Today's blog is a little different. It’s not finance related, but it’s certainly about your welfare and the welfare of your friends and family. Today we had the opportunity to participate in a "Stop the Bleed" course at our office. This course was designed to help train bystanders how to stop life threatening bleeding while waiting for emergency responders to arrive. So, because I'm in the first aid mindset, I thought I'd write a short piece on situations you may encounter at work or home. My purpose in this blog is to give you an idea of what you may encounter, and the types of training that are useful to be prepared for these situations. This blog is not intended in any way as specific instruction of what to do in these situations. It is just my take away from the training I have received.
Any number of emergencies can occur during your average day no matter where you work or what you do for a living. Here are a few (by no means a complete list) of the types of emergencies you may encounter and what may be needed.
The first thing to do for any emergency is to call 911 or direct someone to call for you if emergency treatment is needed. Additionally, do you have emergency numbers posted around your home or office where easily found?
Unconscious person
- CPR training can be lifesaving in this event. Red Cross offers classes all over the nation. If there is an AED available at your location, do you know where it is and how to use it? An AED can be invaluable in saving a victim's life and greatly increase the percentage of survival over not having an AED.
Cuts or injuries.
- A First Aid Kit should be available at your home or office. A good first aid kit may help save someone's life in the event of an emergency or could help make a less severe injury under control more quickly. The Stop the Bleed class we took had some recommended items for a bleeding control kit.
Allergic Reactions
- Life threatening allergies are very common. Chances are you know someone who has one. Try to be aware of friends or family members that have allergies and see if they have their own EpiPen. In the event of a serious allergic reaction someone can lose consciousness before being able to alert someone where their Epipen is. If you have your own EpiPen, it may be a good idea to alert those at work or at home where you keep it in the event of an emergency. Many CPR classes include a portion about how to use these.
Choking
- Choking is another common occurrence. This may occur at your home, office or while you are out at a restaurant. Most CPR courses teach the skills needed to help a choking victim. Such measures can be lifesaving and are easy to learn.
Stroke
- Again, a good CPR course teaches how to determine signs of a stroke. Getting immediate emergency care can be critical to both survival and better outcomes for the victim.
There are of course many more situations that can occur, but these are some of the most common ones. Additionally, each of the above has relatively easy sources of training available to be considered. In all cases any person aiding a victim should always consider their own safety first.
The American Red Cross, some local Fire Stations and other private organizations offer courses in the above emergency procedures and many more. We recommend CPR training for everyone because it is such a valuable skill to have and the classes only take a couple of hours.
Red Cross CPR Classes
Stop the Bleed Classes
https://cms.bleedingcontrol.org/class/search