First Aider?

[Andy]

An incident at work today makes me ask this.

A distressed lady burst into my work today seeking aid, as her partner had collapsed on the road outside.
"Is anyone here a 'First Aider?' she asked.

Technically I'm not, we had some obligational training for insurance purposes in MA, but it was pretty mickey mouse.
I've made it an issue to read up myself, out of a measure of personal responsibility.

I went straight out onto the street, to find this young lad crumpled on the road.
Checked his mouth to make sure he hadn't swallowed his tongue, and his airway was clear, which it was, then straightened him out gently, turning him from his back to his side, checking for a pulse.
As I did, the lady explained that he was epilectic and learning disabled.
I asked her if she wanted to call an ambulance, to which she replied "He won't let you put him in one".
At this point he partially regained consciousness and started to struggle.
We tried to calm him, but then he blacked out again and started fitting.
A crowd had gathered by this point, and when someone else offered to call an ambulance, the offer was accepted this time.
Satisfied that all that could be done had been done, I returned to work, keeping an eye out of the window.

The lad came too, and after a few minutes, walked off with this lady.
Two minutes later, the ambulance showed up.



Those who instruct.
Do you have a current first aid qualification?

[Aefibird]

andy said:

Those who instruct.
Do you have a current first aid qualification?

Yes.

I think it is vital for there to be at least 2 or 3 people in any MA club with current FA certification.

[andym]

I don't have a qualification but I know a lot of stuff from being in the Army!

[random]

I am a first aider but I don’t shout about it. It is also important for first aiders to be insured, St John’s run their own scheme. I know of one incident where a friend of mine was taken to court for cracking ribs during The Heimlich Manoeuvre, it was thrown out, and the judge brought to the attention of the court that a few broken ribs is better than choking to death.

I was suspended from work for a couple of weeks after a guy died, I was first on the scene, CPR and all that, then the ambulance came and did the same, when they did the inquest all his ribs were broke, I was suspended until it was decided that I didn’t kill him while trying to save his life.

It is a mad mad world. And I am now reluctant to get involved.

[AngelaG]

Ah, compensation culture, another fine import

[random]

It is a terrible state to be in. In town there is a firm who stand around near the library touting for business, actually approaching people to ask if they have had an accident or injury recently.

[AngelaG]

I heard that Tony Blair was looking to clamp down on this, and actually make ambulance chasing kinda stuff illegal... anyone else know anything more about this bill?

[random]

www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page7562.asp

This is the speach the PM made on the subject

[Aefibird]

angelag said:

I heard that Tony Blair was looking to clamp down on this, and actually make ambulance chasing kinda stuff illegal...

I hope so!! There's always tons of adverts on my local radio station, advertising firms of ambulance chasers. They get all over too, even taking stands in supermarkets and at fairs and the like. Grrr!!!

This whole "blame someone else" cluture that we live in really gets to me. Whatever happened to someone having a simple accident without it being automatically someone elses fault?

At one time if you tripped up whilst walking along the pavement it was your fault for being a clumsy bugger or for not looking where you were going. Now it is the fault of the local council for daring to have their pavments a milimetre out of line.