Why first aid courses should be compulsory

  • Written by News Company


You learn a lot at school and university, subjects that are important and which go on to shape and influence careers. Subjects like English or science or mathematics, history, and geography. These are all very important and worthy of study, but they are hard if ever, going to save lives. Which begs the question, ‘why is first aid not a compulsory subject at all school?’ Almost everyone, will at some point in their life, end up in a situation where they need to know first aid. It is not something that only needs to be learned by people in dangerous areas or volatile situations, accidents happen everywhere and having a first responder around, who knows what to do, can make all the difference between life and death. If you are still in doubt, here are some key facts to consider about why you should enrol in a first aid course.

It benefits everyone

Living in a community you never know when something bad is going to happen. So rather be prepared for the worst and be ready to tackle it head-on when an emergency arises as opposed to seeing what happens when an emergency comes about. It is almost inevitable that at some point in your life you will encounter a need to get stuck in and save a life. You would certainly want a qualified first-aider to be present in the event that you needed one, so why wouldn’t you want to be that first-aider for somebody else. Look to apply to do a CPR certificate Brisbane has several accredited places that will teach you the ropes. It is not as simple as it looks from watching television. Equip yourself.

Stats prove its worth

Statistics suggest that nine out of ten people who have a heart attack outside of a hospital will die. But estimates from The National Heart Foundation of Australia also suggest that the number could be much better if more people were trained in CPR. They go so far as to suggest that almost a quarter of a million people or more could be saved every year if more people were trained in this vital skill.

Psychological benefits

Generally, when people talk about first aid, they talk about the lives that are saved. What they don’t talk about is the feeling of helplessness and guilt that can be experienced if a person dies in front of you. Most people who have no training in first aid will flounder in a situation where they need to perform an emergency action to save a life. They feel clueless and ultimately guilty, knowing that they could quite possibly have done more. A good first aid course can be completed in a day, it is worth doing for your own peace of mind, not to mention the fact that you could quite easily save a life.

It’s not just CPR

There is a lot more to first aid than knowing how to perform CPR. This is obviously a very key element to first aid, but it only needs to be performed if the heart has stopped beating. There are plenty of other situations for which a proper course will equip you. These include burns, seizures, choking, bleeding, poisons, electrocution, drownings, fractures, and many other situations.