General Chat

Dear All

Hello

No, this is not a medical emergency!

Just wondered how many people are qualified in First Aid?

Also, do you feel that young people are taught about this subject and safety matters properly?

Could you deal with an emergency?
Have you done so?

Take care

Best wishes all
xx

Have to do training for my job not sure if i would be any good in a emegency jay

I'm not actually qualified, although since I'm a unit helper with a group of Rainbow Guides I am starting to think that maybe I should get some sort of qualification. I know some basic stuff about not applying fat to burns, not putting hypothermic people into hot baths and various other things but I haven't actually got anything official to prove it.

I do think it would be a good idea if you could do something like it at college, though - when I went to university, my flatmate burnt herself on the oven tray and she was cursing me for making her submerge her hand in water for ten minutes (actually it was fifteen but I told her it was ten!) but when she saw the doctor the following day, they said I did exactly the right thing. But I think it would be useful to do something at college so that students who move away for university are at least prepared if something happens out of surgery hours etc.

I am a qualified First Aider
We have to be in our job
I think everybody should be taught about this subject and safety matters
You never know , It may save a life

Dear All

Hello

Thank you very much for replying.

Very good and thoughtful points made.

I wonder myself if youngsters are taught enough about how to handle emergencies.

Take care all

Very best wishes
xx

Was a qualified first aider .I worked for Unilever and they took medical and safety in the workplace very seriously .There had to be two first aiders on every floor of the building and we went on St Johns Ambulance courses every year to make sure we were still up to speed. Retired now for 10 years so no longer qualified but i could still turn my hand in the case of an emergency. I think its essential everyone has at least the basic skills of First Aid and this could be taught at School .

Edit I have amended.,it was St Johns not Red Cross courses!!

My certificate is well out of date, but the knowledge is still there.
I would think there have been changes in how situations are delt with now.

I have been a qualified first aider.
Actually used it 'seriously' about 10 years ago, when a man walked out in front of the bus I was on, whilst on my way to Uni.
He had serious head injuries, the blood was literally flowing down the road.
A couple of good samaritans directed the traffic.

What really peed me off though was a woman who said she was a nurse who shouted advice from a distance, but in reality had no idea of what was going on. If I'd taken her advice, the injured man (who was semi-conscious) would have tried to get up!, and a creep of a man who turned up, 5 minutes after the event, and rambled on about gory 'events' he had attended, then told the ambulancemen all about what had happened!!

Meanwhile I was left with a bloody rucksack (used to staunch the bloodflow) and bloody hands - and the ambulancemen ignored me when asked for something to wipe my hands with!
I then had to get stroppy and suggest they listened to someone who actually did something and really knew the injured mans situation - even though they were female - rather than take the advice of a thrill seeking creep who was in reality just getting his kicks from the injured mans predicament - and please could I have something to wipe my hands with as I had a 2 mile walk, whether I went to Uni or back home!.

I helped a man who had a motorcycle accident some years ago, he had hit a trailer coming out of aturning. Checked his vitals, had him lying comfotably, left his helmet on for safty, and was on someones phone asking for ambulance, when I turned back to him, some silly idiot had taken his leather gloves on because he was worried about his watch. Now those hands could have been damaged and the gloves would have been acting as a splint. I was furious! The ambulance arrived and we left as I had come out of hospital that morning after an operation and it was more than I should have been doing, but habit makes me run towards trouble , not away.

Yep First Aid qualified...should be on the school curriculum in my opinion. Used it a few times but nothing earth moving...Just remember what I was taught by the Dr who trained me...'even if you aren't sure...do nothing and they die...do your best and they might live"

I used to belong to the St John Ambulance Brigade when in my teens.

Did all sorts of courses, including First Aid, Home Nursing, Fire Safety, and Road and Home Safety. All very useful.

As an adult in the workplace I redid First Aid a few times, good both for revision and to learn new techniques.

As a child I remember that we were told to put a cold key down the back of someone with a nosebleed.
We didn't do CPR we did "artificial resperation" which involved lying patient on their stomach, with head turned to one sidwe while we applied pressure to their rib cage, slowly increasing and then decreasing the pressure.

Yes, we were told to put butter on slight burns!!!

I think that basic first aid and safety lessons should be given at various stages of a young persons life. Getting a little more detailed as they get older.

In junior school children could llearn about dialling 999 for help. Plus other basic home safety, along with whatever has taken the place of the Green Cross Code.
e.g. to all members of your household have an outside assembly point in case of having to leave the house quickley in an emergengy.
Do you know how to deal with a pan fire.?

At secondry school these lessons should be taught again in a little more depth.
Likewise in the sixth form or at College. It would make a nice break from thr usual lessons. And perhaps the safety lessons would help to ensure less accidents happening.

Dear All

Hello

Thank you very much for your replies and for sharing your personal experiences.

Dear Theresa.......yes, all those types of courses are so valuable for youngsters.

Very good points made by all on this thread.

It would be a very good thing if there was TV advert campaign to raise awareness of learning basic first aid skills.

Take care all

Very best wishes
xx

Have been to a few first aid courses since age 16. My last one has just run out - waiting for new dates to go on another one. will have to do a 4 day course again. Firm normally pays for me to do them,

Over the years, have dealt with nose bleeds - one that lasted a godd 15 mins, although I started to deal, a ex collegue of mine, ex army paramedic, took over.
Cuts, grazes, epilepsy (sp ?)
One that I heard about - from collegue - a lady has slipped on floor, she felt she was ok, although she said her back hurt. Collegue kept her still on floor, as he thought something was wrong, until ambulance arrived.
The ambulance crew arrived, checked lady over, decided to take her to hospital for check up as she said her back was still hurting. She agreed to go to hospital, She walked to the ambulance, apparently from what I was told - the crew did try to get her onto stretcher or chair, but she did not want to do.
We heard after that she had broken her pelvis.

Liz

Thanks for raising the issue, Elizabethofseasons,

I agree that tv is a good way of spreading the word as well as a teaching tool.
Courses in Schools would be of benefit to pupils/stadents and staff (teaching and none teaching) alike.

T

I fully agree that first aid should form part of the school curriculum.

There are several other things that should be in basic education but are not taught because they do not fit into any of the pre-determined brackets.