First Aid Training

Published on 5th April 2023

We are exceptionally lucky to have Aidan Ward in our midst. Not only is Aidan one of our National Observers but he is also a Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Science and a Paramedic, Advanced Practitioner/ECP. Even more lucky in that Aidan is willing to give up his free time to host a First Aid Evening at the University of Northampton for us.

Due to the space in the training room (it is a big room but also houses the full sized backend of an ambulance!), the event was limited to 12 attendees.

Aidan started off with the principles if you are the first on the scene of an incident, whether it be a collapsed person, a road traffic collision etc. The first thing to consider is Safety.

Aidan showed us how to spot a life threatening bleed (catastrophic haemorrhage), as the casualty could have a fast heart rate, be pale/clammy, have an increased breathing rate or feel dizzy. If they have a catastrophic haemorrhage, position – expose – examine – pressure (peep). That is, if possible lie the casualty flat, find and uncover the bleed site, check it, then apply pressure direct to the wound. If the wound is on a limb, then elevate the limb to reduce the blood flow.

We also learnt basic life support, how to check if the casualty is breathing. We leant how to open an airway, and then to check if this results in the casualty breathing again. We were shown how to perform CPR (chest compressions not mouth to mouth), with the number of compressions needed as between 100-120 per minute.

Aidan also showed us some horrific statistics regarding survival rate of cardiac arrests when they occur in the community, around 8% survival if no CPR/defibrillator used, rising to about 15% of CPR and defibrillator used.

Aidan also showed us a number of other key first aid methods including how to stop both an adult and child choking, how to remove a motorcycle helmet (only to be done if the casualty is not breathing) and how to put a casualty in the recovery position. Apparently, according to Ian Phillips, removing a helmet in this way is very painful on the ears! Robert, Ian’s son, did seem to enjoy removing the helmet during the demo!

As you can see from the photos, we were able to practice the techniques.

This was an excellent evening, many thanks to Aidan for all his hard work. He made a serious subject easy to understand and remember.