committed to providing a great learning environment that takes into account adult learning principles.
The background of our staff and trainers is broad and varied, including Teachers, Outdoor Leaders, Adventure Guides, Expedition Medics, Paramedics, Nurses, Mums, Dads, Adventure Enthusiasts and they have all worked in a variety of roles and a variety of companies.With expertise in First Aid, Emergency Response, Teaching, Paramedical Science, Outdoor Education, Overseas Expeditions, Diving, Climbing, Mountaineering, Kayaking, Rafting, Skiing, Search and Rescue, and Risk Management, we’re able to individualise the training and make it not just your average course.
Adam - Owner/Trainer
Adam is an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) that has been leading expeditions within Australia, New Zealand, S.E Asia, South America, Asia and Central Asia for over 15 years.
He is the owner of Survive First Aid. When he is not working as a Trainer for Survive or running the business he also works as a Trainer in Outdoor Leadership at TAFE and as a Medic in Remote and Wilderness Locations.
He loves adventure travel, is an avid skier and mountain biker and would really like to be a better surfer!
Leah - Student Support Manager
Leah is our student support manager who is your main point of contact through the enrolment process, and helps with any questions you have prior to or post the course.
As a qualified Trainer and Assessor as well Leah understand the courses really well and provides an invaluable service to all our participants who complete a course with Survive.
Leah is the glue that holds it all together whilst the Trainers travel about delivering the courses.
Nathan - Trainer
Nathan has spent the majority of his adult life on the road and in the outdoors- either travelling, guiding expeditions or working in Outdoor Education. Somewhere along the line he decided a change of career was needed and he became a Paramedic- working in metro, rural and austere settings for the past 10 years.
He is the Founder of Backpacker Medics, an avid mountain biker, a life-long surfer, and coffee-nut.
Nathan is our trainer based in Tasmania but also travels interstate to deliver courses
Heidi - Trainer
After leaving school Heidi worked as a freelance outdoor educator. She then became a nurse but pretty soon realised that a life working indoors wasn't for her. Heidi has been working as an Advanced Life Support Paramedic with Ambulance Victoria for the last 13 years and absolutely loves it!
She has a lifelong passion for the outdoors and regularly takes her family on crazy adventures. She also is passionate about roller derby which you are welcome to give her lots of stick for!
Heidi is one of our main Trainers in Victoria
Jason (Toschy) - Trainer
Jason combines his passions of education, travel and medicine with a keen sense of purpose to promote and improve wilderness medicine from the ground up.
Jason started his wilderness medicine passion while working as a ranger in the Otway National Park and volunteering with Ambulance Victoria as an Ambulance Community Officer and firefighter with the CFA in Apollo Bay.
When not working for Survive as a trainer Jason works as an Advanced Life Support Paramedic for Ambulance Victoria, and has recently also been a medic on his first overseas expedition to Nepal.
Jason is also one of our main Trainers in Victoria
Dave - Trainer
Dave has been working as a professional paramedic for over 10yrs in both a metropolitan based emergency ambulance service and on remote mining contracts. His latest adventure has him working on a Retrieval Helicopter in North West WA.
Recently he has found the passion for passing on his knowledge to like minded outdoor loving humans.
When not at work he spends his time in the South West of Australia mountain biking, trail running, free diving and he takes it upon himself to personally keep an eye on the quality of the local grape juice industry!
Dave is one of our main trainers in WA.
Joe - Trainer
Joe is a freediver, surfer, sailor, paramedic, nutrition/lifestyle consultant and offshore survival trainer. His passion is to enhance everyone’s understanding of the ocean, and as a result, how we interact with it.
He has worked within the Royal Australian Navy as a Medic, in the offshore industry as a medic, trainer and HSE officer, as a safety diver for international freediving competitions and for Sea Shepherd Global.
He currently runs his own company called One Ocean International which offers ocean safety training and medical support.
Joe is our other main trainer in WA.
Cat - Trainer
Struggling to choose between the mountains and the sea, Cat spends her life becoming better acquainted with both.
After starting out as a social worker, Cat’s belief in adventure therapy opened up the world of outdoor education. After sharing her years between World Challenge expeditions and riding the French Alps, it was time to settle down for a few years and become a paramedic (almost there!!)
If it’s outside and wet, or high and dry, so long as it’s exciting, she’s happy!
Cat is based in Victoria and helps out as much as she can
Brad - Trainer
Brad is a rescue paramedic working on remote sites around Western Australia. He comes from a military background where he served in an aeromedical role in East Timor and a combat role in Afghanistan.
He is passionate about delivering healthcare in challenging environments and directs this passion into his day job(s!) as well as his volunteer role as Operations Manager for healthcare charity Backpacker Medics.
Brad is also the founder of Austere Risk Management and is the brains behind the Survive Student resource and Survive App.
Based in Indonesia Brad flies in and flies out when he can.
Simon - Trainer
Simon is a qualified ALS Victorian paramedic based in Geelong, with a variety of experiences in the education sector. Prior to becoming a paramedic Simon worked in outdoor education as a guide and as a qualified teacher.
Working for survive has provided simon with a lifestyle that allows some of his work passions and interests to combine and enjoys being a part of the evolving conversations in wilderness first aid and medicine.
Simon has been a part of Survive since the start and continues to help out when he can.
Beck - Trainer
Beck is a Registered Nurse who currently works in emergency departments in tiny country towns and surgical wards in city hospitals depending on her mood.
Currently loving the hell out of volunteering in strange places with Backpacker Medics, Beck is also on her own adventure working and travelling around Australia and so who know where she will pop up!
Adam (Adsy) - Trainer
Adam began his career in the Outdoors in 2006 guiding in remote areas of Victoria and New South Wales prior to working as a Paramedic in Western Australia and now Victoria.
Adam enjoys an adventure with a keen passion for multi day paddling trips which has taken him down rivers around Australia and far flung corners off the globe.
Adam is based in Gippsland Victoria as an ALS Paramedic and trains for Survive when he can.
Kate - Psychologist
Kate is an accomplished clinical and performance psychologist with over 15 years’ practical and theoretical experience. As a psychologist, coach and trainer, she has worked with elite sporting teams, corporate leaders, members of Australia’s Special Forces and television personnel.
Kate’s passions lie in the outdoors; climbing, hiking, mountaineering and just generally exploring new areas.
Bringing together her professional background and working in remote environments, Kate and Survive collaboratively developed the ACCE Psychological First Aid training, which is now being rolled out to international audiences.