By admin / 04 July 2014 / Canberra First AId, CPR, Emergency, First Aid, South Canberra First Aid, Uncategorized / No Comments

THERE’S been an accident and you’re first on the scene. It’s the scenario that most of us dread – but we can all learn the basics

By: Michele O’Connor

Published: Sun, June 1, 2014 in the Express.co.uk

Knowing first aid basics such as putting someone in the recovery position could save their life [POSED BY MODELS/GETTY]The first few minutes of a medical emergency are always critical, but nearly two thirds of us admit we wouldn’t know what to do.First aid is something we should all know how to give – so familiarise yourself with these simple steps and you could make the difference between life and death.

Someone cuts their hand deeply

DO apply firm pressure with a clean cloth and raise their arm above their heart to reduce the bleeding. Continue to apply pressure until the bleeding is controlled and apply a dressing. If the cut is very deep and blood is flowing heavily, apply an extra dressing. Continue to apply pressure and get someone to drive you both to A&E.

DON’T remove the original dressing if blood seeps through. Just apply another dressing over the top.

On a meal out, a friend starts choking

DO Encourage them to cough, advises St John Ambulance training officer Clive James. If this doesn’t remove the obstruction and they can’t speak, breathe or are going blue, they’re being deprived of oxygen.

Bend them over and slap sharply between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand up to five times. If that doesn’t work, try abdominal thrusts.

Stand behind them and place your fist between their navel and the bottom of their ribcage. Grasp your fist with your other hand and forcefully press inward and upward.

Repeat up to five times. If the blockage persists, ask someone to call 000 while you alternate back slaps and abdominal thrusts until the ambulance arrives.

DON’T put your fingers in their mouth to try and remove the object – you may push it further down the throat. And don’t make the person drink to try and flush the object down. This will only add to the obstruction.

Someone scalds their hand with boiling water

DO cool the burn under cold running tap water for at least 10 minutes, advises Clive James. Carefully remove jewellery or clothing from the affected area, unless it is stuck to the skin.

After cooling, cover the burn with a clean, non-fluffy dressing (a clean tea towel or freezer bag will do). Any burn or scald bigger than a postage stamp needs medical attention.

DON’T attempt to break blisters or apply adhesive dressings. They may tear the damaged skin when removed.

Burns bigger than the size of a postage stamp need medical attention after being cooled down [POSED BY MODELS/GETTY]

You witness an epileptic seizure

DO remove all potential hazards from the immediate area and put something soft under the person’s head so they can’t hurt themselves. Call 000, stay calm and simply watch over and reassure them.

Once the seizure is over, put them in the recovery position until the ambulance arrives, advises British Red Cross first-aid expert Joe Mulligan.

Lay them on their side, with one leg higher than the other so they can’t roll back or forwards. Then tilt their chin up to keep their airway open.

DON’T try to restrain them or put anything in their mouth. It could block the airway or damage their teeth and, if the jaw spasms, you could get bitten.

A person collapses in the street

DO If they are unconscious, check their “ABC”, says Clive James. Airway – Ensuring there’s nothing in their mouth, lay them on their back, tilt their head backwards and lift their chin to open the airway.

Breathing – listen for breaths and look to see if their chest is moving. If it isn’t, get someone to call 000.

Circulation – If the person is not breathing, start CPR: with the heel of one hand and the other hand on top, press firmly on the breast bone (where the lower ribs meet in the
middle). Depress the chest by one third of its depth, then release.

Repeat 30 times at a rate of two compressions per second, then give two “rescue breaths”. Pinch their nose, take a big breath, cover their mouth with yours and breathe out. When their chest rises, remove your lips and repeat.

Continue with 30 compressions followed by two rescue breaths until they start breathing or help arrives. If they are conscious and have chest pain, sit them up with their back and knees supported in a comfortable position and reassure them until the ambulance arrives.

DON’T lie them down if you think they’re suffering from a heart attack – it makes it harder to breathe.

A toddler is found face-down in the pond

DO carry them out, still face-down, with their head slightly lower than their chest to allow water to drain from the airway – and ask someone to call 000.

“Check ABC and, if necessary, begin CPR. Start by giving five rescue breaths, then do rapid chest compressions with one hand in the centre of the chest,” says Clive James.

If the child is breathing, remove wet clothes, put them in the recovery position and cover them with a blanket.

DON’T assume they have recovered. Always call an ambulance, as they may suffer from “secondary drowning”, which occurs when the air passages swell up.

An elderly relative is slumped in their chair

DO think “FAST” (face, arms, speech and time). Ask them to smile and raise both arms, advises James. “If their face droops, if they can only raise one arm, or if their speech is slurred or hard to understand, call 000 immediately and explain to the operator that you suspect a stroke.

DON’T wait to see if things improve. Prompt action can prevent further damage to the brain.

All phone numbers have been changed to 000 for Australian purposes.

See North Canberra First Aid courses for a great basic first aid practical course. All hands on with some information in between. Canberra first aid now conducts courses on the northside of Canberra. Please contact us for all your CPR and first aid needs.

We come to private practices anywhere and anytime to help your staff be ready for  any emergency situation.

By admin / 14 July 2014 / Apply First Aid, Canberra First AId, Childcare, CPR, Emergency, First Aid, … 4 more / No Comments

Ross Dykes, Joe Giggins, Samantha Westwell and Josh Tolson

Elite cyclist Joe Giggins said thank you to the first-aider from Corby who helped him after a fall in the Milk Race.

He was injured just after the start of the elite men’s race in Nottingham when he collided with a barrier at the side of the course and suffered injuries to his face.

St John Ambulance operational cyclists Ross Dykes, from Corby, and Josh Tolson were providing first aid cover as part of the charity’s medical team and were close to where the accident happened on May 25. They went to Joe’s aid, along with an off-duty doctor and East Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic Samantha Westwell who had been watching nearby.

Ross, of Bideford Square, who saved his stepfather Colin Stevens’ life last year when he had a heart attack, said: “Our cycle response team was on the scene within seconds. Joe was unconscious when we first got to him and he was quite dazed afterwards. Due to the nature of his injuries, we wanted to maintain his airway while still protecting his neck.

“We ensured he had the immediate treatment he needed and our St John Ambulance paramedic colleagues then transported him in our ambulance to hospital. It’s great to be able to see Joe making a good recovery and I hope he will be back on his bike before long.”

Joe, 23, of Richardsons-Trek RT team, was taken to hospital as a precaution, but the accident was enough to rule him out for the afternoon. He is now recovering well.

At a reunion with Ross, Josh, and Samantha on June 8, he said: “I remember the start of the race but after that I can’t remember much about what happened. The crash was only on the first lap. I remember waking up as if from a deep dream with somebody holding my head, and then on a spinal board in the ambulance. I know that if it wasn’t for those cycle responders on the course I may have been a lot worse. I am very grateful to them and everyone that helped me.”

St John Ambulance provides first aid cover at major events in Northamptonshire and across the East Midlands.

The charity’s operational cyclists cover sports and park events, marches and demonstrations. Using bicycles means volunteers can reach people who need medical assistance more effectively.

Taken from: Northamptonshire Telegraph 21/6/14

Another great job by an everyday hero. A reminder of the services Canberra First Aid courses provide. We run recognised training through our RTO Allens Training. See below for details

Option 1) 1 day (5.5hours) Apply First Aid (HLTFA311A)/Provide First Aid (HLTAID003) (includes CPR) this includes an easy to use online workbook, first aid manual and face shield. Cost: $125 per person.

Option 2) 1 day (6.5hours) Provide an Emergency First Aid Response in an Education and Care Setting (HLTAID004) This includes scenarios specific to the childcare industry, easy to use online workbook, first aid manual and face shield. (The Provide First Aid Course+ CPR + the childcare specific Asthma and Anaphylaxis training). Cost: $185 per person

Option 3) 2 hour Anaphylaxis and Asthma Training Course $70 (22099VIC) and (22024VIC) A combined course in the management of anaphylaxis and emergency management of asthma in the workplace. This includes scenarios specific to the childcare industry, easy to use online workbook, first aid manual and face shield. Cost: $75 per person

Option 4) 2 hour Perform CPR (HLTCPR211A) / Provide CPR (HLTAID001) this includes an easy to use online workbook, first aid manual and face shield. Cost: $60 per person

Please contact us if you would like to gain the best first aid skills in Canberra.

By Bonnie MundayBest Health Magazine, June 23rd 2014

Saving our health … the bad habits that are killing us have been revealed. Source: ThinkStock

A comprehensive snapshot of the nation’s health has also sadly found that suicide, not cancer or heart disease, is the leading cause of death of both men and women aged 15-44.

There were 2535 deaths from suicide in 2012 and 200 people attempt suicide every day.

Lifeline says suicides have reached a 10-year peak and the crisis support agency has answered more than 64,000 calls from help-seekers so far this year, up 14 per cent on last year.

Accidental poisoning was the second most common cause of death for men aged 25-44 and the third biggest killer of women of this age.

This includes deaths caused by medications, pesticides, gases and other chemicals.

But promisingly, Australians are now living on average 25 years longer than a century ago according to Australia’s Health, a biannual government report on the nation’s well-being.

It found a boy born today can expect to live to 79.9 years and a girl to 84.

More people are surviving cancer with two thirds of cancer patients surviving five years past their diagnosis in 2006-2010 compared with just 47 per cent in the mid-1980s.

There was also a 20 per cent fall in heart attack rates between 2007 and 2011 and strokes fell 25 per cent between 1997 and 2009.

Improved immunisation rates and medical advances mean infectious diseases are killing fewer of us.

Meanwhile chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease now cause 90 per cent of all death and disability.

These diseases can be traced back to the health risks caused by our bad habits such as smoking, physical inactivity, poor nutrition and harmful use of alcohol, the report says.

Smoking rates have fallen but one in six people still smoke daily, 63 per cent of adults are overweight or obese and only 8 per cent of adults eat enough vegetables.

Almost one in two young adults are at risk of harm from drinking more than four standard drinks on a single occasion and just over two in five adults are sufficiently active to meet the recommended guidelines.

Make sure you book in to a Canberra First Aid course over the summer break. We want everyone to stay safe and live healthy lives. Be prepared for an emergency and have all the skills you will need in a first aid situation. Book in to a provide first aid course with Canberra First Aid now.