This may save your life (First Aid in general)

Member Name: huddro

Product:	First Aid in general
Date:	23/01/02 (540 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Saves lives

Disadvantages: None

This was a journey they took everyday. Leaving home at 0530 to travel into London to open their café. This morning was no different to any other, dark and cold, not the crisp fresh cold of previous mornings more a damp misty cold. As with every other morning traffic was light and the heater slowed reactions. Neither of them was prepared for the wrenching crunch of twisted metal as the motorcycle in front of them was hit from the side by a scooter.

He braked hard, but she had nothing to do but watch as the motorcycle rider was flung into the air like a rag doll. She almost heard the thump of impact as the riders body broke onto the hard tarmac to eventually slide to a halt. The scooter rider was standing dazed but the motorcycle rider did not move.

Seconds seemed like hours as she looked down on the riders crumpled body. Her husband busied himself moving the bikes from the middle of the road. Crouching she touched the rider, she had never felt so helpless she had no idea what to do.

Another bike stopped behind her and a rider crouched she heard the words “I’m a St Johns trained Medic” relief washed over her as she was absolved from responsibility.

Would you know what to do if you came across a person lying in the road after an accident? With the right training you could, as the blood donation advert says “do something wonderful…. save a life”

I am not going to try and teach you First Aid in this opinion but I will pass on a little theory.

So what is First Aid? It is defined as the treatment given to a casualty until professional assistance can be given. It is carried out to preserve life, prevent deterioration of the condition, and promote recovery.

According to the RAC, over half of those killed in road accidents die before they reach hospital. And well over a third of those could have been saved by first aid at the scene. Thanks to the RAC for that comment.


First Aid is as easy as ABC and that is exactly what you will learn. ABC is the priority to which you work and that is Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. For instance you would deal with an unconscious casualty who was laying on their back as their tongue could block the airway before you dealt with an unconscious casualty laying on their front.

There are a number of recognized training organizations that teach First Aid skills, the most well known being the Red Cross and St Johns Ambulance. Before you decide what company you want to train with ensure they are recognized at the level you wish to train to. For example I am trained to the standards laid down by the Health and Safety Executive to fulfill the role of Appointed Person. This means I am the named qualified first aider at work.

As a bonus to me it is also recognised by PADI the diving organization and means that I do not have to undergo their Medic first Aid training for my Rescue Diver Course as I have already covered everything and more in the HSE qualification.

You may not wish to take things to this level but basic first aid awareness should be a prerequisite for everyone. According to statistics most accidents happen in the home and you are 20 times more likely to have a fatal accident at home than to win the lottery (thanks to the BBC website for that statistic)

I have already mentioned the ABC of first aid but obviously not everything you come across will be quite so severe. As a qualified first aider you may treat everything from removing a splinter to rescue breathing for a casualty. So what will you learn on the HSE course:

Incident Management
The first thing you will learn here is to make sure that you are safe at all times. You do not want to become a casualty too. Incident management is based on a 5-point plan:
Assess the situation
Make the area safe
Assess all casualties and give emergency aid
Get help

Deal with the aftermath

Casualty Management
This will enable you to decide which injuries and conditions must be treated first and to recognize the priorities of the ABC rule we mentioned earlier. You will be taught in this section the following:

Mouth to mouth ventilation for a casualty who is not breathing
Perform chest compressions on a casualty with no circulation
Treat a wound be it a small scratch or a penetrating stab wound
Treat a fracture
Treat burns and scalds
Recognise and treat various conditions from angina to hypoxia, from a heart attack to an asthma attack.

Each of the above will be taught in regard to both conscious and unconscious casualties.

The biggest fear most people have of becoming a first aider is the thought of the responsibility involved in treating a casualty. Please remember there are no expectations, all you can do is your best and any treatment you give to preserve life is better than the casualty dying.

I hope this has given you an insight into First Aid and perhaps given you the encouragement you need to go out there and learn some new skills. Remember more accidents happen in the home than anywhere else so your skills are more likely to save a member of your family or a friend than a stranger!

As you probably gathered the medic at the start of this opinion was me. To take you through the incident:

I had the couple block the road with their car to shield the rider, as I checked he was breathing and then checked the scooter rider.

The motorcyclist had complicated fractures to his left forearm (bones sticking out through the skin), had two fractures to his right arm, cuts to his hands, and concussion.

I made him comfortable and stayed with him until the ambulance arrived whereupon I was able to give the crew full details of the guys name, age, what had happened, suspected injuries, and medication history saving them valuable tim
e.

The scooter rider ran from the scene before Police arrived.

The passenger in the van spoke to me after the accident to find out where she could learn first aid.

The motorcyclist has now left hospital and is at home with his family. We talk a couple of times a week after he contacted me to say thanks for looking after him.

It is satisfying to know that I can help and could possibly save a life and I hope that if I am ever the casualty that there is a first aider to help me.

St Johns Ambulance
www.sja.org.uk

British Red Cross
www.redcross.org.uk

©huddro2002

Summary: