General

First aid training and pandemic flu

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:21:34 GMT

These rules are in addition to the regular hygiene rules already put into practice in the first aid course, and they aim to limit the risk of contamination in the pre-pandemic flu stage.

In the pandemic flu stage, the training centres must follow the measures set out by the State health services in regards to public spaces.

First aid for a safer future: focus on Europe

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:55:47 GMT

This report is released on the occasion of WFAD 2009. Although it focuses on first aid activities in Europe, many of its recommendations also apply to the rest of the world.

As well as advocating first aid's basic gestures for saving lives, the IFRC strongly believes that first aid should not only be accessible to all - including the most vulnerable but also be an integral part of a wider developmental approach This approach focuses on prevention in order to build safer and more resilient communities.

First aid for a safer future, focus on Europe

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:56:52 GMT

Many Europeans do not receive first aid training at a time when the continent faces growing challenges! In a new report called “First Aid for a Safer Future: Focus on Europe” the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies and the European Reference Centre for First Aid Education give ten recommendations. Key among them: compulsory quality first aid training or education for everyone.

“The fact that 56 per cent of European countries have decided to make first aid compulsory to get a driving licence is encouraging but this is not enough and we clearly see the need for legislation at the European level both on compulsory quality first aid training and on putting a time limit on first aid certificates”, explains Diane Issard, manager of the Reference Centre based at the French Red Cross in Paris.

Major differences within Europe
The report contains several key statistics: While 95 per cent of the population in Norway, as well as 80 per cent in Germany and Austria, are trained in first aid, in many other European countries only between 5 and 10 per cent of the population have the necessary skills to take immediate action and apply the appropriate techniques in case of accident. Especially in southern, central and eastern Europe, authorities rely too much on emergency services instead of the lifesaving potential of individual first aiders. “All citizens should be given an active role in disaster prevention and be taught basic first aid skills that can be applied in any kind of emergency, including everyday accidents”, says Diane Issard.

Without first aid, help often arrives too late
The report demonstrates how immediate first aid can help reduce the severity of injuries and save lives: When a human heart ceases beating, permanent brain damage can occur within the first minutes after breathing stops, the report points out, emphasizing that, unless someone trained in first aid has taken immediate action, even the most sophisticated emergency service will frequently arrive on the scene only to certify death.

First aiders need legal protection
The report also advocates for more access to defibrillators in public and private places, calls for more realistic first aid trainings and is urging European legislators to ensure that first aid providers are not held responsible for possible poor outcomes in the challenging settings of an accident: “This is essential to avoid people from turning away from accidents because they are afraid of possible legal actions”, concludes Diane Issard.

According to a survey conducted in 2006, out of the 6.2 million people trained in first aid every year in Europe, 56 per cent (3.5 million) are trained by National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies.

Solferino, 150 later

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:23:41 GMT

24 June 1859: the battle of Solferino. Henry Dunant, a young Swiss man, was confronted with the desolating scenes of an endless procession of carts carrying thousands of wounded. This led to the idea of creating a neutral organisation of first aid, recognised by various nations and which could intervene in all places of war.

150 years later, from June 23 to 28, thousands of Red Cross/Red Crescent members gathered in Solferino. The Solferino event was divided into the Youth on the Move workshops and the Humanitarian Boulevard. Therefore, the European Reference Centre for First Aid Education provided both information and activities in the IFRC Health and Care space on the Boulevard and led a first aid workshop for youth.

Youth on the Move

The First Aid education workshop drew 50 youth participants nominated from their respective National Societies.

The objectives of the workshop were:

- to share what first aid means for youths, in particular first aid with vulnerable groups;

- to gain a better understanding of the First Aid Policy and what it means for youths;

- to learn and practice first aid techniques;

- to discuss on how to harmonize first aid best practices and techniques across regions.

The workshop participants discussed three topics:

- What are the new first aid activities for your National Society among youth into 2015?

- What can be your contribution as youth volunteers?

- What will be the key messages included in the final Solferino Youth Declaration?

The key messages chosen by the youths for the Declaration were the following:

We call on our National Societies to:

- Include the “most-vulnerable” groups in decision-making processes.

- Increase peer education to reach more young people.

We call on governments of the world and on the international community to:

Include first aid and road safety in national education curricula, and allocate appropriate financial and logistical resources.

In addition to the practice and sharing of concrete first aid techniques, the discussions between the very active youth participants and the first aid instructors from the British, French, Spanish Red Cross were very fruitful. In particular, the presence of youth interested in first aid from five continents provided a wealth of diverse opinions and perspectives.

Humanitarian Boulevard

Sharing space with the IFRC Health & Care Department, the European Reference Centre for First Aid Education provided information, brochures, and handouts to the thousands of Humanitarian Boulevard participants and visitors. In addition, the Reference Centre staff scheduled informal discussions on a variety of First Aid topics for small groups of interested participants. The presence of the Reference Centre provided the unique opportunity to directly inform and exchange information with thousands of Red Cross/Red Crescent members of all nationalities.

Knowledge ot fhe first aid kit contents among motor vehicles drives

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:21:34 GMT

By the number of the deceased in traffic accidents, Slovenia belongs to the less safe countries of the European Union. In case of a traffic accident with injured people, first aid can prevent worsening of the condition, handicap or death of the affected persons. In order to provide immediate first aid, a first aid kit is a necessary and compulsory safety item in all motor vehicles. The purpose of the research was to determine whether motor vehicles are equipped with the necessary (old or new) first aid kit and whether motor vehicle drivers are familiar with the contents of the first aid kit and maintain it properly.