Could you be a future lifesaver?
This Save a Life September, St John Ambulance is teaching people to save a life from choking, severe bleeding or cardiac arrest.
How to give life-saving chest compressions and restart a heart using a defibrillator, how to treat someone who is choking, and how to deal with a severe bleed will be three first aid topics taught by the charity’s volunteers in demonstrations in public places this month, through online sessions and by giving away free first aid pocket guides. The charity hopes to reach 50,000 people through these methods.
People in Staffordshire can attend free training during the campaign on Saturday, 7 September at Castle View Park, off Valerian Park, Doxey from 12 noon 4pm, and Saturday, 21 September at Market Square in Stafford from 12 noon to 4pm.
St John Ambulance head of community education, Carl Makins, said: “This September we plan to show thousands of members of the public how to save lives, focusing on the first aid that they most want to learn. Tragically, due to the rise in knife crime, it feels particularly relevant to be teaching people how to treat severe blood loss.
“It’s vital more of us within our communities know how to respond to the life-threatening situations which many of us will sadly face in our lives.
“There are nearly 300 deaths a year due to choking, yet more than half of us don’t know how to give back blows to clear someone’s airway. We also know that giving CPR and using a defibrillator can more than double someone’s chance of survival. It’s so often those quick actions taken by people who find themselves first on scene in the critical minutes before an ambulance arrives, that make the difference between life and death.”
For more information about Save a Life September demonstrations and guides, people can visit bit.ly/savealifeseptember.
By Ian Groves - Contributor
