The Bushcraft Safety Award (BSA) is delivered as a day course over 9 hours, with assessment included during the training.

Scope of the Award

The Bushcraft Safety Award (BSA) is dedicated to enabling outdoor instructors to deliver safe and inspiring entry level bushcraft sessions to groups.

Remit of Awarded Instructors

Instructors holding the award have demonstrated a knowledge and understanding of how to maintain best safety standards while delivering sessions in fire craft, shelter building, and basic hand tool use.

Scope of the Award

The Bushcraft Safety Award (BSA) is dedicated to enabling outdoor instructors to deliver safe and inspiring entry level bushcraft sessions to groups.

Remit of Awarded Instructors

Instructors holding the award have demonstrated a knowledge and understanding of how to maintain best safety standards while delivering sessions in fire craft, shelter building, and basic hand tool use.

Limits of the Award

The award does not assess an instructor's ability to deliver safe sessions outside of those referenced in the training syllabus.

The award does not aim to assess an instructor's knowledge base or experience as a Bushcraft practitioner in general; instead the aim is to demonstrate the instructor can deliver a safe session within the remit of the award.

Award Prerequisites

Candidates undertaking the award must already have at minimum:

• Outdoor first aid qualification (16 hours) or equivalent

• A basic level of experience in the activities referenced in the remit of the award

  • Candidates are expected to draw on a pre existing personal skill level in the topics for assessment. For example: A candidate should be competent in using a ferrocerium rod to light a fire in difficult weather, the award training will look to coach the candidate in managing that ability safely within a group activity session.

• A genuine drive to deliver engaging and inspiring sessions in Bushcraft

Training Syllabus Overview

SESSION PLANNING

In the case of all activities outdoors, planning is often all that is needed to maintain a safe session, along with an understanding of what the hazards are and how to recognise them. Setting yourself up for success is key when managing dynamic sessions where risk assessment is adopted as a learning outcome for groups. The award provides an understanding of potential risks and hazards involved in bushcraft type activities as well as an approach to session planning which allows for constant assessment within the sessions.

The award will empower participants to confidently appraise a venue, and the session plan to generate a safe environment for the delivery of an awe inspiring activity session.

1. Leadership

2. Group assessment

3. Site Assessment

4. Equipment auditing

5. Hazards and emergency procedures

FIRE

Fire lighting sessions have become a standard in bushcraft activities for groups. The benefit for a group, especially of young people, in learning this quintessentially human skill is proven to aid mental health, issues of connectedness to one's history, practical wilderness travel, nature appreciation to name just a few. Being able to inspire a group to light their own fire is a wonderful tool in the outdoor instructors repertoire, and under this award we’ll look at how to fulfil that role safely.

1. Venue and Ground conditions

2. Setting up and assessing the activity area

3. Group Management and risks

4. Ignition sources 

5. Tinders

6. Fire building

7. Purposeful sessions

8. Closing down procedures

SHELTER

Whether using natural materials or manmade alternatives a shelter building activity provides a shared goal for the groups - construction of a ‘home’ outdoors. Communication skills are key to this activity where people are encouraged to plan a shelter and as a team execute that plan in full scale. Instructors in this role are often placed to ensure the structural security of these shelters to mitigate a collapse, as has been documented in various outdoor centres, causing injury. This award delivers a solid understanding of some key principles to follow when running a shelter session.

1. Resources

2. Group management and Hazard detection

3. Equipment

4. Safe structures

5. Purposeful sessions

TOOL USE

Working with a group to run a safe session involving sharp tools can be a daunting task, and many outdoor instructors are rightfully wary when asked to provide a carving session. During the award training we look at ways to introduce the craft knife and a saw into an activity in a controlled way. We’ll explore how to observe the group to maintain overall behaviour, as well as detail strategies to bring tool use into a practical problem solving exercise. This is not a comprehensive knife craft setting, but a pragmatic look at the issues that arise from using sharp tools with groups, and the award seeks to provide you with a framework to assess risk for yourself.

1. Tool selection and maintenance

2. Safe knife use

3. Safe Saw use

4. Group management and observation strategy

5. Risk awareness

Course Details:

• 9am - 6pm

• £90 per person

• Click HERE for a complete course syllabus.

• On completion of the award a comprehensive handbook is supplied to supplement the training syllabus.

• The award is a lifetime certification, however we recommend if you are delivering session irregularly or a significant amount passes between bushcraft sessions, you should look to take the course again as a refresher.

• The course is delivered from a private woodland on the Harewood Estate outside Leeds and on a private woodland in Oxfordshire near Upper Basildon.