Just back from Kitestock 2010 and had an awesome time. Food, people, venues and conditions combined to make it a memorable event.
Only one thing I found to be lacking during the Big Air competition was qualified first aid people with appropriate medical equipment. It never came. 
Darren Marshall landed heavily during this competition consequently knocking himself unconcious in about 1 metre of water about 40m from shore. Everyone stood unsure as what to do on the beach until a fellow competitor held Darren up and gestured to the beach for help. By then a minute or two had passed before anyone even started going out to help. I am not a doctor nor do I profess to be one however, these first few minutes of getting to an injured person in the water/surf are surely critical.
I saw Darren regain his feet and he was obviously concussed but I still remained in the crowd as I expected that qualified people would soon be at his aid with appropriate equipment.
Junior and I were the first people to arrive at Darrens Kite which he seemed to have no control over, fortunately it dropped to the edge of the window and we were able to land it immediately. I continued over to Darren and supported him in the surf while he regained his composure. At this point he was starting to come around and was insistent that he be able to continue to compete, all I could do was make it clear to him that he was extremely unsteady on his feet and he should consider making his way back to the beach.
Darren, I totally respect the exceptional amount of intestinal fortitude you showed that afternoon to continue in that heat but, IMHO, the better/safer option was for you to take a break for a while and get checked out.
If this incident happened to a kiter of lesser experience I wonder the outcome as Darren was really operating after that on auto pilot and muscle memory once returning to the heat.
This was never meant to sound like an incident report and I apologise if it reads as one. My point I guess is that we read in these very forums all the time about the dangers of this extreme sport. We even insure ourselves with the organisers of this event WAKSA. Yet it seems WAKSA choose to run high risk competitions in waters with extended shallow beaches with no expert medical people or equipment at the event. Surely as at other extreme sports we should have an ambulance and professional people at the event ready to respond on the spot should the need arise.
Hi Barry glad you enjoyed the weekend.
WAKSA would like to assure everyone that every hour that Kitestock was operational there was at least one - at almost all times two - fully qualified first-aiders or nurses or doctors on duty at our 2 designated first aid stations. One at mission control at the surf club and another at the site of the second rescue boat at the demo area of the event. At most times both of the first aid & rescue boat crews were in contact via two-way radio as well.
First aid equipment for Kitestock was well beyond that required for approval of our event as the SLSC very generously allow us full access to their well stocked first aid locker. All of our primary on-duty first-aid team were well acquainted with all of the equipment we had on hand.
Darrens incident was definitely potentially serious. The on duty officer at the time saw that there were others heading out, obviously intent on rendering emergency support, so the decision was to made to get the stretcher in case there was any serious damage done which would require this piece of apparatus. Im sure you would have still been there when this arrived as it was only moments behind the crew of about 5 who dashed out from the crowd initially.
I thought it was a very measured and professional way to go about it from a first-aid perspective. Im sure if there was no-one on hand to give that primary level of immediate support then the duty officer would almost certainly have headed out without the stretcher; but with help at hand that was probably a very valid response.
WAKSA has a rigourous risk management process in place which we apply to every event. The process is continually monitored to ensure that updates and improvements are continually being considered to ensure it is as effective as possible in every situation. The Kitestock MMX procedure will be reviewed; and Im sure this incident will generate significant discussion; but I believe the precautions and actions in this case were appropriate & more than acceptable.
Perhaps an appropriate time to acknowledge two of our sponsors here.
- Darren Marshall aka AKS or Australian Kitesurfing School from Pinaroo Pt
- Rob Gannon aka KBP or Kite Boarding Perth from Mullaloo
These guys not only supported the event with large prize donations and offering demo gear to everyone all weekend but they also provided their school rescue boats to the Kitestock cause.
PLUS :
Rob not only acted as co-ordinator of the demo area first aid station but also took time out from 'working' his demo stand to offer one shift on the first aid roster.
The course racing layout was planned with Darrens capable input and the buoys & flags were also donated from his own stock of equipment.
A great example of just how much support goes into the making of this event. The volunteeer crew this year were awesome.
WAKSA,
1. "Designated first aid stations" means that these area's should be shown, specified or made clear. I definitely saw the Angustora Bitters area, the registration area, the shirts, rashies, merchandising area, even the Kitesurfing clinic for the Cocos Islands had a clear area. Correct me if I am wrong but I can not recall any "designated" first aid station.
2. If the "fully qualified first-aider" duty officer "saw the incident" why did he not immediately enter the shallow water prior to the other competitor aiding Darren or prior to the spectators entering the water. In his capacity he would have immediately seen Darren had been concussed. He had ample time to do this as several minutes had lapsed between the other competitor arriving at the scene, stabilising his kite, avoiding Darren with lines and helping him up.
3. Why did the fully qualified first aiders, nurses or doctors not check on his condition even upon the completion of the heat.
4.How can you "believe the precautions and actions in this case were appropriate & more than acceptable". No qualified person checked on his condition!
You are obviously also not aware of the fact that at the completion of Darrens heat that he road back to his truck to pack up. However, he never made it back to the truck, in his words "I didn't know what the fu** I was doing riding out there or where I was going, so I just came back here". It was at this time I was looking around for a designated first aid station, sorry guys no way was that clearly marked or efficiently manned.
Junior shadowed him riding back to the demo area making sure he got there from the surf club in an effort to keep him safe!
He is a major sponsor at this event and you let him down.
I’m with BD here and I think when there is an incident such as this a medical office or if they are not immediately on hand (could be on a down winder) then any of the organising crew should have the authority to tell the injured person to leave the water and await clearance from a certified medical officer.
It is irrelevant how experienced the kiter is or whether they are a sponsor or not, safety must be the first priority.
I spoke to Darren that evening and he wasn't making any sense so obviously no harm done.
more importantly does anyone have pics/footage?? Sounds like it was an epic boost!! 
Hi Guys,
Sorry to be the center of all this fuss, it didn't seem to be a big deal at the time. I still have no recollection of the impact of the crash, nor the minutes following it. It was my choice to continue the heat and I just didn't understand why the person holding my kite wouldn't launch it nor whey there was BD holding my arm?
I did ride around for the rest of the heat and upwind to the demo area, and was a bit confused what I was even doing in the final.
I do wish to thank the people who took care of me that afternoon. To the rider whom held me up in the water after the crash (still don't remember or know you), to the people who rushed out and helped me regain my feet, to Junior who rode back with me (I thought you were just trying to get in my way 
) and to all the peopl who showed concern and filled me in on what happened afterwards. Mohalo! Many Thanks. I owe you all for your concern and efforts and maybe as much as my life.
I love the kiting community, it is unique and selfless most of the time, and I and AKS will always give back to this great community in appreciation, and coz we love to. 
Thanks again all concerned.
KH
i wasn't there.
concussions though are not to be taken lightly.. 101 of senior first aid and regarding head trauma is to ask basic questions and see if the person is able to respond coherently.
name
age
todays date
size of kite
....stuff like that.
diluted pupils is an obvious symptom, i had a mate that as using my 5 meter once and his harness broke and ended up kitelooping him , when he managed to wash in his eyes where like a raccoons, suffice to say he didnt go back out.
if though someone has been knocked out and is known to be concussed then they are unable to make the call of their abilities in their current state. its like someone drinking a carton of piss and then asked if they can go kiting...
good to hear nothing further happened as could of been the case. all is well that ends well.
I'm sure though there where some paramedics at kitestock that kite
apologies to sound like the safety police.....
Darren you are awesome! I can boost so high thanks to your tips, and you can boost so high that you knock yourself out! Holy heck! Our sport (especially in Sydney) needs more people boosting massive air. Forget the wakestyle pond and the twirlybirds, get your boost on, it's all that matters.
waksa did a great job, 300 kiters plus a huge crowd watching, all the competiters were all going hard to impress. the part of this story i like the best is that other kiters were the first to help out, even though they were in a comp, it dosent matter, looking out for each other is the golden rule in the surf, thats what saves you in these situations. the hospital/ nursing outpost is not far from the event if need be.
we all put ourselfs in dodgy situations at some stage whether we choose to or not.
barry dawson you just put your hand up to co-ordinate saftey for next years event. sounds like your first aid kit in your car will be sufficent.
make sure you can get that ambulance out at the point just in case someone goes over the falls on a three footer. whoa, heavy!!!!
So happy to read the positive vibes..............go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
And Darren, you silly mother, your back just got better.........I still can hardly drive....good on ya mate..........you crack me up and are da man.
The heat was stopped within 15 seconds of the crash our first aid was alerted straight away, Darren was jumping again within 5 minutes.
Great form from Darren I must admit.
We decided to continue on with the heat.
End of story.
The only failure on WAKSAs side was maybe the failure on insisting to get Darren checked out after the event.
I don't normally interject on this type of thing but i have to say something now.
As a paramedic, I have seen a lot of people that have suffered concussions. I would like to say that Darren should know better, but my guess is that Darren wasnt present at that time. Concussion, as a lot of you will know, is a quick reboot of the brain; caused by some type of internal trauma to the noggin. The problem with the reboot is that you lose all unsaved data, hence why Daz can't remember much. One good thing about it is that a lot of things stop for that reboot, including the need to breath. Lucky, cause he was in the water.
But the most scary thing about a concussion is the extent of the damage. As cwamit said, it could lead to racoon eyes- a clear sign of Base of Skull Fracture.
So, as much as Darren would have argued to go back out, he wasn't in the right frame of mind. Any medic should have known that.
Of course, I understand that running an event of this magnitude is taxing on the team at WAKSA. However, the onus was on the medical officer on duty. That man should not have been allowed to go into the water until the medic laid eyes on him and conducted a basic neuro exam.
At the end of the day, we didn't lose our mate. And i'm sure that WAKSA will talk, at length, about this and take from it what they need to. After all, life is one big lesson......... after one hell of a boost.
JD
Come on, someone has to have footage for us poor sods who were stuck in Perth????
Actually, was kiting at wedge with my mate
Just wondering how many of the WAKSA critics have freely volunteered their services to WAKSA.
Easy to stand on the sidelines and crit!
Crikey! Takes you back to the 2 line kite days ay Darren?
Glad no long term damage but have to agree with above comments re concussion.
Concussion is a bizarre and odd beast. It affects everyone differantly. If a punter is KO-ed then some sort of safety marshal (no pun intended Darren) should have insisted Darren remove himself from the comp. It's not easy to do as concussed folks usually get disoriented and aggro - even if they are a mung bean swilling, peace-nic like Darren! Most times the person will seem as odd as a 3rd hooter to bystanders but not understand why everyone is fussing and trying to p!ss them off.
No matter the experience and/or respect level, if ya mush ya noggin ya need to sit down and be monitored for a bit.
A lesson learnt for next year?
EDIT:
Er.. wasn't there BTW but have seen the effort WAKSA doods n doodettes put into the show and it is admirable for sure. 
Think in this case a lesser known kiter may have been handled diff as no-one wants to start telling a local guru how to chant the mantra.
As a wisened man once said (my old geeza) "Everyone has to sit down to sh!t".. Yes - sagely words indeed.. we are all human may have been a tad more eloquent tho.
Totally agree LouD.
If its truly well intentioned constructive criticism then there are plenty of well known private channels of communication to use to get your pov across. Lots use these and the kitestock crew welcome it and take it all in to continually improve the event.
Criticising, big mouthing and sprouting presumed superior intellect & knowledge on a public forum is anything but positive or constructive. And even when the totally ill-informed info "Yet it seems WAKSA choose to run high risk competitions in waters with extended shallow beaches with no expert medical people or equipment at the event." is negated with fact still the negativity continues.
As you are wrong I will correct you (as invited). You managed to find the rego desk - unmarked anywhere; you found one table with a poster about the Cocos Island Tours and managed to eek out the merchandise area which also wasnt sign posted yet you managed to miss the large, open to the public first aid centre right in the doorway as you looked in or entered the SLSC. Right between the Cocos Kite Tour Table & the rego desk and rather more promonent than either of those as it was flanked both sides and across the fully open entry to bed & wash facilities & shelves (stacked with easily seen & recognisable first aid equipment) with 3 bright yellow plastic stretchers.
But you are right neither waksa, nor the surf club, has a sign above the centre saying 'designated first aid area'. Like the rego desk it was sort of obvious to most.
BTW the stretchers didnt have "stretcher" written on them either. Or a 'this way up' label either - OMG what a shambles.
And the demo area first aid/rescue post sporting a 'ready-to-go' boat with first aid kit clearly visible would be a fair clue to most that this might be somewhere close to where first aid may be available.
If you were the one to reach Darren proir to the first aider with the stretcher then I would say it is your fault he kited away and it is you who let Darren and the whole kitestock first aid machine down.
Who did you report his concussed condition to - other than the world on this forum. Did you immediately run to the event judges to make them aware that the event shouldnt be re-started & that Darren needed to be brought in - NO.
If you knew he was concussed and allowed him to kite off before the first aiders were on hand to assess things themselves then - esp given your incredible insight into these matters - you are clearly to blame for the consequences which, luckily for you, were none.
Before we all go shooting our mouths off, how about we all settle down and sort some facts out first.
Barry dawson said
Are there any videos from the comp? (Not necessarily from the crash)
I always try to improve my big airs and look for inspiration!
3 things....
1) thanks Wrex - a clear and well qualified summary and justification of what & how it all went down.
2) surprise surprise - there is no Barry Dawson .
3) Can anyone recall the jump before the hit. It was a huge boost with either a double kite-loop or a single kite-loop with a double roll ? Anyone recall.
When I came in after one ride, I saw one attendance by a first aider to a guy who had a cut on the scalp. That could have been potentially a head injury. The attendance was nothing less than PROFESSIONAL, treating the injury while constantly checking the consciousness of the casualty.
As one of the first aiders (not on duty or at the spot at the time of Darren's accident) I would say by the description of the accident that the first aider on duty did his best at the time. It is great to rewind the tape and learn from it....but without the blame game.
BD, you may not quite be aware, that all first aiders were volunteers. Most of them (like me) holding a senior first aid certificate due to their profession, but rarely use the skill their learnt. So there is a limit to what you can expect from a firs aider, OK? There is a quantum leap difference between a professional paramedic and a first aider. If you know a paramedic or an emergency doctor who would volunteer for the whole event, please organize them for us.
Furthermore kitestock took place on a km's long stretch of beach including the outer reefs (where I spent most of my time) about 500m away from any help. WE ALL TAKE RISKS WITH KITESURFING. And that's why we take care of each other. OK?
So BD, you've already received the public acknowledgment and thanks for helping Darren. I believe this was the true motivation behind your post. Next step for you is to do your senior first aid, sign up as a volunteer for next year KS, and show that you can do it better.
This year, as part of an ongoing committment to improving events & the associated risk management planning, WAKSA has endorsed and paid for committee members to attend a St John's senior first aid course. It was successfully argued that WAKSA committee members should know basic 1st aid in case of an accident at or during a WAKSA event. Those of you who have attended any of the WAKSA downwinders this season will have seen the 1st aid box brought out as part of the tents, tables, & bbq equipment each time we've organised a DW.
Following on from this policy, the issue was put into practice as part of the planning for KS 2010. WAKSA requested appropriately qualified volunteers to assist by taking an allocated roster for the w/end. We had a couple of doctors, a nurse and 5 qualified 1st aid crew give up their time. One of the volunteers was based half way along the beach and had phone & radio contact back to the surf club in the event assistance was required.
To those people, thank you again for your assistance over the weekend. You generously gave up valuable time to (potentially) look after your fellow kiters - big thumbs to each of you.
With respect to Darren's landing, I was watching from the judging tent. Everyone will remember the sound of his landing for some time. As soon as the 2nd kiter waved for assistance, the other volunteer 1st aider & I ran to the SLSC, grabbed a back board (thinking we might need to carry the kiter) and ran towards Darren. By the time we had got half way, he was up & kiting back towards the judges tent.
It gave us the impression that he was ok and didn't need our assistance. Sure, with the wisdom of hindsight it should have been handled differently and handled better. Hindsight is always a great gift.
WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THIS?
Prior to Darren's uncomfortable landing, several of the KS organising committee had a conversation in passing that in future years, we should arrange for paramedics to attend the event. It's something that we hadn't considered previously, but in light of this incident, WAKSA has heard the message - very clearly.
We have also learnt that we need to initiate more thorough consideration to our risk management planning for events of this size.
Thank you for all of your contributions on this issue. The organisers for KS 2011 will no doubt bear the incident & how it was handled in mind when planning next years event.
Juddy
Hi Guys,
A lot of very thoughtful replies have come into this thread and I must say maybe a little too much heat on Barry Dawson. He was obviously very concerned with the situation and probably felt quite frustrated when apparently I shook off his assistance to continue with the heat.
It was not my intention to endanger myself or anyone else for that matter by shaking off assistance and continuing, I was unaware of being KO'd or concussed at the time and just felt a bit confused (some would say situation normal ).
The level of assistance I was rendered by so many concerned people after the crash, and the concern showed by pretty much everyone I ran into for the next few days at the pub and at the beach, showed that as a group, we do look after each other and I'm sure that, should my condition have deteriorated, there would have been more than enough adequately qualified people there to assist right away.
Perhaps from Barry's viewpoint of being a concerned participant of KS, and not a volunteer of KS, enlightened with the knowledge of the setup, he was just unaware of the first aid setup on hand.
As he was the person closest to me at the time of my regaining composure, and was the receiver of my rejection of his assistance, despite my condition, he obviously felt helpless, frustrated and was worried about my condition. I don't think his post was intended to be malicious, but certainly has stirred up some discussion which can only lead to a safer and better understood event for us in the future.
We also need to remember that the WAKSA and KS crew are not professional events organisers and they do a pretty good job putting together a class event for little reward. They all have day jobs, and like all of us, are regular people who make mistakes and learn from them. They also have feelings and concerns as has been displayed in this thread by the passionate replies of the contributors, and no doubt all have the best intentions to make it better again next year.
Thanks again to ALL involved. Lets just put this down to a learning experience and be thankful, (me included) that it turned out the way it has, and move forward with hindsight as our guide in the future.
Peace out,
KH
Er.. not you BTW Juddy, I quoted your response as it was positive and focused on the issue not anger at an individual.
If you go back and read Mr Dawson response there is an element of frustration directed at WAKSA which is not really justified.
90% of the time it is the public that is relied upon to inform the appropriate authority to a situation that needs attending.
WAKSA had appropriate personel and infrastructure in place to cope with Darrens situation but unless attention is brought to the organisers or volunteers (Or they spot obvious) then how can you blame them for not reacting.
Casting blame for not reacting I don't think is fair in this situation.
My two cents worth.
