Hundreds of thousands of people die each year in situations where first aid could have helped save their lives. Accidents can happen simply anywhere, in the home, at work, on the street, at schools, in college, on the beach, while out shopping, but would you know what to do if an accident happened in your presence?
Taking quick and effective action, could make the difference between life and death. First aid is such a vital skill, but unfortunately many of us wouldn’t know what to do in an emergency situation, and only one in 10 people have the necessary skills to save a life.
Wales’ leading first aid charity, St John Cymru Wales want to change this. They want everyone to have the vital first aid skills to keep their loved ones safe and alive and have therefore launched their ‘Save a Life September’ Campaign as part of a drive to raise awareness of the importance of first aid in Wales.
Throughout September, the charity will be offering over 3,000 free training sessions at schools, training centres and businesses across Wales. The public will learn how to save a life using easy to follow techniques and receive a free pocket-sized first aid guide to keep on them in case of an emergency.
No one should die because they needed first aid and didn’t get it. First aid is something that many people think about learning, or brushing up on, but they often don’t realise the need for it until they are in an emergency situation. That’s why St John Cymru Wales are aiming to have a first aider in every home in Wales. They want to reach as many people as possible, so that more people are equipped with the skills to save a life.
The main reasons people do not learn first aid are because they think it is too time consuming or it is simply not a priority for them, but the sessions being run this month are only two hours long, yet will teach five, easy-to-learn lifesaving skills: how to find out if someone has any injuries or conditions which are life threatening; how to perform CPR; what to do is someone is choking; how to treat severe bleeding and how to put someone in the recovery position
Save a Life September is a fantastic campaign and I urge people across North Wales to sign up. Introducing people to basic first aid techniques means that they could save the lives of their friends, neighbours and loved ones in the future.
Save a Life September runs for the whole of September with the free two hour sessions available during the day, evenings and weekends. Anyone interested in learning first aid can sign up at www.stjohnwales.org.uk/savealife or call 0345 678 5646 for more information.