We should never underestimate the importance of first aid training
Knowledge of first aid is invaluable and essential for the entire community. Quick action through first aid helps to assist all those injured in the unfortunate event of an accident or some emergency. First aid skills are life-saving and can be applied in your home, workplace, or all public areas. The importance of first aid training should never be underestimated as one never knows when a situation will arise where immediate first aid is required because of a minor incident or, sadly, in more serious circumstances when the basic knowledge gleaned from such training may prove to be life-saving.
The basic definition of first aid is the immediate or first assistance given to any person who is injured or has taken ill suddenly. Basic knowledge of first aid contains few relatively simple techniques and procedures that can be performed on the spot with minimal equipment, or even improvised equipment, if necessary until professionally qualified help arrives.
If not attended to immediately, a simple injury can sometimes lead to severe complications and, in some rare unfortunate cases, can become fatal. Sometimes, one might witness a tragic incident and there is nothing that can be done to help the injured person, other than making them comfortable until they are taken to hospital; but knowing how to care for those who may be traumatised by such an incident is equally important. This is why so much importance is being given to first aid training and care. It does not only provide immediate comfort but also helps to save precious lives.
As an individual, no-one is legally required to have first aid training and it isn’t something normally covered in our general education, although groups such as scouts encourage young members to take the first aid courses they readily provide. Even as parents, we often have minimal knowledge of how to cope with comparatively likely scenarios our children may face such as choking, burns, strains, cuts, and poisoning. It clearly makes sense to ensure we have at least some basic first aid training to ensure we can cope with all those little accidents normal family life is likely to involve. And anything else we might be confronted with out of the blue…!
Wherever you live in the country, you will be able to do a Google search and find first aid training courses that are suitable for your needs. However, if you are an employee, you might even be able to get your training paid for by your company. Naturally, the importance of having people with first aid training in the workplace is a high priority: it is a legal requirement! Across the country, from Essex to the highlands of Scotland there are companies that specialise in workplace first aid training such as certified and qualified training institutions like Glasgow First Aid Courses.
How will first aid training benefit you?
One of the critical elements of first aid training is ensuring how to take care of and heal yourself first. If that is understood and done well, extending the care and assistance to others becomes more manageable and better.
In the case of workplaces, it is a legal requirement that a minimum number of their employees are properly trained in first aid. This training will be different for different workplaces, and specific requirements will depend entirely on the working environment and identifiable occupational hazards. For example, the first aid requirements of a children’s day nursery will be vastly different from the requirements of a busy manufacturing company. Every company is legally required to carry out a risk analysis of their operations and need to ensure they have employees adequately trained to cover those high-risk aspects.
The main reasons why first aid training is so necessary are:
- It increases safety
- It can help save lives by providing comfort to the victim
- It offers the affected persons immediate support to relieve pain
- It can prevent the worsening of a critical situation
Knowledge of first aid promotes a healthy, secure, and safer environment because fundamental first aid is extremely helpful in emergency trauma conditions. It can most certainly help curtail severe casualties.
When an affected person is given adequate first aid immediately, it will help reduce the severity of the injury, hurt, or illness and assist in recovery time. Proper and certified first aid training includes immediate treatment of injury and illness. It also teaches the values of leading a healthy life and why certain lifestyle choices directly affect health and life risks. Having this knowledge helps the trained individual and the affected persons since the trained first aider can impart the same knowledge ahead while tending to people in emergencies. So, it is essential to be trained in first aid. It makes a bit of a difference in life-threatening situations, especially when professional medical assistance is not readily available or is difficult to access quickly.