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Do you know first aid?

When was the last time you did a first aid course, and how much do you remember?

Before becoming a first aid trainer trainee with St John NT, I hadn’t given much thought to just how important knowing first aid was…and I thought I knew all I needed to know.

This may seem like an obvious perspective coming from someone in St John NT first aid department, but prior to this my most frequent interactions with first aid would be watching a scene in a movie or TV show when someone calls out to the crowd “does anyone know first aid?!”

Just like in the movies, I assumed that I too would watch as a doctor or nurse runs out to save the day.

What you don’t really consider is the fact that a doctor or nurse may not always be around. One day it could be you running out from the crowd, the first responder that stops a minor bleed or even performs CPR and saves a life with your basic first aid knowledge.

Research shows that less than 1 in 20 Australians know first aid and have the correct training to handle a situation requiring first aid.

St John Ambulance Australia found that just 26% of Australians are trained in CPR and less than 5% said that they would feel comfortable actually performing the manoeuvre.  

As a trainer these numbers worry me. I have come to realise how a one to two-day course could mean the difference between saving the life of a friend, family member, or even a stranger.

Of course, I would hope that you will never need to actually use those first aid skills, but I am sure that everyone has been in those situations where you look back and think “I could have done more”, or maybe “I wish I could have stopped that bleed or put that broken arm in a sling.”

Through the St John NT training department, we offer multiple different types of first aid training for the general public or companies and industries.

It’s as simple as making a phone call and you’re on the way to knowing how to save someone’s life.

- Samantha Green, St John NT First Aid Trainer Trainee