TomDimmock

“Help, help, my son has stopped breathing,” a female Social Worker screams.[A passing postman rushes up to the son, doesn't check airway, and starts blowing air into his mouth as seen on TV.]

A school girl shouts, “Get an ambulance”, to her passing teacher talking on her mobile phone.

A road-sweeper puts their arm around the distressed mother and says: “he’ll be ok, that person is breathing for him and an ambulance is on its way”.

Who are the First Aiders here? None of them have said that they are First Aiders.

Well the first First Aider was the mother as she diagnosed lack of despiration and called for help - without her actions her son may well never recover.

The second First Aider was the postman that just started to give ‘Mouth to Mouth’. He didn’t check the airway but he is giving a form of treatment that may save the lads life.

The third First Aider was the school girl who recognised that the treatment being given required some professional assistance - and therefore shouted for an ambulance to be called.

The road-sweeper was the fourth First Aider as he was giving some sort of treatment for shock to the mother.

And the point is? Sometimes we all get carried away with ourselves. A First Aider is somebody that gives the ‘first‘ bit of assistance to a person that requires it. First Aid is the ‘first‘ initial emergency treatment. You do NOT need to be trained in ‘First Aid’ to be able to administer ‘First Aid’.

Somebody that is TRAINED in First Aid will deliver a BETTER standard of initial or first emergency treatment/care. This is recognised by the public.

Trained First

Aiders come from all types of backgrounds and employment, from the dustman, unemployed, a trained or untrained nurse, shopkeepers, doctors or school children, as examples. First Aiders can be trained by various organisations as well as SJA.

It is the training and discipline that St John Ambulance gives that makes St John Ambulance such a successful and effective organisation. It stands to reason that St John Ambulance Members are therefore BETTER First Aiders; but they are not the ONLY First Aiders.

Doctors and Nurses in St John Ambulance can be effective in delivering first aid but those who have trained in first aid will openly admit that they are BETTER and more EFFECTIVE First Aiders than those without that additional training.

A First Aid trained Doctor or Nurse is NOT a BETTER First Aider than a St John Ambulance trained lay member and most of the medical profession will admit that. They are all equal as First Aiders. However, a medically trained First Aider probably has more confidence as they do work continually with people in varying degrees of illness or injury.

Remember that a First Aider gives the initial care or treatment only.

We have to hand over our care once the initial first aid has been delivered and this is by either sending the patient home to see their GP when suitable or send them to hospital - handing over our care to the ambulance crew.

On a large Public Duty we are lucky to have Nurses, Paramedics, Technicians or Doctors on duty so that our patients can be passed over to them for ‘Second Aid’ or opinion.

For a large public duty I need a Doctor or two, I also need a few paramedics and Registered Nurses; but most importantly, I require lots of disciplined, sensible, first aid trained personnel that can initiate treatment and transfer them somehow to the waiting Health Care Professionals if required. The treatment that follows may well be performed by the first

aid trained personnel under guidance from the HCP’S.

A large duty cannot function correctly or legally without disciplined First Aiders, First Aiders with further training and crewing ambulances as well as Doctors and Nurses. It is not always a legal requirement to have Paramedics on duty but experience has taught me that it is very wise to include them.

And my point is: Will you all please stop running each other down on here. You are all valuable to SJA; we need you all; each and everyone one of you gives that individuality that organisations thrive on, HCP or non-HCP.

And finally I leave you with an open question: Does the age or length of experience have anything to do with the Forum rants of “we are better than you”?

Regards to Terry Wing who wrote this for the National Members List.

Take Care…