Submitted by: Greg Garner

Anyone who is serious about first aid should know the basic responsibilities that are expected of you. Most communities offer basic first aid courses and in many places, these course are free. Knowing first aid is a community minded skill that could either come in handy or never have to be used at all. While everyone can learn first aid, not everyone is can actually use it effectively. Some people become squeamish at the sight of blood. Others lose their head in an emergency situation. If you are one of these people, yet you have still taken the time to learn first aid, the rest of us tip our hats to you. You are very courageous and willing to help, even though you know that you may not be able to help.

Expectations

In an emergency situation, the serious minded first aid giver should realize the following priorities.

You must remain calm and keep a level head. In the face of a serious accident involving injuries, keeping your wits about you is vital to your success in giving first aid while waiting for help to arrive.

Helping people is noble. Staying calm and remaining at an injured person’s side is courageous. Putting yourself in harms way is stupid. If the situation is not safe, the serious first aid giver knows enough to stay out of danger. If the situation becomes unstable, they will move themselves and the injured out of harms way. If it is impossible to move the injured, you must remove yourself until it is safe to return. It sounds harsh but it is a reality.

If you intend to give first aid in any situation, it is your responsibility to remain up to date on first aid techniques. If you step up to the plate, you are expected to know what to do. This leads up to the biggest point of them all.

You should never do more harm than good. If you are unsure of what to do, you should not do anything except provide moral or emotional support. Never perform first aid that is above your skill level or knowledge. All that can be expected of you is your very best. If this is something that you feel will haunt you, more training is the solution to your dilemma. The more training you have, the higher your skill level will be, and the more confident you will become.

Knowledge is Power and Responsibility

One of the most important things to remember is the difference between the first aid treatment for adults and children. You might also have to alter what first aid you can give if the victim is elderly. These are the important details that you will be expected to ascertain as a giver of first aid. Find out if the injured person is pregnant. Do they wear a medic-alert bracelet? Do they have the telltale signs of a pacemaker or recent surgery?

Finally, as a giver of first aid, you must remember the all-important ABC’s of first aid, the Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. Learning first aid is a conscientious and noble pursuit. There is a lot of responsibility attached to first aid. If you are going to do it, do it well. Lives could depend on it.

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Source:

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