Perhaps many people think they do, but if it came to the crunch do you really know? It’s a basic piece of knowledge we should all be equipped with – and, trust me, having seen it on TV shows is no substitute for proper training. And, even if you have been properly trained how, you need to check your information from time to time – guidelines change.

As a starter, this video is well worth looking through (further on there is a real life example).

Personally, I think CPR (and basic first aid), should be taught as a requirement in schools around the world from a very early age. Every kid knows how to call 911 – but how many without the help of a 911 operator would have the knowledge to keep someone alive in an emergency? Hell, why couldn’t we give them an annual refresher course too – so that by the time kinds leave school the basics of lifesaving are second nature to them? Imagine how many lives could be saved?

Why not go away after reading this and find a local first aid course? It’s one of the most valuable and satisfying skills you’ll ever learn!

We’d like to thank Adam from Blokebuddy in the UK who prompted us to write this after seeing a recent post he’d done on the subject.

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I’m going on the presumption that I have escaped the incident unscathed, it could be a plane crash, a bus accident, or maybe an explosion. Serious incidents happen every day and most of us (including me) go through life thinking it could never happen to us, well your wrong, it could happen to you and me alike.

Obviously if this was happening to someone you know you would obviously run to the rescue to help your loved ones, but how would you react towards complete strangers? I would like to think that most of us would try and help the suffering and injured as much as possible, but the fact remains that in most cases people panic, think of only themselves, the rush of adrenaline makes you feel disorientated and not knowing what the hell is going on, this is human nature and a reaction that is completely normal.

I want to give you all some advice on how to keep your cool and how to be the hero in such situations, help your fellow human beings and gain ‘hero’ status in the process.

Learn Some First Aid

You need to get on a first aid course and learn the basics, first aid is one of the most valuable tools you will ever have and can mean the difference of life and death in serious situations. You can opt for the basic course which takes a few hours and will teach you how to treat cuts, bruises, head injuries etc.

Whilst this will suffice for every day problems I would suggest going for a more advanced course to help you deal with more severe problems such as nausea, shock, severe burns, deep wounds and epileptic fits. If you find yourself in a major incident you will thank the lord that you have first aid knowledge, not only to treat the injured but to help yourself too.

Take Charge And Be Assertive

You need to step up to the plate and make some decisions, first you need to make sure you are okay, give yourself a good going over and make sure your not injured in any way, if you rush in and try to save people and you have a broken arm, or massive bleeding to the head you will be more of a hindrance then a help, if you have some small cuts and bruises that’s fine.

Now you need to take charge of the situation, look around you and you will see panic, people crying with pain, disorientated individuals looking for help and solace, they will look out for anyone that is able bodied for help, that is human nature, so a lot of people are relying on you for assistance. You are bound to feel pretty dam awful after a serious accident, but you know you are okay so take a deep breath and look at the situation and start to think about it logically, who is injured? how many are injured? are there anymore able bodied people around to help you?

Prioritise

If you are involved in say a car crash involving 6 cars and a lorry, the lorry is on its side with 3 cars 10 meters away on fire, all with the passengers passed out and with head injuries, the other 3 cars are in a ditch not on fire and the passengers are weary and disorientated, what would you do? who would you save first?

Prioritising is key to getting as many people to safety as possible, have a look at what the lorry is carrying, is it flammable? Whatever it is you clearly need to get the most seriously injured to safety, the people in the ditch may be hurt but they are less of a concern than the ones in a burning car. Stand back and look at what has happened, refrain from running head on into the accident and trying do everything, your not actually the guy in the picture above!, and I am assuming the emergency services have been called so help will be there soon.

Don’t Put Yourself In Danger

The minute you realise you are able bodied and in good working order while everyone else is severely injured, you instantly become the single most important asset in that incident, you are there before any emergency services arrive, and you are the only one that knows first aid, so take care of yourself! Rescue as many people as you can, but don’t take stupid risks that will get you killed.

5 Things To Keep In Your Car Boot

If you are the only able bodied person around, you are going to want some assistance, it is a good idea to have some helpful equipment in your car, here is a list of 5 essential items to have in your boot.

• A First Aid Kit – An obvious addition, you can buy them all ready made up fairly cheap, a must have item
• Blankets – Keep a few blankets in the boot to help small children and the elderly keep warm
• A Torch – A good powerful torch to help search for stranded and lost victims
• Sweets – Might sound odd but high sugar sweets give the injured some much needed energy, and boosts moral
• Bottled Water – Not only acts as a drink for the injured, but can be used to wash away dirt from open wounds

The most important thing is to keep yourself in good working order, get yourself injured and your going to have to wait for the emergency services, by which time people may be in serious trouble, follow these simple steps and you will be hailed as a hero for helping save lives. Here is a quick run down of the most important things to remember.

• Keep yourself in good working order and don’t put yourself at great risk
• Make sure to keep the listed items in your car boot
• Go on a first aid course, and take a refresher once a year
• Prioritise, save the most vulnerable first then the rest, you can’t save everyone at once
• Analyse the situation, look for dangers and keep as calm as possible

Our thanks to Adam Garratt the author of Bloke Buddy an up and coming male interest blog from the UK for this guest article. Nice guy, and a great site – well worth a look…!

Picture from Hotrod

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