Imagine waking at 3 AM to a commotion in your house, only to find a family member collapsed on the floor of the Bathroom, and not breathing.
Imagine driving along a country road, and coming across a car which has recently crashed, hitting a tree.
Imagine being at work, and witnessing a colleague injuring themselves on a piece of machinery.
All these things are more than possible, and indeed, these scenarios are among several I have experienced in my life.
The ability to make the right decisions, and act appropriately is critical to working towards a positive outcome for the casualty.
Let me cover these 3 events in detail, and share with you the learning outcomes from them. They are in time chronological order.
A Dying Mother
In 1997, I was tucked up in bed, when I woke to shouting in the house. I got up, and went to the bathroom to find my mother collapsed on the floor, my brother panicking over her lifeless body. I dialed the emergency number, and called for an ambulance.
Living in a remote area, I ran down to the main road, and flagged down the ambulance as it came, running behind it to the house. The Ambulance crew calmly got out, and entered the house, where the situation was becoming more bleak for my mother. My brother was inconsolable, with our mother in his arms. She was pale, and generally in a very bad way. In the cramped space, the Paramedics worked to maintain her airway, and started chest compressions. There was insufficient room to get a trolley bed, or carry chair from the ambulance, up the stairs, and along the narrow corridors to the bathroom, so, they man handled her to their vehicle. To all extent and purposes, my mother appeared to be dead.
In the ambulance, one paramedic worked to resuscitate my mother, the other drove. My brother was in the ambulance with them, I followed in the car.
Arriving at the Emergency Department, my mother was taken to resus, my brother and I sat in the waiting room, shocked by what we had seen and experienced. By brother more than I, as his exposure had been throughout. Some hours later, we were able to see our mother, who had been stabilised, and was conscious.
Some days later I met the Paramedics who worked on her. They told me they thought they wouldn't be able to revive her, and she would be clinically dead on, or shortly after arrival.
Both my brother and I did not know any first aid at this stage of our lives, and we made no attempt to save her life, other than calling an ambulance. The Paramedics, and Hospital team worked tirelessly, and, to this day, our mother is still with us, and adding value to our lives every day.
In 1997, the Ambulance service responded very quickly. It was a week day, it was early in the morning, and they had no other calls to handle. In this day and age, the scenario would have played out very differently. We would expect a further 10 minute wait for a similar response, and, those 10 minutes would have robbed us of someone we care for very much.
If we had known first aid, and had adequate training, and such an event occurred in the home, it is possible we could have kept her in stasis until professional help arrived. Thankfully, on this occasion, luck was on our side.
The Young Friends
In 2004 4 close friends were involved in a Road Traffic Incident. They were 26, 23, 21, & 19 years of age.
The other road users who stopped made no attempt to render any First Aid, as a result, 3 of my friends died. It is my belief, that if an attempt was made to resuscitate 2 of the 3 non breathing casualties, there would have been 3 survivors instead of just 1.
In 2004 4 close friends were involved in a Road Traffic Incident. They were 26, 23, 21, & 19 years of age.
The other road users who stopped made no attempt to render any First Aid, as a result, 3 of my friends died. It is my belief, that if an attempt was made to resuscitate 2 of the 3 non breathing casualties, there would have been 3 survivors instead of just 1.
The families and the friends of those involved suffered a devastating blow to their own lives in the loss of these 3 men, killed in the prime of their life.
The Severed HandIn 2005 a colleague trapped his hand in the moving mechanisms of a vehicle. It resulted in the complete crushing of his hand and lower arm so that bone and flesh were exposed.
The first people on scene were able to control the bleeding whilst one person went to call for emergency help. They collected the bits which have been amputated, and protected the bits which were still attached, all be it barely by skin.
He was calmed down, kept warm, and comforted, then moved swiftly by ambulance for an emergency operation.
Today, he has use of his hand, and 4 fingers. Although the limb shows the scars, he still has it, and more importantly, he did not die from blood loss at the scene.
The Outcome
These are just 3 true life experiences, they may seem extreme, and for some, they may have been fortunate enough to have never experienced anything like it in their lives, and maybe they never will.
I on the other hand have experienced many instances such as these. Mainly through my employment, and random lifestyle.
I am confident, through training, and certain, through experience, that when such events occur to, or near me, I am capable of dealing with them in an appropriate manner. But most of society is not.
It is worrying that there are many people out there who do not think these kind of experiences could ever happen to them, but, they most definitely can, and this is why it is so critical to gain proper training in First Aid, to prepare for such an event.
The more people who gain qualifications such as First Aid at Work, or Emergency First Aid at Work, or even the shorter course qualifications such as Basic First Aid and CPR the better.
We should practice regularly, annually at the least, and keep abreast of new developments and suggestions - in particular to Basic Life Support.
Among many other reasons, we believe everyone should have access to High Quality First Aid Training, and from this belief, we established our company, providing value for money, readily accessible courses for the workplace, and the general public. More information on this can be found at: www.centricuk.com .
There can be no greater gift to give someone than extending their life, so they, and their families can enjoy what time they have together. We often take this for granted.
In all 3 scenarios above, consider yourself in them. How would you cope as the first on scene? What would you prefer if you were the casualty?
It's for all these reasons, that we learn First Aid.
