There are certain categories of people which, due mostly to their occupation, have to know first aid. Most of them will have to be trained beyond the standard first aid course, learning advanced techniques or field-specific first aid such as first aid for children of water-related first aid just to name a few. Those will be medical professionals, lifeguards, child care workers, firefighters and other specialists who are responsible for protecting the lives and welfare of other human beings. Yet we firmly believe that everyone should take a first aid course. Toronto and the GTA First Aid Training has an abundance of training facilities where you can get your CPR and first aid certification in less than two days time.
However, the question we get asked frequently is why? Why should a regular person not in a dangerous line of work bother to learn first aid at all? We live in a city where an ambulance is minutes away when it’s needed and besides, we don’t really face danger daily, do we?
The simple answer to this is, yes we do.
Most accidents that lead to severe injury or death occur at home or on the street, not in a dangerous workplace. The ironic fact is that people are safer in a dangerous setting because they are aware of the danger and therefore act in a more cautious and responsible manner. It’s where we feel the safest that dangers can gang up on us, because we are complacent and careless.
Places, where injuries can occur, are too many to recount, but the kitchen is definitely one of them. Sharp utensils, heated surfaces and boiling foods are a perfect source for burns, cuts and bruises. Do you live in a two story home? Did you ever navigate the stairway in the dark? You are in danger of falling every time you do. Do you have cats? The danger is now ten times as acute. We can go on and on, but the picture is clear. Injury can occur anywhere, anywhere at all.
Now that we’d established the situation to be one that may demand medical care, let’s answer the next question in line – why you. Why not call an ambulance and just sit there waiting for it?
Because a Toronto first aid course allows you to treat a person before the paramedic team arrives. This may be a 5 minute trip for them, or a 10 minute one, depending on how busy they are and how bad the traffic may be in the area. Some injuries don’t allow for the luxury of a long wait. If the victim is in heart arrest and isn’t breathing, they have minutes before permanent brain damage sets in. The same goes for severe bleeding. It needs to be stopped urgently or the victim will bleed to death.
A Toronto first aid course teaches you how to respond to a medical emergency before the ambulance shows up. It doesn’t substitute a medical professional by any means, but what it does is ensure there’s a still living person to save when they arrive.
This is why everyone should at least take the standard first aid course in Toronto and get their first aid certification. If only for the chance they will someday be required to save the life of a friend or family member.
