Q&A With David Nice: The Man Behind Brooklyn Specialist Training Solutions

David Nice, Founder and Managing Director of Brooklyn Specialist Training Solutions

With more than two decades of frontline emergency experience and a reputation as a world-renowned Industrial Rescue Medic Clinical Practice Tutor, David Nice has built a business that’s transforming how high-risk industries prepare for life-or-death incidents in confined spaces.

In this Q&A, David shares how his career has shaped the creation of Brooklyn Specialist Training Solutions and why his unique Confined Space Casualty Care Training is setting new standards across the UK and beyond.

 David, tell us a bit about your background. How did Brooklyn Specialist Training Solutions begin?

Brooklyn STS started in 2010 when I was tasked with developing confined space training for operatives in London’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) of which I was a member. While designing that programme, I saw a serious gap. The industry’s existing first aid training just wasn’t good enough for the complex and dangerous environments we were working in. It became clear to me that confined space casualty care needed a radical upgrade, and that’s what I set out to deliver.

You’ve had a varied career in the Armed Forces, London Ambulance Service, and HART. How does that experience shape the training you deliver?

It’s everything. I’ve seen first-hand the dangers of confined spaces and the failures of conventional training in real emergencies. My background allows me to demonstrate why casualty care needs to be rethought entirely for these high-risk environments. I also know how vital it is to train commercial rescue teams to be a fully integrated part of a multi-agency response.

Can you share an incident that’s stayed with you?

There are a few. One that really stands out was a hydrogen sulphide incident in a tiny space where two men tragically died. Another involved four people who had collapsed with carbon monoxide inhalation in a basement structure. We deployed in SCBA, managed the unconscious casualties on site, secured their airways, and extricated them to a hyperbaric unit. Thankfully, they all survived and returned home to Sweden the following week. Those moments reinforce why this kind of training matters.

Why did you develop the Confined Space Casualty Care course?

Because traditional first aid training doesn’t cut it in these environments. It’s not designed for the trauma, entrapment, or hazardous atmospheres responders face in confined spaces. I developed this course to improve casualty outcomes and responder safety specifically in confined spaces. It’s the missing link between general first aid and specialist rescue.

Some businesses treat confined space first aid training as a tick-box exercise. What’s your view?

Unfortunately, that’s true. Many industries view first aid training as a compliance obligation, not a life-saving measure. But confined spaces require more than a generic approach. The training and the kit must match the risks. That’s why our programmes don’t just tick a box, we equip teams to act decisively and safely in the vital minutes before emergency medical services arrive.

Should regulations be stricter?

Absolutely. I fully support the newly formed Confined Space Rescue Trade Association. We need tighter standards across the board to protect workers and ensure best practice becomes the norm, not the exception.

Why should businesses invest in BSTS’s Confined Space Casualty Care Training?

Because it saves lives. It's not just about protecting employees, it's about safeguarding businesses from preventable tragedies and potential legal costs. With 49,000 trolley waits (the time a patient spends waiting to be admitted to a ward after a decision has been made to admit them to a hospital) in the UK last year alone, delays in the arrival of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are a real concern. 

Even if EMS meets its response times, it can often make no difference. EMS is generally expected to arrive within an average of 7 minutes for category one calls, which is impressive but if you consider that a person can  suffer a brain injury  in 2 – 5 minutes or bleed to death from a major arterial bleed within 6 – 8minutes, you realise that is ultimately pointless.

 Our training empowers people to make the difference before help arrives.

What’s advice would you give to anyone facing a confined space emergency?

Follow your training. Stay calm. Keep your CPD up to date. And always remember - it could be you needing that care one day.

Find out more

Brooklyn Specialist Training Solutions delivers recognised courses that set industry standards in high risk first aid training, including the groundbreaking Confined Space Casualty Care Training.

To arrange a course or speak to David about bespoke training for your business, get in touch here.