How Important is First Aid?

Almost everyone at some point of their lives will find themselves in the unfortunate position of being in a crisis.

Most of us know someone who is elderly or infirm, children who have active sporting lives or have been in a situation where a total stranger has suffered some sort of accident and is injured. We all try to live our lives in safety but of course we face daily risks of car accidents, sporting accidents, falls from ladders, falls from horses or a high street kerb, ingestion of a dangerous substance, burns and scalds from the kettle or frying pan, nasty cuts with a sharp knife or choking on a piece of food or fish bone.  All these and other possibilities add up to the certainty that anyone present at this unfortunate time may be able to help with some basic first aid knowledge and with a minimal amount of first aid training.

Let’s not forget that apart from the daily risky business of going about our day-to-day activities, we also now live in increasingly dangerous times with higher instances of natural disasters, terrorist threats and, as our elders live longer, failing hearts. Knowing what to do in a situation of crisis might mean the difference of someone living or dying.

What is first aid?

First aid is the prompt provision of essential emergency care to an injured or sick person.  First Aid can be psychological, as simple as offering reassurance to a traumatised person who may not be functioning properly.  Or it can by physical, helping to make sure no more damage is done and as easy as applying a simple dressing over a wound.  It can of course also mean the provision of effective, life-saving first aid interventions, such as immobilising possible fractured bones or restoring normal breathing and heart beat.  It may be that first aid care is all that is required for someone who has sustained minor injury or illness and no further medical assistance is needed, but in serious situations, prompt first aid before the arrival of the medical services (ambulance, paramedics and doctors), may make the difference between full or partial recovery or even the person’s life and death. In the minutes after a trauma, how the body is treated can make a world of difference to the outcome – and time is of the essence.

First Aid Training and life saving techniques are available to everyone.  How more reassured will you feel, knowing that you have acquired the skills to help someone in times of crisis?  Or knowing that young children in your family are aware of what to do and who to call for help, if for example, Grandma were to fall down whilst child-sitting?  Maybe it’s been a long time since your last first aid training session.  Would you remember or do you know the latest CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) guidelines, how to put someone into the Recovery Position or know how to check whether and recognize if a collapsed person is breathing normally? Can you recognize and act effectively if someone is choking?  Do you know the difference between a sudden cardiac arrest and a heart attack?

First Aid as a Skill

Without doubt, the ability to administer first aid at home, first aid at work or first aid in a crisis is a very useful skill to have and is relatively easy to get these skills through a certified first aid training provider.

Without doubt, the ability to administer first aid at home, first aid at work or first aid in a crisis is a very useful skill to have and is relatively easy to get these skills through a certified first aid training provider.  The European Resuscitation Council, British Heart and American Heart Foundations remain firmly in sync with their guidelines, keeping first aid trainers up to date with the latest and more effective methods and techniques in Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).  More and more public places and enterprises including airport terminals, shopping malls, sports stadiums, banks, restaurants, supermarkets etc. have at their disposal easy to operate Automated External Defibrillators (AED), ready and available for use in cases of sudden cardiac arrest.  Is someone in your family suffering a heart condition?  Undertaking an AED training course can be really reassuring.  Take a few minutes next time you’re shopping, or out for the evening to notice the publicly placed Automated External Defibrillators.  And think how useful it would be for you to have knowledge of how to use one.

First Aid training is important.  Kalliopi First Aid Training and our partners endeavor to promote the importance of first aid training and encourage as many people as possible to learn or regularly refresh their first aid skills.

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