West Aussies urged to update skills this World First Aid Day
World First Aid Day is celebrated on Saturday 12th September this year, with each of us urged to learn or update our first aid skills to ensure we’re ready to help in an emergency. World First Aid Day is celebrated on the second Saturday of September each year, raising public awareness of how first aid can save lives in everyday and crisis situations.
Royal Life Saving WA is encouraging all West Australians to enrol in a first aid course to ensure they are adequately prepared to respond to all kinds of accidents and emergencies, from stroke to cardiac arrest, to drowning and more. Research shows that without CPR brain damage sets in within 3 minutes of a person’s heart stopping, and there is virtually no chance of survival if action is not taken within 10-11 minutes.
Royal Life Saving National President Cameron Eglington says it is vital that more Western Australians are trained in these lifesaving skills. “Royal Life Saving firmly believes in its motto that ‘Everyone Can Be a Lifesaver’ which is why we offer lifesaving courses for everyone from children, to teens, adults and grandparents. We’d urge everyone to consider today what they can do to improve their skills in CPR, first aid or rescue, to raise awareness amongst your family, friends or workplace, or to simply help someone in need.”
People often make excuses for not learning first aid, saying they’re too busy, don’t know where to go for a course, think they learnt enough in a course years ago or simply think accidents happen to others and won’t affect their friends, family or colleagues. A majority of people who complete a Royal Life Saving first aid, CPR or rescue course say they feel far more confident to respond should they ever need to help someone in need and are thankful they took the time to learn these skills.
The Australian Resuscitation Council recommends that first aid skills are renewed at least every three years and CPR skills every 12 months. Mr Eglington says there’s never been a more important time to ensure your skills are up to date. “In the current environment of the COVID-19 pandemic there have been some changes to the recommended approaches to first aid and CPR in order for first responders to keep themselves safe, so we’d encourage those who are due to update their skills to attend a course in their local area.”
Royal Life Saving WA trains thousands of people each year in vital first aid and CPR skills and wants to ensure all West Australians are equipped to help when responding to an emergency. A quick CPR response when a person drowns or stops breathing can make a world of difference to the victim’s immediate survival and long-term health outcomes. To enrol in a first aid or CPR course click the link below.
