I originally volunteered to be a First Aider at my old job because no one else wanted to! Everyone had excuses like being scared of blood or not having time for the training. Honestly, I don’t do well with blood either, especially if it’s mine, and I can’t even handle watching surgeries on TV. But I’m a pretty calm and organized person, so I thought, why not? I never really believed I’d ever need to use my First Aid skills, but it turns out I was wrong. I’ve already had to use them three times.
The first time was with my own baby daughter. It was around her first birthday, and we were at my parents’ house one evening, just watching TV. My daughter was playing on the floor when she suddenly started coughing and choking. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. I saw the panic on everyone’s faces and quickly picked her up, laid her across my arm, and gave her three sharp taps on the back. A ball of paper flew out of her mouth, and she immediately turned back to a healthy pink color.
The second time was just two days after I finished my three-year First Aid at Work refresher course. I was walking through town when a delivery van crashed into the back of a small car right next to me. I quickly reacted, stopping the traffic and checking on the drivers. The van driver was fine, but the woman in the car had hurt her neck and back. I calmly talked to her, called an ambulance, and made sure she didn’t move to avoid any spinal injuries. I held her hand until the paramedics arrived, and she was so grateful that I was there to help.
The third time was the hardest because it involved another child. I was shopping one weekend when I heard a bang and a scream. A car had hit a wall, and a toddler was trapped underneath. Some men lifted the wall and handed the little girl to her mother. I introduced myself as a First Aider, which helped the mother calm down a bit. I called 999 and used a pressure bandage on the girl’s thigh wound until the ambulance arrived. As a mom myself, I couldn’t help but think how I would feel in the same situation. I’d definitely hope someone would come to my aid.
These experiences taught me that you can’t always rely on others to know what to do; sometimes, you need to take action yourself. Taking a basic First Aid course is a fantastic way to learn important skills, and you might even discover something new about yourself. In England, you can get more information from the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance.